Forsaken Omega
Chapter 4

Kieran nodded at his sister. She gave his shoulder a squeeze, then whispered, "Go easy on her." Then she walked past him. Kieran stepped inside the room and closed the door behind him. Rain eyed him warily, like she expected him to pounce on her any moment. Well, he would love nothing more than to do just that, to tackle her in bed and-no. Kieran put those thoughts aside for the moment. Right now, this female was scared of him, and he didn't like that. Not one bit.

Kieran wanted to let Rain know that he was different from Felix or any of the bullies in her pack. He elected to sit by the side of the bed, expecting her to draw far away from him as much as possible, but she stood her ground and remained where she was. She met his gaze defiantly. Desire shot right through his veins, his cock. Kieran had chosen correctly. Rain would make for a perfect mate.

He overheard Grace asking Scarlett what made Rain so different from the other omegas in his pack. It was spirit. Despite the bad cards fate had dealt Rain, she didn't give up. She kept fighting, kept on going.

"I've heard what you've done for me," Rain said, then bit her bottom l!p. "Thank you."

She sounded genuinely grateful. That caught him slightly off-guard, but he easily recovered. Kieran touched her hand and gave it a squeeze. "You're very welcome, little wolf," he said.

"Why would you give your life force to save a complete stranger like me?" she demanded. "It doesn't make any sense."

"Doesn't it? From the moment I've met you, I've felt the call of your wolf to mine," he said. "Don't you sense it too? The potential between us?"

Rain laughed, and Kieran asked her what was so funny. "Honeyed words. I bet you say that to every omega you've met. Let me guess. They fall for it every single time."

Anger swelled inside Kieran, but he reeled in his temper. He released her hand and gripped her chin. Then he kissed her. She didn't even fight back, simply melted into his k!ss like it was the most natural thing in the world.

She even parted her lips a little wider so Kieran could slide his tongue down his throat. For all he knew, she'd bite his tongue out, but she didn't. Rain reminded him of a lost little wolf, in need of guidance.

Kieran pulled away first because if he didn't, he'd want to do all sorts of filthy deeds to her. He would dirty her up. Claim her as his own and then mark her so no other alpha would mistake her for anything but his. "You have a mouth on you, little wolf," Kieran told her.

"Let's not pretend I'm anything more than your latest prize," she said. "I've heard the stories they tell about you."

"Enlighten me," he said, intrigued.

"That you're brutal to your enemies," she whispered.

"What of my lovers?"

"I don't know," she admitted.

"Then don't make assumptions about me as if you know me," he said.

He pressed his face against the side of her neck. She stilled when he closed his mouth over the spot between her shoulder and neck. The special place where he would eventually place his mate mark.

Rain let out a gasp when he unsheathed his fangs. He bit down, not hard enough to draw blood but certainly deep enough to leave a bruise. He pulled away and smiled at his handiwork.

She brushed a hand over the mark, then drew a deep breath. Kieran didn't plan to apologize for his actions.

"Am I your prisoner then?" she asked him. "I need to know the ground rules."

He considered her words for a few moments. "No, but you'll remain here as our guest until you've healed completely."

Kieran knew some of his pack mates were curious about the female omega he returned with. He told Scarlett and Damien to keep Rain's identity to themselves. He'd give his pack mates the answers they wanted, but not now. "And until you've gotten what you want?" she asked.

Kieran chuckled. He pressed a hand against her cheek, smirking when she leaned into him. As though she realized what she'd automatically done, she pulled away.

"What we both want," he corrected it. "Go ahead and tell me I'm wrong."

"You're not," she admitted. "I don't understand why I'm drawn to you, why my wolf tells me..."

"What does she tell you?" he asked.

Rain shook her head. "It doesn't matter. So you're saying once I get better, I can simply leave? No one would stop me? I'm simply a guest, after all."

He certainly had zero intentions of letting her walk out of his pack lands, but she didn't know that yet. Her place was with him, and she'd come to accept that eventually.

"Yes, however, think on your position. You're an unmated, young omega without the protection of any pack. How long will you last, I wonder, before a predator comes sniffing around and decides you're his or her prey?" he asked her.

Kieran wasn't being unnecessarily cruel, simply practical. Packs existed so the strong could protect their weak. No matter what Kieran's enemies said of him, he took his duties as lead alpha of the Crimson Maw Pack seriously. "You bastard," Rain whispered under her breath.

"You know, normally I punish wolves who talk to me like that," he said casually. "But I'll let that comment slide for now because of your special situation. You should rest. Someone will bring you dinner later. Once you're feeling better, you can join us in the dining hall if you like."

Kieran rose to his feet. He'd said all that he wanted to. Rain probably had plenty to think about. He walked to the door.

"Wait," Rain blurted. "Once I'm better, I'll take my chances in the wild."

He nodded. "Very well, but there's plenty of time to change your mind."

With those words, Kieran shut the door behind him. While he wanted nothing more than to sit by her bedside and watch over her, he still had a pack to run.

