His Dominant Omega (9 page)

The weekend came and went, and on Monday morning Josef drove him to the Hemsworth campus to see about starting the summer session late. He was only behind one semester, so Cole hoped they would let him enroll late. And when the fall semester started, he would be back on track. He didn’t have any desire to be a forever student and was looking forward to graduating.

“That seemed easy enough,” Josef said as they walked out of the administration building.
“Well of course it is when your boyfriend pays for your next year’s tuition up front,” Cole teased.
“Bullshit.” Josef gave him a soft nudge in the shoulder. “They looked at your records, and your grades are what swayed them. It had nothing to do with money.”
Cole’s cheeks heated with embarrassment. He wasn’t used to getting praise. “Maybe not, but it doesn’t hurt.”
“Sure it doesn’t. But the summer session is only two weeks in, so you’ll be able to catch up, and Aiden can help you study. He already agreed to help in any way he can.”
“He did.” Cole smiled. “This all seems too good to be true.”
“What does, baby?” Josef steered him back toward his truck.
“You, your pack, and now school. For once things just seem to be falling into place for me. I’m afraid to say anything out loud for fear I’ll jinx myself.” Cole wasn’t superstitious, but he feared that, if he talked about how great everything was, he’d wake up only to realize he had been dreaming.
“Well it’s real, so get used to it.” Josef stopped him before he could get into the truck and kissed him on the lips. “I don’t expect you to forget your past, but don’t let it spoil your present and future.” Josef grinned at him. “This is only the start of good things to happen for us. We’re together and happy. Noting could ruin this for us.”
Cole could only nod in agreement. To speak his happiness and relief out loud seemed to be tempting fate too much.

Cole had been living with Josef for close to two weeks and attending school during the day. Everything was going great. His days were spent going to class then hanging out with Aiden, Shane, and Skyler. His nights were spent with his loving mate. Josef showed him the wonders of being mated. They’d run in wolf form for hours on end, then when they were too exhausted to go any farther, they would lay under the starry sky and make love.

As Cole left his last class for the day, he wore a smile as bright as the hot summer sun that beat down on his neck as he walked to the Early Bean Café. It was Friday, and Josef had promised to take him camping. Rapid Falls was about an hour away from Nehalem and had a large lake smack dab in the middle. They planned to spend the days hiking and swimming, and their nights making love with the sounds of nature serenading them. He couldn’t wait. The only downer was they would have to stay in human form. Aiden’s dad had warned them a group of hunters had been staking out the area around Rapid Falls. But Cole could live without letting his wolf out for a few days if it meant he got to spend some time alone with his mate.

“Look at that goofy smile on your face,” Shane said as Cole walked into the café. “Let me guess. You’re thinking about you and your boyfriend’s hot, sex-filled weekend.”

