Now that it was over and people were bringing in tables, chairs, music, and food, I'd thought Nash would speak again, but he was as quiet as he'd been.
It was obvious that none of the Walker cousins had wanted to come. Branson and Wyatt still looked like they didn't want to be here. Nana had pulled Aver away to help her grab some things from her car, and I was about to take a seat next to Riley and the baby when Nash tugged me back.
"Where are you going?" he asked, looking over my head.
"To sit next to Riley. Is that okay, Mr. Alpha?"
Nash's face jerked down to mine. "Don't make those jokes here," he said, not rudely, but I felt chastised all the same. "I'm sorry, babe. Please don't look at me like that. You don't understand the pack laws. Badmouthing the Alpha is a punishable offense on pack lands. Don't get me wrong. I could kick every ass here, but I don't want to."
I didn't want him to either. "There's no first amendment on pack lands?" I stuck my lips out in a pout.
"Only if the Alpha says there is." Nash kissed my pout. His gaze drifted again, and I lost Nash once more to the thoughts swirling in that gorgeous skull of his.
"What did Tyrone mean about that omega stuff? And touching me? Is that like being a mate?"
Nash sucked in a sharp breath. "No it isn't the same. An omega is a title that only matters within the pack."
That was a little more concise of an answer than he normally gave me. Did he not want to talk at all while we were here, or was it the fact Tyrone had called me his omega that had him impersonating a statue?
The crowd quieted, though I didn't know why. Then I saw Nash's grandfather, Alpha Walker, standing.
"I know the pack will do their best to make our new members feel welcome," he said, Delia's hand cradled in the crook of his arm. "We will leave you to it." He turned, pausing once to look in our direction. His eyes landed on me, and I was too cowardly to hold his gaze. I slid mine down, hoping he'd stop looking and leave.
He did, climbing into a sleek black car with Branson's mom. The moment the two left, the mood in the field brightened. It felt like everyone had exhaled a collective sigh of relief. Nana Walker returned from her car with Aver. They both carried cardboard boxes, and Wyatt rushed forward to take the box from Nana.
Others had already covered some of the tables with dishes of food. Clearly, this was a potluck sort of thing. "Should we have brought something?"
Nash shook his head.
Someone turned up the radio on an upbeat country song. I didn't recognize it, but country wasn't my thing. It was the perfect song for the moment, and people, young and old, started bobbing their heads and tapping their toes to the beat. Not Nash. He was my gargoyle, except the sun was down and he was still made out of stone. It wasn't a Walker cousin thing because while Branson still looked unhappy, he was at least nodding along to the song. Wyatt had already pulled Nana out to the part of the field where people had started to dance. "Nash? What's wrong?"
"I want you to be my omega," he blurted out, his face contorted, anguished.
His words said one thing, his face another. "That makes you mad?"
He did a double take. "Fuck no. But it worries me. Claiming you as my omega wouldn't change anything but how the pack views you. I've gone over ten years without caring how the pack views anything that I do. Why do I care now?"
I wished I had an answer for him. I didn't understand the intricacies of what it all meant enough to give a helpful answer.
"Because it would protect Phin," Branson said. "We're more alike than you think, Nash. All of us are. I would've done anything if it meant Riley would be even a fraction safer. You would too. It bugs you, but it shouldn't. You're an alpha. There is a beast inside you that, for better or worse, influences your actions. It won't let you rest until you've made Phin as safe as possible."
I hadn't realized he'd been eavesdropping and couldn't tell if his message had harmed or hurt the situation. Nash's face never changed. I'd be Nash's omega—or not. Whichever would make him happiest was the option I chose.
Until he stood up and immediately climbed on top of the table.
The hush started like a wave, beginning with those closest to us and rippling out. I wasn't sure if it was the oddness of someone standing on a table that quieted them or because the person standing there was Nash, but in moments, the field was quiet. The moment was so reminiscent of what had happened when Alpha Walker stood to leave, the hairs on my arm stuck up.
"I have an announcement," Nash called out to the crowd. "This man beside me is Phineas. I claim him as my omega."
My face had to be redder than a tomato, but I didn't shy away. If Nash could do this thing, even though it made him uncomfortable, then I would be here to support him. Branson started to clap, followed by Riley's whoop of excitement. Wyatt and Aver joined, but it was when Nana began to clap that the pack clapped as well. All but Paul and Tyrone—they began to cheer early.
Soon, we were enveloped by a crowd of happy faces. No one pushed in or tried hugging me like I'd feared. They kept a respectful distance, offering congratulations from afar. For a guy who had a thing about people and personal space, it was very nice.
Not everyone came to congratulate us, about half. The others just continued dancing like we weren't there. This was Tyrone's night anyway. Him, Denise, and their mom. I tugged on Nash's sleeve so he would drop his head down far enough for me to whisper in his ear. "Dance with me?" I asked. Hopefully, that would put an end to the congratulating and swing the party back on track.
He smirked and nodded, pulling me out to the field. "Too much peopling? I'm sorry, I didn't think about that."
"No, just the right amount. Are you okay with what just happened?"
We'd been doing a slow shuffle, but at my question. Nash's feet stopped. "I'm very okay with it. My hesitation was never because of you. You're the only part of this equation that makes sense."
I smiled, needing to hear that more than I'd known. I set my head against Nash's chest, and we swayed a few moments longer. All around us people danced, ate, laughed, and drank. I'd wondered if this was going to turn into a weird True Blood wolf pack situation, but so far, no one had pulled out shots of vampire blood. If I didn't know these people were shifters, I would've thought them all friends or close neighbors.
Tucking my face against Nash's chest, I yawned, hoping the angle would conceal it, but he held me a few inches away and studied my face.
"You're tired. I need to get you home. We should leave before anything horrible happens anyway."
In the distance, over the darkened treetops, there was a loud boom followed by the unmistakable orange glow of fire.
Before I'd really worked out what had happened, Nash had us off the dance floor and found his cousins, and the four of them circled around Nana, Riley, the baby, and me, like they expected the people we were with to suddenly turn on them.
But everyone else looked as shocked as we did. A few ran into the forest, toward the explosion. I thought they were all falling into the trees, which didn't make sense until I saw they were shifting as they ran.
"What is it? What's happening?" Riley asked.