Resistant Omegas 5: Dewey by Joyee Flynn (book club suggestions TXT) 📕

size, all I have is worry some days,” he answered with a bitter chuckle. “I worry we won’t get everyone out in time. I worry the strain of rescuing others will be too much on my mating. I worry we’re going to be found out as the ones who started all this shit and my pack slaughtered for the shit we’ve caused. You and Taggart? No, I’m not worried.”

“That’s a lot of worry,” I agreed, my own easing and my last concerns that Tristan wasn’t really my friend settled. “Thank you for doing it though. I can’t image how hard it’s been on your mating since I’ve never had a real one but you’re doing it for the right reasons and I can’t see your men not loving you more for having a kind heart.”

“That’s what they tell me all the time. It’s still me that signed us up for all of this. I don’t think they could have ignored the situation any more than I could have though.” He bit his lip as he turned off the expressway. “This wasn’t supposed to be a depressing thoughts trip. It’s hard to just push it all aside and act like we’re normal, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, but I’d be willing to give it a try now that you think I don’t have to worry about losing the man I love,” I answered after a few moments’ thought. “So where are we going?”

“Shopping.” Tristan flashed me a toothy grin. “The High Council gives us a stipend for each rescued Omega to get them back on their feet and anything they need. It seems their guilt is eased if they give us the manpower for what we need and the funds to give you what you didn’t have.”

“That’s better than spending the money Taggart made cage fighting,” I replied and then snapped my mouth shut. Tristan looked at me with wide eyes and then slammed on the brakes to avoid rear-ending someone. “I shouldn’t have told you that.”

“No, I need to know, Dewey. I’m sorry, but I really have to know what’s going on. If we give a recommendation for you to be together and the Council finds out something like he was fighting for money, it could blow everything. Tell me what you know. I’m begging you because my family is on the line here helping you.”

It made sense and it really was only fair he not be kept in the dark. “Alpha Hooker used to hold illegal fights for humans to come to and wager on. They were never the wiser that the fighters weren’t human and it generated money for the pack. It wasn’t an optional kind of thing either. But when Taggart and I first started getting together and fell in love he kept trying to convince me to run away.

“I always used the excuse that we didn’t have any money and wouldn’t make it without funds to hide us. I found out a while ago that he started doing MMA cage fights for the prize money and hid it from the pack, putting it in a secret account under a false name. Even drugged-up on wolfsbane, doing the fights that Alpha Hooker required, he still was strong enough to do more on his own. So you might worry if he’s strong enough to lead or be part of an inner circle, but I know he can handle anything.”

“I swear to fucking god that I have one of the only non-screwed-up packs,” Tristan groaned. “We didn’t know anything about the fighting. That’s going to be a big headache but not on Taggart. We need to make sure no one else starts them up again now that Alpha Hooker is gone.”

“Taggart’s not a violent guy,” I said softly after a few minutes of silence. “I hope you know that. I also hope you see that if he was abusing me or mind controlling me in some way he wouldn’t have been so adamant to remove me from an abusive inner circle.”

“Yeah, I know, pint size.” He squeezed my hand and I let the topic drop. This trip wasn’t about convincing Tristan that my man was a good guy. I had the chance to point out a few things, and I did. Now it was time to have some fun and let Tristan mull what I said over, get to know Taggart, and give his approval to the Council for us to be together.

“Holy shit,” I whistled as we pulled into a huge parking lot by an even larger building that was a mall in Denver.

“I thought the same thing the first time I came here,” Tristan chuckled as he parked and we got out of the SUV. “We need to get you some new duds, pint size. If everything goes to plan the dire wolf pack is in Wichita, Kansas, so you need to move past your East Coast ways.”

“I’m not sure what that means but my wardrobe does need some updating with clothes that aren’t torn.” I rolled my eyes at how lame that sounded but it was the truth. Most of what I had, even at Taggart’s old place, I had ditched because they were nothing better than rags. “I leave myself in your capable, well-fashioned hands, Tristan.”

“Music to my ears.” He threw back his head in a play evil laugh. I couldn’t help but giggle at his antics and simply enjoy the moment. Fun was good and I needed lots of it.

* * * *

Four hours later I was somewhat regretting my decision to let Tristan take me shopping. My feet hurt, we had way too many bags, and I didn’t want to look at any more clothes, ever again.

“I worry I might be straight,” I grumbled as we were in line to pay for more stuff. “I hate shopping.”

“Okay, okay, no more clothes,” Tristan chuckled. “We’ll load up the SUV and move on to something fun like electronics.”

“Do I get a cell phone?” My grumpiness was gone at