Cole should have been embarrassed by what Shane said, but he wasn’t. Nothing was going to get him down. “You know it.”
“So do you have everything packed and ready to go?” Shane went back to wiping down the countertops.
“Yep, I’m all set. Just waiting for Josef to come home from work.” Cole took a seat on one of the high barstools.
“Sorry I’m late,” Aiden apologized as he rushed through the door. “Skyler locked his keys in his car again, and I had to drive back home to grab them then take them to him. How that man functions I’ll never know.”
“No worries. I just got here myself.” About a week ago his beatup old truck blew its last puff of black smoke and died on the side of the highway. Josef had hounded him for two solid days until Cole relented and finally let Josef buy him a new truck. He would have been driving it today, but he had swerved to avoid hitting a deer the previous day and threw the alignment all out of whack. His truck was in the shop getting repaired. Aiden, having taken the summer off, agreed to pick him up from class until he had his truck back.
“Good.” Aiden looked relieved. “Shane, hit me with my usual.” He slapped his hand on the counter then snapped his fingers.
“Boy, you better stop snapping at me like I’m a freaking dog.” Shane narrowed his eyes at Aiden with false anger. “And hot chocolate is hardly a stiff drink.”
“Well, kitty, I’m not old enough to drink yet, so the sweet stuff will have to do.” Cole dodged the paper cup Shane threw at Aiden.
“Smartass,” Shane grumbled but was smiling as he filled Aiden’s order.
“Boys, be nice or I’ll have to separate you and take away all your toys. And by toys I mean your mates.” Cole laughed at their shocked expressions. Aiden and Shane reminded him of Josh and Jake. He hadn’t heard from his brothers since they came to visit two weeks ago, and every time Cole meant to call them he got distracted and forgot. He made a promise to himself to call them when he got back from his weekend trip with Josef.
“That’s harsh.” Aiden took a drink of his cocoa.
“Like I could keep your mates from you. They’d beat my ass.” Cole jumped in his seat when his phone began to vibrate in his pocket. He had turned the ringer off while in class and forgot to turn it back on. Cole fished it out of his pocket then smiled when he saw Josef’s number flashing across the screen. “Hello,” he cooed into the phone.
“Hey, babe.” Josef’s masculine voice carried over the line. “I got some bad news, so please don’t kill me.”
“What’s wrong?” The hairs on the back of his neck rose instantly.
“Calm down. It’s nothing serious, just that I won’t be home until late. We broke ground on the Anderson house today, and we’ve run into a problem. There’s a shit ton of huge rocks right where we started digging. I’m waiting to hear back from Jensen on whether the Andersons want to pay to have them removed or if they want to buy a different lot.”
“I bet Jensen is just loving this.” Cole wasn’t typically the jealous type, but he knew that Jensen had a thing for his mate, and that made Cole uncomfortable.
“Oh stop it. Jensen is just doing his job, and besides why would I want him when I got you at home?”
“I know, but every time I hear his name I can’t get past the image of him draped all over you that night at the club.” And he couldn’t. Jensen seemed like a very nice man, but he held a torch for Josef, and his wolf wasn’t that understanding.
“I know, baby, but I swear he hasn’t tried to put the moves on me, honest. If anything he keeps his distance.” That made Cole feel a little better. “But back to why I called. I’m going to be late, but I’m still up for heading out once I get home. Is that okay with you?”
“Sounds perfect. I’ll be ready to go when you pull up.”
“Excellent, I’ll see you in a while. Love you.”
“Love you, too.” Cole hung up the call and was reaching down to slip his phone into his pocket when it slipped from his hand. He heard the splash before he saw it. “No!” he shouted as he snatched his cell phone from the soapy mop bucket by his stool.
“Ah, shit.” Shane came around the counter. “I’m sorry, Cole. I forgot to put the bucket away after I mopped. Does it still work?”
Cole used his shirt to dry off the little device. No matter what button he pushed it wouldn’t come to life. It was dead. “No,” he finally said.
“I’m so sorry,” Shane apologized again.
“It’s my fault. I let it fall in the first place. Don’t stress on it, Shane.” He wrapped an arm around Shane’s neck and pulled him into a one-armed hug. “ I can get another one.”
“Just look at it this way,” Aiden said around a mouthful of cookie. “Now you won’t have any distractions this weekend.
“True that,” Cole agreed and gave Aiden a high-five. Josef would be with him all weekend, and if anyone from the house needed him they could just call Josef to reach him.
Cole and Aiden waited until Shane was done and gave him a ride home. Skyler was making dinner when they got back, and they all lent a hand to help out. Thirty minutes after they got home, Erik came running through the back door. His eyes were red and swollen like he’d been crying.
“Erik?” Aiden called after him, but the kid didn’t stop. He just sped past them, never acknowledging them. “Excuse me, guys.” Aiden followed after his mate’s kid brother.
“What’s eating him?” Cole asked as he chopped up some apple for the salad.
“I think it has something to do with his mate,” Skyler said from where he stood in front of the stove.
“Really?” Cole looked over his shoulder in the direction Erik ran off in. “But I thought they didn’t see each other, you know, because of the whole age thing.” Erik still had one more year before he was of legal age to consummate his mating. But that wasn’t the biggest obstacle in their way. With his mate being a hunter, Cole didn’t have a clue how that union was going to work out.
