Loving the Omega (3 page)

There wasn’t much more she could do. She was his wife, his mate, his other half of the Omega. She might not have the powers he did, or the connection to the moon goddess that he’d thought for so long was a curse, but she had their mating bond.

When he let her, she would soothe his heart and soul through their mating bond. She wasn’t the Omega, meaning she couldn’t actually take in his pain, his fear, and all of his emotions and find a way to make him feel whole again, but she could help somehow.

She just wished she could dream his dreams, pull him out of the agony, and heal him.

Not that he would let her, even if dream walking was a possibility.

No, her mate cared for her own safety and health more than his own. That wouldn’t stop her from trying though. However strong her mate was—and he was the epitome of psychological and physical strength—she was just as strong.

That’s why they were mates.

They’d both been through the fires of hell and survived with heavy scars on their skin and souls.

Warm hands gripped her hips, and she leaned into her mate’s hold, closing her eyes. For however long she worried for him, he did the same for her. Just because there wasn’t a sadistic demon out to kill them didn’t mean they couldn’t get hurt in other ways.

Taking care of each other was the way of mates, and she wouldn’t change that—though getting a decent night’s sleep without nightmares would be a plus.

“You’re thinking too hard,” Maddox murmured. His lips trailed against her ear, his warm breath sending delicious shivers down her back. He nipped at her earlobe before moving to bite gently on the faded mate mark.

Mating marks healed just like normal wounds or cuts, but all wolves knew the mark was there even if they couldn’t see it. Maddox, like most wolves, loved to mark her over and over, the new mate mark over the old one, a sign to others that they still held the combustible chemistry they had when they’d first mated.

In their case, she was sure that their individual and Omega energy had increased since they’d first mated. After all, they’d danced around each other for so long because they hadn’t known what the other had been thinking that they’d been almost hesitant at first. What she wouldn’t do to gain that year back when they’d been in so much pain because they hadn’t talked.

Goddess, what idiots they’d been.

Communication was key in any relationship, and it was even more so for two lost souls who were too afraid to hurt not only each other but also the Pack that had loved and taken her in.

“Ellie mine, what are you thinking about so hard that I can feel your wolf pacing even in human form?” Maddox’s hands brushed up her sides from her hips until he gently cupped her breasts. His hands bypassed her nipples though, and she arched into him, wanting more.

He pulled back after leaving a kiss on her neck then turned her in his arms. She reached up and ran a hand through his sandy blond hair. He had his mother’s hair. Not that she could tell him that anymore, not when the sense of loss would supersede the past memories of what they once had been. “If you keep moaning that way, Ellie mine, then we’ll be naked and sweaty when the Silvers come over to talk about their son.”

Ellie let out a sigh and leaned her head on his shoulder. “As much as I like to be naked and sweaty with you, I guess you’re right. The Silvers should be here any moment. I’d rather not scare them any more than they already are.”

Maddox sighed. “So are you going to tell me what you were thinking about?”

Ellie shrugged. “I’m just thinking about the past, present, and future. You know, nothing too big.”

Her mate snorted then kissed the top of her head. “You want to talk about it when the Silvers leave?”

She started to shake her head then stopped. Hiding what she was feeling from him was stupid considering they could hear each other’s thoughts. Plus, they both were there for each other no matter what.

“You know what, let’s do that. When North and Lexi drop Charlotte off, we’ll make dinner and talk.” Their daughter might not know everything that had gone on during the war, but the little girl had seen enough that talking about what was going on in their world would be beneficial. Charlotte might be more animated and talkative than she had been when they’d first adopted her, but that didn’t mean the little girl didn’t have just as many fears as Ellie did. It would do them all good just to sit and talk—even if nothing came of it other than soothing their wolves.

Maddox kissed her softly, a brush of his lips that promised more to come. He opened his mouth to speak then closed it. The scent of other wolves at their door filled her nostrils, and she pulled back, preparing herself to help the Silvers.

The couple had lost their only son during the war with the Centrals. He’d been one of the first sentries killed when Corbin and Caym invaded the Redwood den. Their son, Robert, died protecting the den’s pups in the same battle in which they’d almost lost Maddox’s brother Reed. The bravery of their son, though, didn’t diminish the sense of loss.

