Rohan
Pregnant?
The word rang through Rohan’s head, but he couldn’t comprehend it. How could his omega be pregnant? How could he have let this happen?
“Are you sure?” he choked out.
Briar nodded, worry etched on his features. Rohan knew his reaction was causing his omega stress, and he struggled to get his emotions under control, but failed miserably. Anxiety coursed through his veins. Briar would be in so much more danger if he was with child. Only a few days after conception, he’d begin to suffer intense pregnancy symptoms, including exhaustion and nausea. There was no way they would be able to reach the mountains before Briar’s condition deteriorated, and it would only take longer once the symptoms set in.
And now they had the safety of their child to consider as well.
Not to mention, they would have to find the time and energy to keep mating regularly to keep the pup healthy. Not that Rohan minded that, but it would be hard to keep running from the packs at the pace they were going and ensure they provided adequate care to their developing young one. A pregnant omega could go a few days without mating, but after a week, the unborn pup’s health would begin to suffer, and in a month, the omegas body would stop nourishing the child.
Not that it would take a month to get to the mountains. At least, it wasn’t supposed to take that long, but how could he be certain at all anymore?
Rohan stood and began pacing the cavern. His plans were falling to pieces and he was struggling to protect his omega, let alone their child.
“Will you say something?” Briar whispered, legs tucked up to his chest. He looked so small and vulnerable. It killed Rohan that he couldn’t just tell Briar that everything would be okay. He didn’t know what would happen. What to do. He’d never felt so useless as an alpha.
He sat back down next to Briar. For now, at least, he could sooth his omega’s fears.
“Hey, don’t worry. I’ll take care of you no matter what happens—both of you.” He pressed a hand to Briar’s belly, imagining how soon it would be large with his child. Happiness swelled in him at the thought, momentarily overwhelming all his fear and anxiety. He would see them through this. They had such a beautiful future growing inside his omega. He wouldn’t let uncertainty cloud over how wonderful this news was. In three months, he would be cradling his child in his arms, his strong, kind omega by his side.
He just needed to get them to safety first.
“We should get moving,” he said. “Now.”
Briar looked like he was going to say something, maybe protest, but instead, he just clamped his mouth shut and bolted from the cave. Rohan ran after him, only to fall back, to give him some privacy when he heard the sound of retching. Sympathy washed through him at the thought of Briar’s suffering. Pregnancy was hard on an omega at the best of times and Briar hadn’t had enough food or rest in days. Not to mention all the stress he was going through. Rohan held in a sigh. His omega was in no condition to keep moving. All he could do right now was ease Briar’s worries while he helped him regain his strength.
When the omega returned looking pale and groggy, Rohan took him in his arms and guided him back to the bed. “I’ll get you some more water,” he said, picking up the jug Briar had woven out of cleverly arranged broad leaves. It still amazed him how talented his omega was.
“Didn’t you say we need to keep moving?” Briar asked, raising himself up from the bed.
Rohan shook his head. “We’ve lost the packs for now. We should have a few days to rest. It might even be better to keep our heads down for now in case they’re out there hunting for us.”
It was only partly true. He wasn’t sure if this was the safest option, but he knew that Briar couldn’t keep running without putting himself and the baby at risk. They would rest for a few days, even though the thought of delaying their escape filled him with anxiety.
He kissed Briar on the forehead before heading out into the evening sunset to gather water from the nearby stream. He walked carefully through the woods, looking for any sign that the packs were close, and felt relief when he couldn’t pick up any scent or spot any tracks. They were safe. For now.
There was a bush of deep purple berries next to the flowing water where he filled the jug and Rohan wished Briar had been with him to tell him whether they were safe to eat or not. Rohan was an accomplished hunter, but he had none of Briar’s impressive plant knowledge. He put a hand to his wounded side, marveling at how quickly it was healing thanks to the omega’s medicine. He’d have to ask Briar to teach him how to forage plants. An alpha could survive off meat alone, but an omega, especially a pregnant omega, needed diverse foods to stay healthy.
Rohan carried the water carefully back to the cave, feeling just a bit overwhelmed by the task of caring for a pregnant omega all on his own. It normally took the help of an entire pack to bring a pup into the world and care for it. Truthfully, Rohan knew very little about pregnancy and childbirth, and desperately hoped he would be able to provide the care his omega needed.
At the very least, he would be able to provide more than enough love.
He reached their cozy little bedroom to find Briar asleep. He set the water down carefully next to the makeshift bed for Briar when he woke up and lay down next to him, but immediately felt restless. There was so much to do to care for his mate and unborn child. He sat up, looking around the cave. If they were going to stay for a few days, it wouldn’t hurt to make the place more comfortable. Briar would need lots of rest to get his strength up, the least Rohan could do was make his bed more comfortable. He’d seen Briar gathering grasses and moss to make the bed up, and he figured he could manage that, even if he didn’t know have the omega’s advanced knowledge of plants. Grass was grass, right?
