When She Needs Them Most
: Chapter 2

Our new neighbor is an omega.

A heavily pregnant omega, who, by the looks of it, is on her own. I’ve never been one of those pushy alphas who oversteps when it comes to other people’s business, but it takes everything in me not to interrogate her on what the hell she’s doing out here all alone.

She sidestepped my question about if she has help, but I’m pretty sure her lack of an answer says it all.

If she has a pack or even a partner, then they aren’t bonded. There’s no universe in which I could let my omega move without me being right there by their side.

I don’t recognize Chelsea at all, which means she’s likely moving from out of town or possibly out of state. That’s a lot for anyone to undertake alone, let alone a pregnant omega.

Even the thought makes my chest tight.

Alpha instincts are the real deal.

The walk from our house to her new home takes longer than Sky would like. She runs to the front door, sniffs the porch, and comes back to walk by our side. Her massive, blocky head continually nudges Chelsea’s hand until the woman gives in and offers pets as she sways along.

I’m no great expert when it comes to pregnancy, but I’d guess she’s at least eight months along. Maybe more. It looks like she’s about to pop.

Where the hell is her baby daddy?

It’s really starting to mess with my head.

Omegas are rare.

They deserve to be spoiled and protected. Did he knock her up and disappear? Was he a bad guy, and she ran, seeking safety in a new town?

We finally make it up the sidewalk to the porch, and it takes everything in me not to carry her up the three steps. It’s an uncalled-for reaction, but rational thought often goes out the window when alphas and omegas are involved.

I offer an arm instead.

Chelsea gives me a tentative smile and mumbles, “Thanks.”

“No problem,” I assure her. “Here, let me. One set of keys does the front door, and one does the back, but I imagine you’ll get the hang of it.”

“Yeah, eventually.”

“Is the rest of your pack coming up separately?” I ask, shoving the key into the deadbolt lock. Way to come right out and show how much of a pushy son of a bitch you can be.

“Nope, it’s just me.”

My eyes widen. What the hell? I’ve never seen a pregnant unbonded omega.

Let alone one without a pack. Like, even if she isn’t bonded, where the hell are the alphas who knocked her up? Why aren’t they following her around, just waiting for the chance to sink their teeth in?

She has to be incredibly overwhelmed.

I stare at my feet, shaking my head. It wasn’t my place to push for more information, and if I’m not careful, I’ll make her uncomfortable.

“Well, you rented a beautiful home.” I unlock the final lock and swing open the door. “You know. There’s a bedroom on the bottom floor. It might make it easier…” My eyes fly to hers, and I curse under my breath as Sky barrels inside. “Sorry. I wish I could blame it on being an alpha. Apparently, I’m just a pushy asshole.”

The sound of Sky’s nails clicking across the wooden floor fills the air as Chelsea laughs.

“You did promise to check for vermin, and that’s one offer I couldn’t refuse.” She smiles brightly, turning sideways to slide through the doorway as her dark blonde waves bounce.

Good god, she’s really pretty.

Mrs. Wilson’s house was emptied when she moved to Florida. I guess I need to start referring to it as Chelsea’s rental house. It takes me way too long to wonder where she plans to sleep. If her furniture arrives tomorrow, what is she going to do?

I try to casually toss the question into the non-existent chitchat, but it comes out feeling forced.

“I’ve got an air mattress in the back of my SUV.” She heads toward the living room to flip on the lights.

My jaw falls.

There’s no way that’s going to be comfortable. I don’t want to sound like a dick, but she’s super fucking pregnant. I’m sure climbing up and down off that thing won’t be easy.

“I was going to stay at a hotel, but I didn’t realize the only place around would be almost four-hundred dollars for a single night.” She laughs. “It’s fine. I brought the air mattress with me instead of sending it in the moving truck. I also kept my blankets and pillows.”

It’s hard to mind my own business. We’ve got a guest room, complete with a queen-size bed, but I can’t imagine any omega would feel comfortable staying with three unknown, unbonded alphas.

“How about I give you a tour, and then I’ll bring in anything you need?” I offer as Sky bolts up the stairs. “Sorry, she has no manners.” Much like her owner, I add silently to myself.

Chelsea laughs. “That’s okay. She can scare away any critters before I have to see them. And, yes, thank you so much. I appreciate all the help.”

“Of course,” I agree. “Okay, want to start with the kitchen?”

Alphas outnumber omegas, something like seven or eight to one these days.

I’m utterly baffled how Chelsea ended up pregnant and unclaimed. I’m not proud of the fact I’ve spent the last several hours peeping out our kitchen window, like a total fucking creeper, but here we are.

Sky whines, nudging me with her muzzle.

“You’re not even my mutt,” I grumble. Sky doesn’t care. All three humans that reside in our house are here to do her bidding. “Fine, do you want to go out?”

