The Alpha's Love: Lost Omegas Book Four: A M/M Shifter Romance

by Claire Cullen

  “How long has he been in wolf form?” Seb asked.

  “Since yesterday afternoon. I think he feels safer that way.”

  “Hard to blame him,” Ro said, “What those men were doing to him…” He couldn’t bring himself to voice it, holding Jay’s gaze.

  Byron took a seat, settling down in a chair with Jay sitting on the floor next to him.

  He and Seb sat opposite, Seb with an arm around him. He was in a protective, possessive mood but Ro had no reason to object. If he could wrap his arms around the Alpha and not let go until they were back in Glenoak, he would, but he sensed that wouldn’t be conducive to their participation in the trade talks.

  “Did you learn much from Jay about where he’s from?” Byron asked.

  “No, he didn’t talk much, I only learned his name. It seems like he’s not used to being around people. I heard those men talking about him when they were transporting me. They called him feral, they seemed to think he’d been in wolf form for a very long time.”

  “That would fit. His language skills are underdeveloped but his hunting certainly isn’t. He seems ill at ease in his human form.”

  “Then there’s the question of his age,” Seb mused. “He looks full grown for a wolf.”

  “I’d guess late teens in human form,” Byron said, one hand resting on the back of Jay’s neck.

  “Which means his first heat can’t be too far away,” Seb said.

  “I was hoping you might consider taking him in. Given your Pack’s experience with Omegas, you’d be best placed to care for him.”

  Up until that point, Ro hadn’t been sure that Jay was following the conversation, but as soon as the suggestion left Byron’s mouth, the Omega reacted. Gone was the calm posture as he barked sharply, and sank his teeth into Byron’s hand.

  “Ow, what the…” Byron shook him off. “Jay, what was that for?”

  “He doesn’t like your plan. I’m guessing you haven’t discussed it with him.” Ro tried to keep the disapproval from his voice but it was hard. What was it with people treating Omegas like they were children?

  “No, there’s been a lot going on,” Byron said, turning to address Jay. “If you want to talk about this, change back and we’ll talk.”

  Ro didn’t think he meant there and then, but Jay took a few steps back, and crouched down, shifting form. Injuries that hadn’t been apparent on his wolf were visible across his skin, including two bite marks he didn’t have when Ro had seen him last. He didn’t say anything, Seb had cautioned him not to mention what they’d heard about the attack on Byron.

  Jay didn’t look happy to be in human form, wide eyes watching them fearfully. When Seb stood, he jerked back, hands and feet scrabbling across the carpet.

  Seb held up his hands, kneeling slowly.

  “You have nothing to fear from me, Jay. I’m not taking you anywhere you don’t want to go. I was just going to get you a blanket. It’s not that warm in here, you'll be cold.”

  He inched up from his crouch and crossed the room with careful steps, returning with a blanket which he held out to Byron with a look that Ro knew well. The kind of look he reserved for when someone tried to defer responsibility to him for no other reason than that he was Alpha.

  Byron took the offered blanket and knelt on the ground beside Jay.

  “Come on, you’ll catch cold. Come sit up there with me and I’ll wrap you up in this warm blanket.”

  Jay didn’t move.

  “Seb’s right. You don’t have to go anywhere you don’t want to. Remember what I told you? You’re under my protection. You can stay with me for as long as you want to.”

  Those words worked, Jay letting Byron help him to his feet and into the chair, accepting the blanket and Byron’s touch as the Alpha drew him closer. Their interaction told Ro a lot. No wonder the Omega didn’t want to leave. He turned to Seb, to see if his mate had picked up on it, pleased to see from the smile on his face that it hadn’t gone unnoticed.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Byron stepped outside Seb's hotel room to take a call from Odin.

  “What did you find out?” he asked.

  “He's not giving us anything. Says he was paid by a third party for services rendered.”

  “Services?”

  “Taking you out of the picture.”

  “Money in exchange for my death.”

