The Omega's Second Chance

CHAPTER 4

Ryan came back three weeks later. And the week after that. And the week after that. He always sat in booth three, always ordered too much coffee, always left too big a tip. We talked about everything and nothing. He told me about his pack—smaller than most but close-knit. I told him about working in the diner, about Mae's terrible soap opera addiction, about the stray cat I'd been feeding.

"You should name him," Ryan said, watching the orange tabby eat the tuna I'd brought out.

"Why? He's not mine."

"He shows up every day for you. That makes him yours." He smiled. "Plus, everything needs a name."

"Fine. His name is Cat."

Ryan laughed. It was a good sound, warm and real. "Creative."

"Says the Alpha of Mountain Ridge Pack who lives in the mountains."

"Touché."

These visits became the highlight of my weeks. My wolf, who'd been nearly silent, would perk up when she sensed him approaching. She was still weak, still fading, but slower now. His presence helped somehow.

"You know," Mae said one afternoon, watching Ryan's truck disappear down the road, "that man is courting you."

"He's not. We're friends."

"Honey, no man drives three hours each way just for coffee and friendship."

I wanted to argue, but Ryan had mentioned the drive time last week. Three hours from his territory to here. Six hours round trip. Just to spend a few hours talking to me.

"He knows I can't be his mate," I said.

"Maybe he doesn't want a mate. Maybe he just wants you."

The thought terrified and thrilled me in equal measure. I'd assumed no one would want me after Lucas's rejection. Damaged goods. A dying wolf. But Ryan looked at me like I was something precious, something worth driving six hours for.

The next time he came, it was different. There was tension in his shoulders, worry in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" I asked, sitting across from him.

"Lucas Blackwood is making moves against smaller packs. He's been absorbing them, forcing mergers. Making his pack stronger."

My chest tightened at Lucas's name. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because he's turned his attention to Mountain Ridge. We're small but our territory is valuable. He's been sending scouts, testing our borders."

"You could fight him."

"We could. We'd lose, but we could fight." Ryan ran his hand through his hair. "I'm not afraid of losing. I'm afraid of what happens to my pack when I do. Lucas isn't known for mercy."

"Then submit. Merge willingly. It's better than—"

"No." The word came out sharp. "I won't submit to a wolf who rejects his true mate for power. I won't let him near my pack."

"This isn't about me."

"Isn't it?" Ryan leaned forward. "Emma, I've been asking around. Talking to wolves who were at that ceremony. He didn't just reject you. He humiliated you. Broke you. And for what? So he could mate with someone he thought was more useful?"

"Sophia is beautiful. Strong. A Beta's daughter."

"Sophia is also manipulating him, according to my sources. And their chosen bond? It's already showing cracks. Chosen bonds always do when one of the wolves has a true mate out there."

I didn't want to hear this. I didn't want to know about Lucas and Sophia. But a small, petty part of me was glad their bond wasn't perfect.

"Why are you really telling me this?" I asked.

"Because I want you to know that when I fight him—and I will fight him—it's not just about territory." He reached across the table, not touching but offering. "You mean something to me, Emma. These weeks, getting to know you... You're extraordinary."

"I'm broken."

"You're healing. There's a difference." He stood. "I should go. The pack needs me. But Emma? Think about what I said. About Mountain Ridge. You'd be safe there. Protected. Part of something again."

After he left, I couldn't focus. I burned three orders and dropped a whole tray of dishes. Mae sent me upstairs to rest, but I just paced. Ryan was going to fight Lucas. He was going to lose. More people were going to get hurt because of me.

No. Because of Lucas.

Lucas was the one threatening other packs. Lucas was the one who chose power over love. Lucas was the one breaking things.

That night, I made a decision. I pulled out the card Ryan had given me months ago and called his number.

"Emma?" He answered on the first ring. "Is everything okay?"

"When Lucas comes for your pack, he'll want to fight you personally, right? Alpha to Alpha?"

"Probably. Why?"

"Because I want to be there when he does."

Silence. Then, "Emma, I don't think—"

"I'm not asking to fight. I'm not asking for revenge. I just... I need to face him. To show him I survived. That he didn't break me completely."

"You want to come to Mountain Ridge?"

"If the offer still stands."

"It always stands for you. When?"

I looked around my small room. My tiny sanctuary. It had been good to me, but it was time to stop hiding.

"Tomorrow?"

"I'll pick you up myself."

The next morning, I hugged Mae goodbye. She pressed money into my hands despite my protests.

"You'll visit," she said. It wasn't a question.

"Every chance I get."

Ryan arrived in a black truck instead of his usual beat-up blue one. He loaded my single bag, helped me in, and didn't comment on how my hands shook. We drove in comfortable silence for a while, but as we got closer to pack territory, my wolf grew restless.

"Almost there," Ryan said gently. "The pack knows you're coming. They're excited to meet you."

"Do they know about...?"

"They know you're a friend who needs sanctuary. Nothing else."

We crossed into Mountain Ridge territory, and I immediately felt the difference. Where Pine Valley had been rigid and formal, where Silver Creek had been cold and ambitious, Mountain Ridge felt... warm. Welcoming. The pack house was smaller than what I was used to, but well-maintained. Wolves came out to greet us, curious but friendly.

"This is Emma," Ryan announced. "She's our guest and under my protection."

A woman with red hair and laugh lines stepped forward. "I'm Claire, the Beta female. Welcome to Mountain Ridge."

She showed me to a room—a real room, not servant quarters. It had a window overlooking the forest and its own bathroom. When I tried to ask about work duties, she looked confused.

"You're a guest," she said. "Rest. Heal. When you're ready, if you want to contribute, we'll talk. But there's no rush."

That evening, I ate dinner with the pack. Not after them. With them. They asked me questions about the human world, about working in a diner. They included me like I'd always been there.

"Thank you," I told Ryan later, as we sat on the porch watching the sunset.

"Don't thank me yet," he said. "Lucas sent a formal challenge today. He'll be here in three days."

Three days. In three days, I'd face the wolf who rejected me. The wolf who still, despite everything, had once been my mate.

"I'll be ready," I said.

Ryan took my hand, careful and gentle. "You already are."