“Come on, Cole. You were young once. Did you follow every rule set upon you?” Shane asked.
“No, but this is different. Erik’s mate is a hunter, and plus isn’t he like in his thirties? He knows not to mess with a minor.” Josef had told him Erik’s mate, Brandon, was a standup guy and would never take advantage of the situation. But if he thought about it, it didn’t mean Erik was keeping his distance. Maybe the kid got shot down or something.
“Still, it has to hurt to know you can’t have the one person you really want,” Shane said as he went back to tearing apart the lettuce leaves.
Aiden came back into the kitchen. He looked upset, and his hair had been rumpled from running his fingers through it. “That kid is going to give me gray hair, I swear it.”
“What happened now?” Skyler asked.
“Not sure. He wouldn’t open the door, but I know he has been sneaking out a lot lately. He thinks we don’t know, but Devon and I aren’t stupid.”
“What’s he doing when he goes out?” Shane moved to put the salad bowl on the counter next to Cole then shifted to look at Aiden.
“Personally I think he’s spying on Brandon.” Aiden waved the three of them closer and spoke in a hushed tone. “My dad told me he’s seen Erik drive past Brandon’s house on several different occasions.”
“Has he asked Brandon about it?” Cole asked. He found himself intrigued with the pair’s romance or lack thereof. It was kind of like Romeo and Juliet. Two people destined to be together, but life and circumstances kept getting in their way. Cole found it terribly sad.
“Dad says Brandon won’t discuss it with him. Says it’s personal. But he swears he hasn’t had any contact with Erik.”
“Maybe that’s the problem, honey.” Skyler carried the pot of pasta from the stove to set on the table. “Rejection is a motherfucker.”
“True, but once Erik turns eighteen things can change. They can be together,” Cole said, being optimistic.
“Cole, it’s not that simple,” Aiden said. “From what I understand Brandon will have to make a decision to either be with Erik or stay on the council. And one would think if Brandon wanted to be with Erik, he would have left the hunters’ council already, but he hasn’t. If anything he is more engrossed with them. I can’t be angry with the man for that. Between him and my dad, they have kept our pack and a few others safe from being killed or kidnapped for studying purposes.”
“True, but you never know, stranger things have happened,” Skyler chimed in. “It could be like one of those epic love stories like
Pretty Woman
.” Skyler clapped a hand to his chest. “I’m so jealous.”
“No, you dork.” Aiden tossed a bread stick at Skyler. “You’re just horny.”
“True, I do need to get laid and soon.” Skyler plucked the bread from the air and took a bite of it.
The table erupted in peals of laughter and Cole was right there with them. A part of Cole felt guilty for having a good time while Erik was obviously upstairs hurting. But as it was, there was nothing they could do for the poor kid. In a year they’d have a better idea on how to help Erik. Cole hoped that Erik and Brandon did end up together because he knew how hard it was to have a mate he couldn’t be with. That was a fate worse than death.
Josef still hadn’t gotten home when they finished with dinner. Cole helped clear the table and went out on the back porch to hang with his new friends.
Skyler brought out some tea and the four of them sat around the large glass table in the comfy lounge chairs. Cole rocked his chair up and down. The sun had started to set, and the heat of the day was being chased away by a comfortable nighttime breeze. He stared off into the distance, getting lost in the picturesque scenery. He could hear Skyler going on about this and that, but he only half listened. As the wind blew across his face, he hummed his contentment.
A sharp howl shook him from his daydreaming. In the distance, and thanks to his superb wolf vision, he saw two wolves running toward the house. One was white with a black patch over its left eye, and the other one white with a black-colored patch on his right.
Josh and Jake.
“What’s going on?” Aiden asked.
Cole looked over to see Shane’s and Skyler’s tense posture. Them being shifters they could sense that these weren’t the average wolves running around the property.
“Shifters,” Shane bit out. He stood up, moving to stand protectively in front of Aiden, the only human among them. Shane’s body bent at the waist as if he was getting ready to shift.
“No, wait a minute.” Cole reached out to stop Shane from leaping into the air. Shane turned his face toward him, the hard set of his jaw and steely gaze aimed right at him. “They’re my brothers.”
“What are they doing here?” Skyler asked as he moved to stand on the other side of Aiden.
“I have no clue.” Cole looked out into the yard as his brothers gained ground and got closer to the house. If his brothers came searching for him, it didn’t mean good news. “Josh, Jake?” he asked loudly.
The air shimmered around his brothers as they shifted back into their human form, naked for all to see. The twins wore matching faces of despair and concern.
“Holy shit,” Skyler whispered. “They are as fine as the day is long.”
Cole rolled his eyes and pushed by his friends to reach the end of the deck where his brothers stood.
“Not that I’m not happy to see you guys, but why are you here?”
“It’s Father, he’s been taken.”
And just like that his happy world started to crumble like a decaying building. Cole should have known things were going too good for him. Life just couldn’t let him be happy.