Cassia: The Alpha King's Outcast Omega

After mine and Lucian's near kiss, or whatever it was, the next morning I'm not looking forward to facing the rest of the pack.

I know nothing happened, but every time I look at Lucian, I can't help but think something will give my feelings away.

Feelings that I'm trying really hard not to dwell on, especially after my dreams last night. It's becoming clear that this isn't simple gratitude, not anymore.

No, my feelings have shifted into something… warmer. Maybe that's perfectly natural when a man saves a woman for her to have warm feelings for him.

But that doesn't explain you hoping he'd kiss you, or you wanting to put your hand on his chest. Does it?

Lucian helps me into the bathroom with my face pointed deliberately away from him and my cheeks flushed with remembrance. After I've cleaned up, this time without falling, and changed into different grey sweats and another white t-shirt, he carries me downstairs.

I blink in surprise at the sight of an empty dining table.

It's not like I wasn't aware the rest of the pack weren't in the house. My shifter nose and ears told me that when I was still upstairs. No, my surprise is because, while Lucian has set the table for breakfast, he's only set two places.

Lucian slips me into a chair and I turn to him. "Where is everyone?"

He drops into his seat and sets about handing me a serving dish so I can help myself. "I thought it might be overwhelming for you to be around so many of the pack."

I don't take the eggs, not scrambled this time, but sunny-side up and their yolks still wobbly. The reason I don't take them isn't because I don't like my eggs that way. I do. My reason is that shock holds me immobile.

"You can do that?"

When I don't help myself, Lucian leans over and forks eggs on my plate. Again, more than I would have taken myself, but I'm too distracted by his scent and how close he is to me that I have six eggs on my plate before I start paying attention.

Belatedly, I wave off the offer of more, and again, before I have a chance to stop him, I have an equally terrifying pile of sausage to join my eggs. Seeing where this is going, I reach for the bacon because I don't trust Lucian with it. Not after the last time.

"I can do that," he says firmly, depriving me of the platter and the fork with barely any effort so he can tip half the contents onto my plate.

"Uh, that's… that's plenty," I tell him, wondering if I'm hungry enough to manage everything he's served me. But when he goes to dish up even more, I cover my mountain of food with both hands. "Thanks."

He's smiling as he turns and starts loading up his own plate, and not with anything close to the amount he's put on mine.

For a long moment, I study him with narrowed eyes, suspecting he's on some secret mission to fatten me up or something. Yeah, we shifters can put a lot away because shifting and healing and all the other amazing things we can do means our metabolism is a lot faster than an average human, but still.

"Pancakes?" Lucian offers.

I take two.

Lucian doesn't move the plate piled high with golden fluffy pancakes until I take two more.

"I'm not as hungry as you think I am," I tell him, as I take the maple syrup he hands over.

"Maybe not, but this food has to be eaten and there's only the two of us to do the eating."

He nudges a mug closer to me before picking up his fork. "Here, this one's yours."

"Oh, no thanks," I tell him, since I've never been a big fan of coffee since it makes me so hyper, and being pregnant doesn't seem like the time to start drinking it.

"It's tea. Herbal."

I pick up the mug and inhale.

While there is a coffee scent in the air, it must be coming from his mug. Mine smells like mint and licorice. Sweet and slightly tart. I'm guessing Minerva had a hand in recommending it. "Thanks."

For several minutes we eat, and I'm surprised by how quickly I clear my plate. I guess protein bars aren't a real food after all.

"So, what do you want to do today?" Lucian asks.

I shrug. "I don't know."

Although Lucian has said it's okay for me to read and watch TV and do nothing for three days, it's hard to know what I actually want to do. Since I left the Kieran's pack, I've spent all my time either moving to the next place or thinking about where I'd go next, because I knew staying in one place for too long would make it easier for Kieran to track me.

Although Kieran's pack is in a small town, the bus station doesn't go to a lot of places. A determined shifter could track me, and Kieran has every reason to be determined. His father taking away his position as alpha would do it.

Winter Lake was supposed to be my short break. A place to catch my breath before I headed east to lose myself someplace else. Perhaps some city where there must be so many places to hide that no shifter nose could track me if I lost myself there. At least I hope not.

