"You're working with me today."
"I- I am?"
"Yes," he confirmed. "I need help with the feedings, and Leo and Bran need to check the fence lines for breaches."
I didn't know what to say. He'd never asked me for help before. Hell, none of them had, only offered to let me tag along if I wished. And I always wished. I loved spending time with them. Loved Bran's easy-going nature and Leo's drive to always need to fill the silence with words, speaking nonstop. And I genuinely loved the farm; it reminded me of my childhood and my family, and I wished to never leave.
"I can help with feedings," I offered, sounding ridiculous stating the obvious.
"I know," he smirked, and it was infuriatingly cute. "That's why I asked. You're better suited to feed animals than mend fences."
I could mend fences, though I didn't say that. I wanted to spend time with him, wanted to know our alpha. "Sounds perfect then."
"Perfect indeed." He leaned against the wall as he slid on his boots. I did the same to my own. The well-worn boots had followed me from my childhood home, and I never once realized I'd need them again. "Do you want to change first?"
I froze with a boot half on, "Excuse me?"
"I just thought because... well... your jeans look expensive, and feeding could ruin them."
"They are," I confirmed with a shrug before putting on the boot fully. "I don't mind ruining them. They're just jeans."
"If you're sure..."
"Alpha," I sighed, keeping my gaze low, but as soon as I did, his finger went to my chin, forcing my eyes up. "I have no use for fancy jeans. For fancy clothes. For heels. I never wanted these things. It was all gifts from my former alpha."
A darkness crept into his gaze, and I swore I heard him mumble,I should burn them. But instead, he nodded his understanding. "Then by all means, let's get dirty."
An hour later, dirty was an understatement. Clouds moved in rapidly. The sky changed, and with it so did the animals' demeanor. It had begun to drizzle, and though it didn't rain too hard, the mud it created made for a giant mess. And through it all, James didn't look phased. In fact, the spatter of mud on his clothing and the line of dirt on his cheek only seemed to add to the appeal.
Mine. Ours. Take him. Claim him.
With each passing moment spent with the alpha, my omega's insistence on ownership grew, along with that pain and ache in my abdomen. I wasn't planning to mention it though. It was probably just a pulled muscle, not uncommon out here with all the manual labor.
"Thanks for helping this evening. I doubt I'd ever gotten it done on my own."
I startled at the sound of the normally quiet alpha's voice. I knew that he could do this on his own. Hell, he does it nearly daily on his own. Still, I appreciated the effort he put forth to make me feel needed. "I liked helping. Especially when it comes to those cute little goats."
"They've taken a liking to you." His steel eyes were bright and mesmerizing against his grime-covered face.
I reached up, brushing some of the dirt the animals had kicked up off his face, before wiping my dirty hands on my jeans. "I'll admit, I might have been sneaking them table scraps for the last few weeks."
"Oh?" Where I thought he might be angry at me, he wasn't. Instead, he flipped his pant pockets inside out, letting tiny carrot pieces fall free.
"The plot thickens," I fake gasped.
"It does. I always like to have treats on hand for when those ol' gals are feeling feisty." He pointed to the chickens in the pen.
I looked at the chaotic chickens, who ran around like they were melting at the first hint of rain instead of seeking the readily available shelter. "Well, those ol' gals are always feisty."
He rubbed his shin where he got pecked earlier while we collected eggs. "Truer words have never been spoken."
We entered the barn where he hung up his feed bucket and sealed off the food containers. Then he reached into a plastic tub and removed a few cups of cat food before tossing it toward the cats under the farm equipment. I smiled to myself, loving thathe secretly had a soft spot for these cats, even though he initially claimed to dislike the one that I had brought inside.
After the barn was in order and all animals fed, he locked the door before we began the walk back to the house. Raindrops, though light, still hit against our skin, and I enjoyed watching them as they trailed a line down his cheeks.
"Can we talk, omega?"
I stumbled; his hand shot out to catch me. He had caught me off guard, but I'd never deny a request from my alpha. "Yes, alpha."