It had been a couple years since Robert had died, but from the scent of loss wafting off the couple through the door, Ellie would have thought it was yesterday. Not that she’d blame them. Just the thought of losing Charlotte…

Ellie shook her head. No, she wouldn’t be thinking about that. Not now. Hopefully not ever.

Maddox opened the door, and Ellie stood by his side, a united front of peace and health. At least that’s what she hoped they represented to the couple.  Kevin and Laura Silver took hesitant steps into the house, their bodies radiating with tension.

It had taken years of saying no and turning Maddox away for them to get to this step. As the Omega, Maddox had done what he’d could to help them, taking away some of their pain, but it hadn’t been enough. The Silvers had closed themselves off, burying their pain deep within so it became a part of who they were, even though Ellie knew it wasn’t healthy.

The coping mechanism had worked during the war, but now that they enemy had been defeated, it wouldn’t be enough. The man who had killed their son was gone, and now they had no one to fight.

No one but themselves.

Hopefully Maddox would be able to help them with that.

It was, after all, his duty, his obligation and privilege in life.

Maddox opened his arms, and Kevin took two steps before falling into the embrace of the Omega. Maddox ran his hand down the man’s back, siphoning off the pain in such a rush that Ellie couldn’t help but feel it across the mating bond. Laura, the dominant of the two, raised her chin, the icy protection around her heart cracking.

There was only so much pressure, so much pain, a woman could take before she had to break.

“Laura,” Ellie whispered. “Come into our home. Sit down. We’re here for you.”

Laura narrowed her eyes, the ice cracking despite the glare in the woman’s gaze. “Coming to the Omega won’t bring Robert back. Our son is dead, and there is nothing we can do about it. We don’t have the enemy’s blood on our hands. Don’t have his flesh between our fangs. We have
nothing
.”

Ellie tried not to flinch at the vehemence in the woman’s tone. It wasn’t lost on her that the same blood Laura craved ran through her own veins. She’d been raised, beaten, and scarred by the enemy. It didn’t matter that she’d left them and fought for the Redwoods.

She’d been born a Reyes.

And from the snarl on the woman’s face, Ellie might as well have never left.

She’d
always
be a Reyes to some.

A Central.

An enemy.

Kevin pulled back from Maddox, the man already looking calmer from being in the presence of the Omega. The submissive male would be the easier of the two to comfort it would seem.

“Laura, please,” the man whispered.

Laura closed her eyes, her voice cracking when she finally spoke. “I’m sorry. I just…I don’t hate you, Ellie. Know that.”

“That’s enough, Laura,” Maddox said calmly, his voice holding no room for disregarding him. “Let’s sit and talk. You’re here because you want to heal, and that’s the first step.”

Kevin took his mate’s hand, and Maddox did the same. Ellie squeezed his hand then led them to the living room.

“Tell me about Robert,” Maddox said once they were seated.

Kevin opened his mouth. Once. Twice. But nothing came out.

Laura met Ellie’s gaze, her eyes shining with tears. “He was our son. Our only pup.” She told them about Robert as a child, as a man grown. Told them about his love for caramel ice cream and cherries. Told them about the times he would climb trees and pretend he was a cat rather than a wolf.

By the time Kevin chimed in with stories of the man the Pack had lost, Ellie was on the couch next to Laura, quietly weeping and holding the woman who sobbed so deeply Ellie wasn’t sure Maddox would be enough to heal her.

Wasn’t sure if the woman
wanted
to be healed.

Maddox opened the mating bond fully with her, and she held back a wince at the immense agony running through the couple. He healed them inch by inch, a slow process that would take years, decades, but he was the Omega.

It was his duty.

His purpose.

He would siphon off the edges of pain and take it deep within himself. The mating bond flared, and she took some inside as well. It was something they’d promised to each other when they’d first mated. He would not be able to heal everyone on his own. Not anymore. That was what had almost killed him. Together they would be strong enough to overcome whatever they had to take out of those who needed the help.