"Well, you're strong enough to stand on your own," Grace said after changing her bandages.

Three days had passed since Rain woke up and found herself in the Crimson Maw Pack House. Rain ate her meals in her room. Kieran or Scarlett occasionally dropped by to check in on her.

Kieran never brought up the agreement they made, instead, he asked her all sorts of mundane things like how her father died and what her life was like with her old pack.

Scarlett had been initially distrustful of her at first, but Rain somehow got her talking about Kieran and how the Crimson Maw Pack worked. Of course, she never gave away any critical information that might endanger her brother or her pack.

"Kieran says that once I've cleared you, you're free to walk the grounds with an escort nearby," Grace said, bringing Rain back to reality.

"An escort, huh? I guess that's to prevent me from running away," Rain said.

Grace gave her a hard look. The healer never softened up to her, but she wasn't surprised. Grace's questions stayed with Rain. What was so special about Rain? Nothing, but Kieran certainly thought she was worth saving.

"You are a guest here," Grace said finally. "That means you can go whenever you want if you wish. If you decide to take a walk in the woods today, keep heading west and you'll replace yourself at the border of our territory. Follow the road and that will lead you to a highway."
Grace started to pack her supplies, and Rain stared at her. "Why would you help me?" Rain asked her.

"Help you?" Grace scoffed. "I want you gone. Did you know? Thanks to Kieran's actions, Felix wants retaliation for the death of his two enforcers. There might be war between our packs. My pack mates are questioning if Kieran has the right to lead." Rain's stomach turned at those words. Kieran was facing problems thanks to her, but it wasn't like she asked him to save her. That made her sound ungrateful and petty. Traits Rain hated.

"I think I'll take a walk today," Rain said.

"Good," Grace said, leaving the room. She passed by Scarlett and gave her a nod.

"If you feel like joining the pack for breakfast, Kieran wants you to sit at his table," Scarlett said. She set a fresh change of clothes on the bed.

Rain knew she could refuse, but she decided it was best to act normal and amiable. At least for now.

"Okay." She nodded. "Scarlett. Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?" the other woman asked. Something bugged Rain.

"Fetching me clothes and asking me to join Kieran at the eating hall. Shouldn't a lower-ranking member of the pack like an omega be doing these things?" Rain asked. "Or am I Kieran's dirty little secret? Is that it?"

Scarlett said nothing for a few seconds, but her next words caught Rain off-guard. "My brother thought you'd react badly to a strange wolf, but you're familiar with me. I volunteered, by the way."

"Volunteered? Because you want to keep a close watch on me?" Rain asked.

"That. Kieran sees something special in you," Scarlett said. "Do you need help dressing?"

"No, I can manage." Rain took off the large shirt she'd been wearing. She'd worn a couple of them over the last three days. All of the shirts were comfy, and all of them had Kieran's scent. A scent she'd started associating with safety. "Let me guess," Rain said, wincing as she tugged on a pair of jeans, then a shirt. "You don't understand what your brother sees in me? Grace said the same thing."

"Grace says too much. I'll speak to her later," Scarlett said. "And you make too many assumptions."

"I know I'm not a special snowflake," Rain said with a scoff. She walked up to Scarlett. "I'm ready."

"I'm beginning to see why my brother is fond of you," Scarlett said. The other woman regarded her for a few moments, then tucked a stray strand of hair that had fallen across her face. "Too bad you're into men." "W-what?" Rain found herself turning red.

Scarlett let out a laugh, then led her to a flight of stairs. She wasn't sure if the other woman was joking. Rain huffed and puffed by the time she reached the first step.

She ingrained the directions Grace gave her in her head, but if Rain had trouble climbing down a bunch of stairs, how would she be able to make her escape?

A couple of Scarlett's pack mates gave her a curious look. The eating hall loomed in front of them, and Rain could see plenty of chairs and tables. They entered the hall, and she consciously found herself walking closer to Scarlett. Rain received speculative and downright hostile looks.

"The lead alpha's table is right ahead," Scarlett informed her.

Rain focused her gaze on the raised table at the edge of the hall. It was round, as opposed to the rectangular long table Felix favored.

Kieran's flame-red hair was hard to miss. The alpha saw her and smiled. A shiver crept down her spine, not of fear but strange anticipation. Thoughts of escape quickly fled her mind.

"So that's the omega Kieran's obsessed with," said a tart voice. Another omega blocked their path. A tall, willowy blonde with icy blue eyes.

"Move aside, Kate," Scarlett said in a frosty voice.

Kate stepped back but flashed Rain an unfriendly look. Finally, they reached Kieran's table. He pulled aside a seat for her. Feeling self-conscious, Rain sat. Scarlett took the other empty seat. She recognized Damien. There were also two hard-eyed men and one woman. The rest of Kieran's enforcers, she presumed.

"Ignore the rest of them," Kieran said, reaching out to pet her hand. "Just focus on me. There's no reason to be afraid of anyone here."