  “Essentially, yeah. Word on the grapevine is that these guys have done work for Eagle Creek before. Seems a little coincidental but then Eagle Creek are shady as hell. I'm sure they have fingers in lots of pies.”

  "We're going to need to figure out who paid them and fast. If it was Eagle Creek, we need to know."

  Byron ended the call, turning to see Sebastian had come out into the hallway.

  “Is everything alright?” Sebastian asked.

  “Fine, just trying to get the talks back on track after everything."

  Seb nodded slowly. “Perhaps this isn’t the best time for the conversation I had in mind.” He stepped back as if to return to the room.

  “No, please. I could do with something else to put my mind to right now.”

  “It’s about Jay. I think it’s safe to say he won’t be coming willingly to Glenoak.”

  Byron leaned against the wall, holding up his hand, Jay's teeth marks still visible. “Yes, I think he’s made that clear.”

  “He seems to have formed an attachment to you.”

  “He was scared, I was nice to him. It’s like some kind of Stockholm syndrome, isn’t it?” Like when kidnap victims got attached to their captors.

  “I know you can't have spent much time with Omegas. In these circumstances, it would easy to mistake what you're seeing with Jay. From what I've seen of Omegas, they don’t appear to form indiscriminate attachments. If bonding is something you would be dead set against, then you’ll need another plan, and soon.”

  “We don’t even know how old he is. Or where he came from. He could barely tell me his name.”

  Seb didn’t respond to the heat behind his words, his calm voice carrying clearly across the corridor.

  “What he’s going to need most, is stability, care, and kindness.”

  “Odin suggested it might be kinder to return him to where he was taken from.”

  “And what do you think?” Seb asked.

  “Wolves aren’t meant to live completely alone. He’s back among his own now. It hasn’t been easy going but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth trying.”

  A slow smile spread across Seb’s face.

  “And that’s why you’re going to make an excellent Pack Alpha.”

  “I’m not sure he’s ever going to be ready for any sort of relationship.”

  “Don’t underestimate him. You’ve known him, what? A few days? And you were able to coax him to talk, to tell you about Ro. After he’d been tortured, terrified and threatened with Alphas as if they were the bogey-man. So far, I’d say you’re doing just fine.”

  Byron didn’t mention that Jay had also killed to protect him, though it just reinforced Seb’s point. The Omega had formed an attachment to him, for whatever reason. What was Byron going to do about it?

  Byron felt Jay was handling being at the hotel better than he'd expected and, to his relief, the talks were making steady progress. They broke for an early lunch on the second day and, after checking in with Jay and ensuring he was okay with Scott, he and Odin took some time to talk through all that had happened and try and piece things together.

  “Could there be a connection between Ro being taken and the attempt on my life?”

  “Other than the vague connection I found between the guys who came after you and Eagle Creek, I don’t see how,” Odin replied. “Raventree and Eagle Creek have no dispute. Taking Glenoak’s Omega I can understand, there’s a history there. But what benefit would they gain from your death except to create conflict where none existed?”

  Odin had a point. There was nothing for Eagle Creek to gain by killing him.

&nb
sp; “Have we come any closer to working out who it was who helped the traffickers gain access to the hotel?”

  “George had gone through the CCTV footage and his team have questioned the staff. No new information has come to light.”

  “Could it have been someone from the other Packs' delegations?”

  “There would still be the question of how they got the keys to the doors and the codes to disable the alarms.”

  “Who has copies of those?” Byron asked. Odin checked through a folder for the information, unearthing a list of names. There was a knock on the door and Byron opened it to find Sebastian.

  “Seb, it’s good to see you. Come in, how is Ro doing?”

  “Ro’s okay. He’s resting. But he’s not what I came to talk to you about, not directly at least.”

  “Oh, of course. Please, sit down. Do you want privacy?” He gestured towards Odin who moved to stand.

  “Actually, it might be helpful for Odin to stay.”

  They all sat.

  “I heard about the attack on you the night before last.”

  He and Odin shared a look. Raventree had been doing their best to keep that quiet.

