Alpha's Protective Pup

5

“I don’t like that fact,” I admitted, glancing at the woman with concern. “It’s playing too close to the edge of death.”

Oscar had already left at this point, most likely not wanting to waste time listening to our banter. I knew I could count on him to come back on time. He wasn’t one to break promises.

When Oscar appeared back at the entrance to the den, it was in record time. He motioned for me to come inside, and I didn’t hesitate.

“What did your father say?” I asked, swallowing hard.

I could tell what Oscar’s father had said just by seeing his expression. Oscar was the type of man to wear his heart on his sleeve. His face was like an open book, clearly revealing any intense emotion he felt.

Oscar was a hunter, so this wasn’t a slight against his position. I viewed his abject honesty as an enormous benefit rather than something that worked against him. The only one I knew who regarded it as a problem was his father, Joseph. My friend had told me as much over the years.

The sadness of the situation made it difficult for Oscar to enjoy spending time with my family. With Oscar’s mother having passed some time ago, he had even less reason to spend time with his father.

He took a breath. “He said that if she gets into any trouble, it’s on me and you. We’ll be taking responsibility for her while she heals in the den.”

“I expected that would be the case,” I admitted, not caring one bit.

If I wasn’t ready to accept responsibility for the woman, then I never would’ve brought her here in the first place to heal.

The moment we arrived at the healer, she instructed us to lay the woman on one of the beds and then to leave so she could work in peace. She was a strict woman who could give quite the tongue lashing, so Oscar and I were quick to obey.

Once the door closed, I stole a weary glance at Oscar, feeling the weight of the day settle upon us.

“This has been quite the day,” I said, looking for the closest place to sit down. “Little did I expect that during my surveillance of the territory, I would come across an injured human bearing the unmistakable mark of Lycan blood.”

Oscar sighed. “Had she not been a half-breed, then it would’ve been a different story. We’ll certainly need to monitor her once it becomes clear that she is an omega.”

“They’ll listen to you, Oscar. The entire group sees you as a leader.”

I couldn’t wait for the day when Oscar was finally able to take over for his father. That day was coming soon, and, in my opinion, it couldn’t come fast enough. He possessed the qualities that would make him a far superior leader compared to his father, Joseph.

It was something I had said out loud to him many times. Oscar would brush me off, telling me that his father was doing the best he could. I wanted to warn my friend that a reckoning was on the horizon, a conclusion I drew from discussions with my family.

“Don’t let my father hear you say that,” Oscar half-joked, his voice lacking its usual strength.

I shrugged, giving him a half smile. “Your father doesn’t have as many eyes and ears as he thinks he does in the pack. He should learn that.”

“You’d be surprised how many still support him, Lukas. Granted, most of them are the older generations that cling to the old ways, but still.”

Again, I shrugged. “Whenever something happens, you know that I’ll be by your side.”

Oscar snorted. “You don’t need to tell me that. I already assumed you would be—though I appreciate the reminder, Lukas.”

“Well, I’m happy to oblige.”

CHAPTER 3

OSCAR

O

n the day Lukas was out scouting, I was meeting with my fellow hunters. We were discussing what the plan was for this upcoming hunt. The food situation wasn’t dire at all. Our pack members were well-fed and rarely went hungry, because we worked very well together as a team.

We planned the next hunt for the weekend. Our territory was large and such a forested environment provided many forms of prey for us to capture. In the past, many other wolf packs had tried to encroach on our territory. It never went well for them because we were a formidable force to be reckoned with.

Some of the other packs in the area had treaties with us. We’d let them hunt during certain times because it was important to have a rapport with your neighbors. It wasn’t always necessary to fight. This was something my mother had insisted my father do. He always listened to her and if anyone could convince him of something, it would be my mother.

Two reasons compelled him to continue honoring the treaties. One, the other packs weren’t giving any pushbacks and two, I was trying to keep my father in line as best I could. As the years dragged on, this grew difficult, but I kept trying. For my mother’s sake and our pack.

Our discussion had just ended when Alison burst through the entrance. She looked determined, with a plan in mind. I couldn’t understand why she was approaching me, since I had no connection to her guard duty.

“Oscar, Lukas needs you ASAP!”

I frowned. “What’s wrong with Lukas? Did something happen when he was out scouting?”

“Nothing wrong with him. It’s what he found while he was out scouting.”

“And… what was that?”

She leaned close, voice just above a whisper. “A half-breed who smells exactly like an omega.”

“Well, that complicates things,” I muttered.

I rushed after Alison to the den opening where I found Lukas standing, looking very troubled. The look of unease on his face suggested that the matter at hand was no trivial concern. He was usually rather good at keeping his emotions at bay. Not that he was stoic or anything. My friend just knew how to keep a calm and serious demeanor.

Truthfully, I thought his personality would mesh better as a leader. He was always telling me I’d make a fine leader after my father, but I wasn’t sure of this. Part of me felt like he was just talking out of his ass because he was my best friend.

Lukas's sincerity was obvious in his words; I trusted he wouldn’t deceive me about something like this. I just wasn’t willing to do more than acknowledge it at the moment.

My gaze shifted to the woman lying motionless in his arms. The closer I got to her, the more pronounced her Lycan scent was. It was weak and still mixed with the scent of humanity. I wasn’t able to detect the telltale scent of an omega until I leaned down to get a closer smell of her scent.

Then it hit me. I jerked away almost violently and tried my best to calm down. Using breathing techniques helped to an extent.

I also noticed that Lukas was holding onto the woman in a tight grip. When I got close, he turned ever somewhat away from me. This made my upper lip curl, a snarl ready to erupt me, but then I realized what I was doing. I shook off the reaction with urgency, my hands trembling.

“I’ll go talk to my father,” I told Lukas, who relaxed a bit, despite my aggressive reaction. “I will be back as soon as I can, my friend. Until then, keep her out here. You don’t want to bring her in until you have my dad’s explicit permission. It won’t be pleasant otherwise.”

He scoffed. “You don’t have to tell me that. I am aware of how bad it will be—nor do you need to tell me to keep her safe. What do you think I’ve been doing?”