He rose quietly and snuck out of the cavern, heading for a clearing he’d noted earlier that sprouted long, lush grass intermixed with purple flowers. It would have been easier if he’d had a knife, but he set to work ripping out the grass by hand, frowning when it came out with clumps of dirt stuck to the roots. That certainly hadn’t happened when Briar gathered it.
Well, a beginner couldn’t expect perfection and Rohan shook the dirt off before continuing to rip out more clumps of grass, keeping his ears open for any sound of the pursuing alphas. He could just see the entrance of the cavern from where he was, so he knew Briar would sleep safely.
He’d gathered a good armful of grass when he started to feel an itch spread over his arms. He frowned, checking to see that there were no bugs crawling in the would-be bedding. No, it must have been sweat from exertion causing the itch. He began carrying the grass back to the cavern, but dropped it as he reached the entrance. His skin felt like it was on fire.
“Curse the moon!” He growled, groping at his arms and chest, trying desperately to scratch away the agonizing itch.
“What are you doing?” Briar appeared at the entrance, stifling a giggle. “Is this some kind of dance you picked up as a wandering rogue?”
“No!” Rohan failed to see the situation as funny, no matter how cute his omega looked with a sleepy grin on his face. “My skin feels like I have fire ants crawling under it.”
Briar frowned, looking at the clump of grass Rohan had dropped. “Where did you get this?”
“Over in that clearing.” Rohan stopped itching to point.
“Rohan, this is wolfsbane,” he said, stooping to pluck out one of the purple flowers. “I’d think a rogue would understand at least a little of wildlife.”
“I understand how to hunt. That’s all I ever needed.”
“You’re just lucky you didn’t eat any of it, or you’d be sick to your stomach.” Briar tsked, shaking his head.
“Why would I eat a flower?” Rohan growled, trying not to be cranky despite his discomfort.
Briar laughed. “Wait here and try not to scratch yourself to pieces.”
Briar disappeared back into the cave and Rohan sat in agony, biting his nails to try to keep from scratching at the burning itch. How could he blunder even this small task?
When Briar reappeared, he carried the vessel of water and some spongy moss. A deep sigh rose from Rohan’s chest when Briar began pouring water on the moss and blotting it on Rohan’s inflamed skin, slowly easing the discomfort, replacing it with soothing relief.
“What were you even doing?” Briar asked, still clearly finding this all amusing.
“I wanted to get more grass for your bed so you would be more comfortable.”
“You thought I would be more comfortable sleeping in a nest of wolfsbane?” Briar stifled another giggle.
“I didn’t know it was wolfsbane.” Rohan growled grumpily.
This time, Briar let out a full laugh, grinning up at Rohan. He would have been cross at being laughed at if the omega wasn’t so damned cute when he did it.
“That was very sweet of you.” Briar’s grin widened, blue eyes glowing with adoration.
Rohan’s heart thudded against his chest and the words came to his lips before he could even think about them. “I love you.”
Briar dropped the moss he’d been blotting Rohan’s skin with, his lips falling open as he stared at Rohan. Finally, he said with breathless amazement, “I love you too.”
Rohan pulled briar into him, kissing him deeply. A moan rumbled from his chest. He would never get enough of this. They fell together on the ground, bodies becoming slick with sweat as their limbs tangled together. Rohan had never felt so much passion or tenderness in his life. He held his omega tight to his chest as he fucked him slowly from behind, savoring every moan that fell from Briar’s perfect lips. How could he be so lucky to have this beautiful creature all to himself?
When the moon rose, he was still groaning into the crook of Briar’s neck, sliding in and out of his tight heat. The omega shuddered and gasped every time Rohan thrust into him, taking every inch of his length. Rohan loved the way Briar’s tight little ass squeezed him when his muscles tensed with pleasure. He would have loved to fuck him all night, but when his climax finally hit him, he clutched his omega, growling out over and over, “I love you, I love you, I love you…”
He could never say those words enough. They echoed in his mind as he released himself into his omega’s begging body until it overflowed with the alpha’s seed. He slid his hands down Briar’s trembling chest, loving the way he owned his omega in these moments. Briar belonged to him. He’d never let anyone take his omega from him. He would protect Briar and his unborn pup no matter what he had to do.
“I’m afraid you might have exhausted me to death,” Briar laughed, sitting up.
“And it’s probably too dark to gather more grass for your bed.” Rohan frowned, realizing he’d completely failed at the task he’d set himself to.
“If you’re by my side, I’ll be comfortable enough.” Briar snuggled into Rohan’s arms, his slim body feeling so perfect.
Rohan smiled. “I think I can manage that.”