With Caution

to the point, Remi would not leave him. “I can’t, John. Remi can’t leave the area…not yet.”
    John held up a hand. “Relax, I’ll give you some time if you need it. You and your pack can hunt on unmarked land. But given that the rest of the pack will eventually figure out why they’re reacting like this, it’s not going to be easy. Your pack is liable to have several fights on their hands. I’ll do my best, but I can’t promise anything. Which is why you and your pack must defend him tonight. Because these men have scented him, you have to make it clear that he is yours and you and your pack will defend him. I don’t expect trouble, but it needs to be made clear what the consequences will be should they decide to mess with Remi.”
    Pack? Fuck, Jake’s heart felt like it was in his throat. “John, I don’t have a pack.”
    “Don’t you? Those men back there protecting your claim to Remi, even though you have not marked him yet? Jake, they’re defending you and yours against the rest of their own pack.”
    “They’re my friends.”
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    With Caution
    “You will discover that you do not get to choose who will follow you. They choose you, just as your omega has obviously chosen you.” John arched a brow. “You aren’t denying them, are you?”
    “No, of course not. I don’t have any choice in this, do I?”
    “As with most good men who come to lead, I’m afraid not. Remi being your mate takes that choice away. Unless you are prepared to let another alpha claim your omega as his?”
    “Fuck no!”
    John laughed. “I didn’t think so.”
    “What do I have to do?”
    John stopped walking and turned, looking him in the eye, his expression suddenly somber.
    Goddamn it. Why did Jake get the feeling he wasn’t going to like what John had to say? Jake frowned.
    “You have to claim your omega, as you will have to every now and again so that others do not. Which shouldn’t be too difficult, since he’s also your mate. It’s why none of you know what Daniel is. As long as an omega has been and continues to be claimed by their alpha, no one, even in the pack, can sense that they are omegas. Which is essential. Otherwise you’d have alphas coming out of the woodwork trying to stake their own claim to your omega.”
    “Claim him how?”
    “He has to submit to you sexually and you must claim him with a bite.”
    “I’ve claimed him as my mate.” Sexually. “Can’t I just go bite him?”
    John shook his head. “I’m afraid not. The hormones released during sex interact with the ones released during the bite, which is what triggers their scent change. They must also physically submit.”
    Jake closed his eyes, feeling damn near sick. Rough sex with others nearby? He could not do this to Remi. This would make him a monster in Remi’s eyes. “And if I don’t?”

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    J.L. Langley
    “Someone else will.”

    Un-fucking-believable. Remi’d suddenly inherited his own pack and Jake was now his alpha. And Remi was now an omega…whatever the hell that meant . He didn’t feel any different. Remi groaned and did his damnedest to not start yelling. How could they possibly fight all those men? What if…?
    Gadget paced past Remi, shaking his head. “Carter’s holding them off now. Why can’t he tell them to fuck off and leave Remi alone, he’s ours?”
    Tank nodded. “They have their own omega, don’t they?”
    “Yeah.” Jake nodded.
    Remi stood there amazed. They were arguing over him. He’d started feeling a connection to all of them when they’d first met, but it was getting stronger. It was hard to explain, and given how few people Remi actually considered friends, it made him feel better about the situation.
    This whole thing was something right out of a movie. Gadget was right, John Carter was holding the rest of the pack off, or was he? Maybe it was their pack omega. Jake had said omegas could calm a pack. Remi glanced out over the pack, trying to figure out who the omega was. No one appeared to be doing anything to control them, yet they were definitely more composed than earlier. Then John Carter had shouted a command in a strange tone and everyone had frozen instantly, like they were under a spell or something.
    Now they all waited patiently, talking, almost like nothing had happened. It was eerie as hell and unnerving, since Remi now knew they were waiting for John Carter to allow them to challenge Jake.
    “He’s