Her backside begins to sway as she wiggles from side to side.

I give a final look out the blinds, but Chelsea is nowhere to be seen. Our kitchen has a view of her kitchen, and the company Mrs. Wilson hired to clean out the house took the curtains. Chelsea obviously hasn’t had the chance to hang her own.

Fuck me.

I’m crossing so many lines, but my impulses are obsessed with the fact she’s over there, completely alone, without any furniture. She doesn’t even have anywhere to sit, aside from that damn air mattress and the bay window seat in the living room.

I head to the back door and prop it open for Sky. She runs out and glances back to check if I’m coming with.

Not this time.

Her nails click against the wooden deck as she runs out to do her business. I take myself back to my peeping spot without an ounce of shame.

It’s not late, but it’s winter. This time of year, it gets dark damn early, which means I have to keep the lights off in the kitchen. Otherwise, Chelsea might notice me.

Where the hell are my packmates? We need to have a family meeting about the new neighbor.

“What the ever-loving-fuck are you doing?” Arden asks.

My muscles tense as I realize I’ve been caught by at least one of my packmates.

“Do you know the back door is open? It’s probably forty degrees in here,” Lincoln says, coming into the kitchen with Sky hot on his heels.

Lovely. I’ve been caught by both my packmates.

“I forgot to close it,” I grunt. “We need to have a talk about our new neighbor.”

“You found the envelope?” Arden asks, dropping multiple bags of groceries onto the kitchen island.

“Yeah, but I was not expecting our new neighbor to be an unbonded omega. Not in the fucking least.”

“What?” Linc’s eyes get huge as he pulls takeout boxes out of the bags he placed on the table.

“A very pregnant, unbonded omega,” I say to further clarify. My eyes bounce between my packmates. “A beautiful, unbonded, pregnant omega.”

Yeah, I’m really stuck on that information.

“Well, damn.” Linc chuckles, shoving his long brown hair back from his blue eyes. The hair on the top of his head is even longer than mine. Some might call it obnoxiously long. While my hair is naturally curly, his is bone straight.

Arden’s dark gaze moves to the windows as he pulls off his suit coat and tosses it down on the island. He’s the tallest of the three of us, with a slender build. He always has his short, dark hair cut when the sides grow out long enough to be the same length as his beard. By the looks of it, he had that done today, because they’re once again shaved close to his head.

“She’s alone?” he asks, unbuttoning his right cuff before moving to the left.

“Correct, without so much as furniture in the house.” I sigh, swiping a hand over my face. “We’re going to need to keep an eye out for her.”

“How do you know she’s alone?” Linc asks, scratching his beard. It’s even thicker and fluffier than mine, but he does keep the neck trimmed.

I laugh derisively. “That would be because I asked repeatedly until it became weird. My instincts wouldn’t let it go.”

“Interesting,” Arden says distractedly. He yanks his long-sleeve button-down out of his suit pants, and his dark eyes narrow as he studies me.

“It sure is,” Linc says, catching my attention as he smirks.

Great, I’m never going to hear the end of this. It’ll be ten years from now, and Linc will still be hazing me about it.

“How many hours did you spend creepy stalking her through the blinds?” Linc muses, gesturing toward the house next door.

“I was not creepy stalking,” I snap indignantly. “I was respectfully watching to make sure she’s okay.”

“Stalker,” Linc taunts with a laugh.

I have been known to hyperfixate on things, but those things are normally suspects. I’ve never stalked a woman before, and I’m not going to start now.

I’m simply being a good neighbor.

“We count on his obsessive tendencies. You don’t get to pick and choose when they’re convenient,” Arden says in his normal flat and disinterested tone.

I smirk.

Each of us has a unique skill set.

Linc wouldn’t like it if I started joking about his knife skills or his ability to dismember a body in Guinness World Record fashion.

Just like Arden wouldn’t like being called out for his cold, calculating mind or his ability to accurately profile nearly any suspect, based solely on their method of kill and a quick look at the scene.

We all ignore each other’s crazy.

That’s the deal.

They don’t get to pick on me now.

This is who I’ve always been.

“We’ve got plenty of takeout.” Linc glances between me and Arden. “Do you think we should take her something? If she’s new to town, she’ll have no way of knowing no one delivers out here past dark at this time of year.”

“If you do, be sure to remove your harness before you go.” Arden nods to Lincoln’s chest. “The last thing you want to do is scare the poor woman to death by showing up on her doorstep, armed to the teeth.”

Linc snorts. “I’ve only got my Glock. Oh, and I guess the Shield Plus in my boot. I just really need to see the chick that finally flipped his stalker switch.”

“Jesus Christ,” I growl. “I’m coming with you.”

Lincoln has even less tact than I do. Also, I don’t see myself sleeping a wink tonight unless I double-check that she’s safe.