  “Yes, two shifters broke into my house and tried to kill me.”

  “Was there a reason you didn't mention that when you came to see us yesterday?”

  “My father didn't want it to become common knowledge. These talks have been eventful enough. I sense that isn’t what you came to talk to me about either.”

  Seb shook his head. “No, it’s not. I came to ask about Daniel.”

  “What about him?”

  “He was invaluable in helping us recover Ro but there is also some suggestion he may have had a hand in his abduction.”

  “Daniel,” Byron said flatly. “That seems unlikely.”

  “One of your staff saw him speak to Ro in the minutes before he went missing, diverting him from the restaurant where he was headed and sending him upstairs where he was abducted.”

  “They may have been mistaken or perhaps it could have been a different occasion. Why would Daniel be involved?”

  “That’s what I’ve been trying to work out. We did wonder if he’d made some new connections. Daniel has always been what you’d call a social climber. He and I were in a relationship for a number of years which he broke off because my ambitions weren’t enough for him. Since I’ve been at the talks, he has made it very clear his opinion has changed. From that perspective, getting Ro out of the way might have its advantages.”

  Byron didn’t know what to say to that.

  “Gentlemen,” Seb continued, clearly sensing their unease, “it is only an idea and one with not much substance to back it up. Would Daniel have even had access to the CCTV or the security system to disable it?”

  Byron let his head fall. “He was in charge of security. We were overseeing it, but Daniel made most of the arrangements.”

  “We?” Seb asked.

  “My brother and I. Mainly Felix, as I had my hands full with the accommodation and catering arrangements.”

  “Would this tie-in in any way to the attack on you?” Seb enquired.

  “Odin and I were just discussing if there was any possibility the two could be related. It does seem somewhat of a coincidence but Eagle Creek have no reason to want me dead. We don’t do much trade with them.”

  “And the other delegations here?”

  “A few aren’t the happiest trade partners, but I don’t see them jeopardizing their agreements with us in some petty act of revenge.”

  “Would any Pack think they’d have an easier time if Felix was Alpha?” Sebastian asked.

  “Felix rarely turns his attention to Pack business, so I doubt it,” Byron replied.

  “Could it be a disgruntled Pack member?”

  “If there is ill feeling in the Pack towards Byron, whoever they are they're keeping very quiet about it,” Odin said.

  They didn’t seem to be making any headway and Seb left a few minutes later, promising to let them know if Fenrir’s Warriors discovered any new information from the people they were holding.

  “Could it really be Daniel?” Byron wondered aloud.

  “I don’t know. Sebastian’s right about one thing, though. He certainly has ambitions.”

  “I know. I’ve offered him the position of Pack Advisor when I take over from Father,” he admitted. “Father is planning on stepping down as leader after the talks have concluded. I’ve been trying to get things in place.”

  Odin was surprised to hear it. “I hadn’t envisioned your father ever relinquishing power.”

  “It was unexpected. He feels it’ll give my leadership more weight if he backs it while he’s still alive. And he’ll be there to help me settle into the role. Something his father wasn’t there to do for him.”

  “How is Felix taking the news?”

  “Oh, he’s been in unusually good spirits. You don’t know if there’s another girlfriend on the scene, do you?”

  “Not that I’ve heard of,” Odin replied. “I’ll keep my ears open.”

  “I’ll need you to follow up on Sebastian’s concerns. If Daniel is involved, we need to know.”

  “Leave it with me. You have some negotiations to complete.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Being back at the hotel almost made it feel like the abduction had never taken place. If it wasn’t for the bruises, which were fast fading, he might even have believed it. Seb barely let him out of his sight for the first while, relaxing only when Ro promised not to leave the hotel or go anywhere alone. He didn’t feel up to attending the talks the first day but by the second and third days he was sitting in on the morning sessions and taking a break in the afternoons. Joel was happy to keep him company, they rented movies and watched them in the hotel room.