I could even ask Lucian to buy me a train ticket , then I'd have more money to save for rent and food when I get there.

The realization that I don't have to think about running and hiding, at least for the next three days is… a strange feeling. Liberating. I don't know what to do with myself.

"How about hanging out with me in the garden? You can grab a book and I'll set you up on a lounger," Lucian offers in between bites.

I stop eating long enough to stare at him, thinking about his resemblance to Kael.

As if he can feel my gaze on him, he lifts his head from his plate and smiles at me. "What?"

Shaking my head, I look away. "Nothing."

"You look like you want to say something."

"It's nothing. Just…" My voice trails off and I shake my head again, more forcefully this time.

"Whatever you tell me won't go any further than this table."

After another glance at him, I clear my throat. "Just wondered why alphas are always jerks and betas are—"My eyes widen in alarm when Lucian starts choking.

"Oh, I'm sorry, here, have some of my tea." I drop my fork and grab my mug before thrusting it at him as he coughs, his face getting redder and redder.

Lucian waves off my offer, and after coughing a couple more times, he stops.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that." Or maybe you should've waited until he'd swallowed his eggs before slating his alpha like that.

"It's an opinion, no need to apologize for one of those."

I raise my eyebrow. "Right," I say, not trying to hide my cynicism.

His expression turns thoughtful. "Did someone have a problem with you voicing your opinion? An alpha?"

I jerk my face to my plate and pick up my fork. "I don't want to talk about it."

It's impossible to miss the coldness in my voice because this is something I will never talk about, and it reminds me why staying in Winter Lake is not an option. So, I'll stick around for the three days as I said I would, but I'll have to be careful about what I say going forward because Lucian isn't my friend and Winter Lake isn't my home.

"That's fine," Lucian says, in his easy confident way, as if I haven't just completely shut him down. "Finish your breakfast and I'll take you out and show you the garden. I'm trying to grow vegetables. Maybe you could tell me what I'm doing wrong."

For one second, I squeeze my eyes shut because they burn with tears. Why did the universe have to give me Kieran Frost who I have absolutely nothing in common with as my mate when someone like Lucian existed?

I clear my throat and open my eyes. "I don't know anything about gardening," I murmur.

Lucian laughs. "That makes both of us. Maybe two heads might be better than one?"

I lift my head because I just can't… not. He's grinning at me, his expression open, his pose relaxed. Even though I know I shouldn't, I lower my shields a touch and I find that what I see is what I get.

He's genuinely happy, wants to make me laugh, wants to stop me from feeling sad. I try never to do this because the nature of my gift is to heal traumas in shifters and stem aggression in a pack, but I can steal a peek and read more about a person than they would ever tell me.

The Omega who trained me made it clear it was something I shouldn't do, that it was an invasion of privacy so I try not to do it. Though, if I was more of a rule-breaker, I could've saved myself a lifetime of heartache by stealing a peek into Kieran's soul when I first met him.

The hidden pain is still inside Lucian, but it's not at the forefront of his mind. It's as if he's shoved it aside to focus his energy on me.

"Have I got something on my face?"

I flush when I realize I've gone back to staring without saying a word. I seriously have to stop doing that. He's going to think I'm crazy.

"No, uh, sorry. I was just thinking of something else."

His eyebrow rises. "Something bad?"

I shake my head and bend my head to my plate. "No. No, nothing bad. Do you think I could have more pancakes, please?"

When I lift my head, I find Lucian grinning. "Sure. Load up."

"Considering you're going to be the one carrying me outside, I'm surprised you're so eager for me to stuff myself," I tell him, taking the dish and helping myself to more pancakes.

"I know," Lucian says as he grabs the dish of bacon before scooping the last of it onto my plate. I don't say anything because he just gave me what I wanted without my asking for it.

"You realize that's the part where you tell me I'm not putting on weight, or heavy, don't you?" I joke, wondering where this new side of me is coming from. This side that wants to play with Lucian.

"Yep." Lucian grins as he digs into his breakfast with enthusiasm. I watch him for a little while, with a faint smile on my lips that I can't quite smother.

He lifts his head and catches me watching him. Again. I shake my head at the question in his eyes and go back to eating, though I still can't rid myself of the urge to smile.