“Oh.” Heaviness developed in her chest. She’d heard all sorts of sordid stories about the old alpha. She had hoped most of them were rumors but looking at this broken male, she knew otherwise. “That’s very sad. I’m sorry.” She truly was. Knowledge was the road to enlightenment. It was what separated shifter from animal. “Does Sorin continue this practice?”
Jerking his chin up, Peder shook his head. “No, not at all.” He took her hand in his. “Sorin’s gathered the old ones who remember something of reading to teach the pups, but we still don’t have books. They’re too expensive.”
“You should try to learn as well.” The spot where they touched seemed impossibly hot.
“Me? What use would an omega have with reading?”
She squeezed his hand, hurt that he thought so little of himself. “So much, Peder. Some of our omegas are the best poets and bards. Everyone needs to learn.”
“I would like to learn new songs.” He lifted her hand to his lips. “Maybe I will try to learn. For you.”
The sensation of the soft brush of his lips remained on her skin. A rush of heat swept through her body. Benic’s kiss never produced a quarter of this desire. Her heart pounded so hard she feared Peder would hear it. Caught in his gaze, she couldn’t move. No, she didn’t want to move. What was she supposed to do in return? She tried to remember all those flirtations she’d observed in the gathering room but her mind went blank.
“I make you nervous.” He stroked her hand.
She took a deep breath, and the tense muscles in her shoulders eased. “Yes.” She could barely make her voice work.
He pressed his lips to the inside of her wrist—a shy flicker of his tongue to skin flashed between his teeth. His eyes closed as if savoring her taste.
The fluttering in her chest exploded and she gasped. With each touch, the intensity of her body’s reaction increased.
He drew in a deep breath. “You only carry your pack’s scent. Why don’t you have a mate?”
“I—” She cleared her throat. “No one has asked.”
Closer and closer, he approached until his face was an inch from hers. “Will you spend the night?”
Her body screamed yes but Ahote waited outside. He’d known this would happen. It irked her. Omegas were promiscuous—their role in the pack, to ease tension, made it so. Instinct controlled their society. He sensed her great need and offered to ease it. That was all. She shouldn’t romanticize his actions. She didn’t want to use Peder, especially for her first time being with a male. It wasn’t about sex—it was about being wanted. Being loved. “No.”
The smoldering veil lifted from Peder’s gaze as he sat straighter and blinked.
She smelled his sympathy and it destroyed her. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t breathe. The world spun as her soul shriveled. He didn’t want her.
Her thoughts stilled, and she heard her feral instincts for the first time. She wanted to claim what was hers. To kiss him. Then she’d part his sweet lips with hers and caress the chiseled cuts of his muscles.
A secret smile touched his lips, something purely male and terribly sexy. “Maybe another time.” Peder contained a different energy than Ahote and it worked for him. If Kele were a different shifter, she’d crawl under the covers with him without thought of consequences.
“You’ll be returned to your pack soon.” Unfortunately, she was unlike the females Peder had encountered. If he knew she couldn’t shift to feral form, his polite interest might become worse. It would change to pity. Maybe this was why her father didn’t want her to socialize with their few male omegas, to spare her the hurt.
She couldn’t resist brushing her fingers over his smooth cheek. It was just one touch. Something to remember him by since he stirred such strong urges. A tender growl rolled in her chest. A completely feral noise she’d never made before.
He instantly responded with his own, leaning into her hand and closing his eyes.
A thrill of sensation coursed over her limbs. If caressing his face produced such awareness, what would more do? She curled her fingers into a fist and forced it back on her lap.
With a tender push, he nudged his cheek against her shoulder. Full of invitation once more. “Am I doing something wrong?”
Tingles stretched over her skin and grew into such intense pleasure where their bodies met. “Peder.” She scooted away from temptation. Better he remain a fantasy since she’d never be allowed to keep him. “I didn’t come here to take my pleasures from you.” She clasped her hands on her lap. “I do not trust the others to feed you.”
He pulled away from her, his scent a confusing mixture of lust and relief. “Thank you for your kindness, Hunter.” He cast his gaze back to the blankets and wore his submission like Benic wore his chainmail.
“I’m not a hunter.” Or was she? If she could shift, that would be her calling. She knew this. “Refer to me as Kele.”
Someone pounded on the door and Kele’s heart stopped.
“Benic’s arrived,” Ahote shouted through the thick wood. “He’s asking for you. Best get to the gathering room before your father sends a search party.”
She relaxed her clutched hands, taking note of the half-moon circles on her flesh where her nails had rested. “I’ll return later to gather the tray.” As she reached the door, she hesitated before glancing over her shoulder. “I’m the one who teaches our pups to read.”
His gaze snapped up to meet hers, interest flaring in his eyes.
It made her grin. “I’ll bring my teaching materials with me tonight.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
The Payami wine soothed Benic’s frayed nerves as he waited in the pack gathering room with their alpha. He hadn’t spotted Kele since arriving. He had important tests to run on the human and needed to convince the pretty shifter to help him retrieve her. If his hypothesis proved right, it would change everything.
Inali kept their glasses full. The drink washed away the travel dust caught in Benic’s throat. He’d ridden hard this morning once he’d seen the test results.
Clicking his fingernails on the table top, he watched the entrance. He’d requested Kele as soon as he arrived. What kept her? He ground his teeth. Maybe he should go find her instead. “Where is your daughter?” Benic swirled the red wine in his cup and admired the way the thick liquid clung to the sides.
Inali leaned forward. “Kele’s aware you’re waiting for her.” The alpha set his hand over Benic’s cup to still its motion. “Is there something I should know?”
Benic scratched his cheek. “About?” Kele had not told her parents about Susan. Smart female.
“About you and my only offspring.” Inali released Benic’s cup but not his gaze. “I may be mated but I still remember how a male’s mind works around a pretty female.”
“Hmm…no doubt.” The vampire sipped his drink, struggling not to down the whole cup. “Do you wish to warn me from your daughter? I don’t see any prospective mates in your den for such a special person.”
Inali clenched his fist. “Take care.”
Propping his chin on his palm, Benic observed his host. “I always do, but do try to remember who you threaten. Biting the hand that supports you will only lead to a fall.” The alpha needed the reminder every once in a while. His pack lived in a forest that occupied a very, very small piece of land in the vast Vampire Nation.
Kele slipped into the room, closely followed by Ahote. She spun around and poked the huge shifter male in the chest as she spoke to him.
Benic couldn’t hear the exchange but neither appeared happy. Good. He didn’t like that hunter always guarding Kele. Couldn’t Inali choose someone mated to watch his daughter?