  Ro liked to join Seb for meals but every time he looked for the Alpha, Daniel was there. It was almost like they were joined at the hip. It was hard for Ro to stomach it when Daniel would have his hand so casually on Seb’s shoulder or arm. He was all easy smiles and rapt attention. Ro felt sidelined. Especially when he overheard one of the Raventree women commenting how they’d make such an elegant couple. No one ever said that about him and Seb.

  Despite the amount of time they were spending together, Seb said very little about Daniel, even when Ro tried to bring him up in conversation. He’d always redirect the conversation to Ro, to the trade deal or to the Pack. Ro didn’t like the feelings of jealousy that were stirring inside him.

  What made it harder was Daniel was always so polite.

  “I hope you’re making a good recovery after your trauma,” Daniel said, stopping Ro as he came in to join Seb for dinner. Joel had escorted him as far as the door and Ro could see Seb over on the other side of the room, talking with Martin.

  “I am, thank you,” he replied, matching Daniel’s politeness with his own.

  “I don’t blame Sebastian for bringing you with him. It’s so hard to know what an Omega’s role should be these days. In the past, they rarely traveled out of the home. Which makes sense, of course. I mean, between pregnancies and caring for children, traveling outside the Pack really wasn’t practical or safe. I hope Sebastian is going to take that into consideration going forward.”

  “People travel when they’re pregnant. And they travel with young children,” Ro pointed out, trying hard to keep the irritation from his voice.

  “Yes, but those are women, not Omegas. Omegas are… delicate. They need protection and supervision. Their deficiencies are well known.”

  Ro had to swallow hard to force down the bubble of anger at Daniel’s words. He had fought so hard all his life to prove he wasn’t inferior, even before he'd known what he was. To have someone sweep away all his hard work with blatant stereotyping was difficult to stomach.

  “Daniel is right on the money there,” Byron brother’s Felix said, stopping to join them. “Your Alpha is reckless to cavort across the country with you. If you were mine, you’d neve
r leave our bedroom.”

  Ro shuddered at the implication, peering hopefully across the room at Seb. But he was engrossed in conversation and hadn’t noticed Ro’s predicament.

  “Well, you’re entitled to your opinions, no matter how backward. I’m very glad to say Sebastian doesn’t share them.”

  He went to walk away when Felix’s hand clamped down on his shoulder. “You should be careful of your tone when you speak to me,” he said with quiet menace. “The protection of your Alpha only goes so far.” His hand squeezed tightly and Ro ducked from his grip and crossed the room with fast steps, coming to a stop next to Seb.

  The Alpha frowned at him, putting an arm around his shoulders. “Are you alright? Your heart is racing.”

  “Just something someone said.”

  “Why don’t we take a break. I think you’ve had enough of crowds for today.”

  They made their way back to their room. It was on the tip of Ro’s tongue to ask about Daniel. To try and understand what was going on there.

  “Who was it, Daniel or Felix?” Seb asked as he slipped his tie off.

  “What?” he asked, turning to look at the Alpha.

  “Which one of them upset you?”

  He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter.”

  “It matters to me.”

  “Well, in that case, both. They don’t think much of Omegas beyond being glorified incubators. They think you were wrong to bring me here.”

  “It’s hard to argue with them on that score considering what happened,” Seb said. His words made something curdle in the pit of Ro’s stomach. Seb couldn’t mean that.

  They lay down on the bed and Seb put on some music for them to unwind. But it didn’t work. Ro couldn’t stop his mind thinking. What if everything that had happened made Seb rethink how they’d been doing things? Sure, he wasn’t the biggest fan of having to make nice with the different Packs, but if he had to choose, he’d still rather do it than not.

  But things were about to change for them. Seb didn’t know it yet, but Ro was very aware of what was happening within his body. How would Seb take the news that they were going to be parents quite a bit sooner than planned? Would that be the catalyst that changed his mind about how Ro could live his life? Certainly, when he realized Ro’s pregnancy had been put at risk by his abduction, it was going to hit him hard.