It didn’t hurt. Not really. She knew it would if she was alone, and it had deeply when Maddox hadn’t been mated to her. She was just grateful that they had each other.

They listened to the Silvers grieve for another hour before she fed them the cookies Willow had made. The couple had suffered enough. They didn’t need to be forced to eat Ellie’s baking as well.

By the time they left, Ellie was emotionally exhausted, and Maddox looked as though he needed a nap as well. And not even the fun, sweaty nap they’d discussed before the Silvers had arrived seemed like a good idea.

Maddox stood and pulled her into his arms, crushed her to his body. “Thank you for being there, Ellie mine. I love you so fucking much. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Tears stung her eyes, and she wrapped her arms around his waist, inhaling his scent of wolf, forest, and home. The act centered her wolf, and she sighed, knowing that this was her forever.

Cheesy as it sounded, but her wolf knew the score.

“I love you too. Now let’s get some protein in us and then get ready for Charlotte to get home.”

Maddox kissed her softly then pulled back, an odd look on his face.

Her wolf went on alert. “What is it?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know. Something’s wrong.”

Logan, Lexi’s brother and Cailin’s mate, slammed open the door, his hazel eyes bright, the gold rim glowing as his wolf rose to the surface.

“It’s Charlotte. She’s missing.”

Ellie blinked as the world faded around her, her wolf howling in agony.

Her daughter.

Her Charlotte.

Gone.

Chapter Three

Caym couldn’t be back. Could he?

They’d sent the demon to hell in the arms of his brothers. Caym had screamed, begged, and pleaded, but it hadn’t been enough. The relief in seeing the portal to hell open and drag him back to hell had filled Maddox like no other.

Had they been wrong?

That was the thought running in a circle within Maddox’s mind as he tried to listen to whatever Logan was telling them.

Charlotte. Gone.

How the hell could that happen? The war was supposed to be over. Their children were supposed to be safe. The den should have been a safe haven, not a place where things could go terribly wrong and a little girl who had been through so much already was in the middle of something Maddox had no idea about.

His wolf nudged at him, bringing him out of his thoughts and into the situation at hand. “What happened? Exactly.” He growled out each word, his control barely leashed. Ellie gripped his hand, her own wolf dancing on the same edge as his.

Logan ran a hand through his hair, his body radiating tension. “Come with me to the den center, and I’ll explain. We’re forming a search party.”

Maddox looked at Ellie and nodded before following Logan out the door. “Explain, wolf. I’m barely reining it in as it is.”

Logan didn’t even pause his steps, merely looked over his shoulder and nodded. If anyone were to harm Cailin or their unborn child, the man would understand. Maddox just didn’t need to deal with dominance games at the moment.

He needed his daughter.

“The kids were all outside playing in the park. Charlotte, Gina, Mark, and Parker were playing by the trees. You know how close they’ve all gotten since North and Lexi mated.”

Maddox nodded. The kids, though not blood-related in any way, had become family fast. Parker was only a couple years older than Charlotte, but they had grown close quickly. Between those two and Kade’s adopted children, Mark and Gina, the four of them were a unit.

“The other three turned away to look at something, and when they turned back, Charlotte wasn’t there anymore. They thought she was just playing hide and seek or had gone off on one of her quiet walks, but they couldn’t find her. Then they came up to Cailin and told her that Charlotte disappeared. As soon as we heard that, we went into action, and I came to you. I would have called, but I didn’t want you to have to hear that over the phone without a wolf there to fight in case your own wolf demanded it.” Logan narrowed his eyes as if checking to see if Maddox was ready to break out of his skin and go wolf but didn’t move to push at Maddox.

Maddox growled low, but the sound ripped from Ellie’s throat tore through him. An aching, agonizing, lost moan that made his wolf shake. Helplessness threatened to fill him, but he pushed it back, wanting to take action before delving into self-pity.

“Why weren’t any adults watching her?” his mate asked, tears in her voice. Maddox lifted a lip in a snarl but kept quiet. “I wouldn’t have…I wouldn’t have let her out of my sight if I had known she’d be in danger.”