Seb had an arm around Ro's shoulder and Adam envied their closeness. He'd only known them for a scant few hours but he saw the casual way they spoke to one another and touched one another. It was nothing like Tobias has raised him to expect and everything he secretly craved. His eyes strayed to Ben even as a pulse of pain through his stomach reminded him of what he'd lost.
Ben's eyes were on him, concerned as they took in Adam's arm wrapped around his middle.
"Are you sure you're okay to travel?" the Alpha asked.
Adam had heard what they'd discussed the previous day. If they were here when Gray Valley came looking, they'd cause trouble for Glenoak.
"I'm okay. Just sore. Alicia gave me something for the pain."
The other woman had said the same as Ro, to contact her if he needed help to get through his next heat. He'd taken the piece of paper with her phone number on it and tucked it in his pocket.
Sebastian had offered them a car but Ben turned it down, opting to take them both on his bike. His reasoning being the bike was less conspicuous and made it easier for them to go off road.
With Sam's help, Adam climbed on to sit behind Ben, wrapping his arms tightly around the Alpha.
"Send word when you can," Sam said in parting, his hand on Ben's shoulder.
"Safe journey," Ro called after them as they took off into the unknown.
Chapter Twenty
It took almost three days of travel before they reached the cottage, Ben ensuring they took plenty of breaks to let Adam rest.
“My great-grandfather built it, here in the dead zone between Pack lands. Our family used to holiday here. Neither of the neighboring Packs have the numbers or the interest in patrolling this area, so they leave it alone. Lucky for us. I haven’t been here in almost two years so I’m not sure what it’ll be like inside,” he cautioned as they pulled up outside.
“It’s pretty,” Adam commented as Ben helped him off the bike.
Ben turned his head to the side and considered the Omega’s words. He could kind of see what Adam meant. The cottage had a charm to it, though it needed some work, the gate hanging on a single hinge, the walls in need of paint.
“Come on, let’s get you inside to rest.”
He wrapped an arm around Adam’s shoulders, propping the Omega up as he led him towards the door. They’d been in close proximity for days, Adam’s scent constantly assaulting him, sweet and delicious, like he was just begging for Ben to take a bite out of him. But Ben had been careful to keep his distance as much as was practical.
He left Adam leaning against the wall so he could find the spare key, which was concealed under a loose stone that formed part of the window sill. There were no scents, lycanthrope or otherwise, to suggest anyone had been there recently. Ben hoped their arrival would go unnoticed.
A cloud of dust met them as the door swung open and set Adam coughing. There were dust sheets covering all the furniture and Ben was quick to uncover the sofa so Adam could sit down.
“Stay here while I check the place out.”
It didn’t take long given the size of the cottage. Two bedrooms, bathroom, open plan kitchen, living and dining room. In the main bedroom, he pulled up the loose floorboard and took out the gun and ammunition he’d hidden there. He checked the gun over carefully before loading it and tucking it into his waistband.
He returned from checking the cottage’s perimeter to find Adam had pulled the sheets off one of the bookshelves that lined the main room.
“My grandfather was an avid reader. There are books on lycanthrope history, handwritten, only a handful of copies exist. And a lot of murder mysteries. The romance novels were my grandma’s.”
Adam turned to him, a question on his lips.
“Maybe try one of the mysteries,” Ben suggested. “I need to go out, scout the area, get some supplies. Will you be okay here by yourself for a while?”
He could see Adam wasn’t enamored by the idea, but he’d be faster by himself and more likely to go unnoticed.
“I’ll be okay. Will you be long?”
“An hour. Two at most.”
Adam nodded, biting his lower lip as he pulled a book from the shelf and moved to sit back on the couch.
His uncertainty fueled Ben’s own reluctance, but they needed food and other essentials. There wasn’t enough game in this area to sustain them for very long and, with winter coming, it wouldn’t take long for them to go hungry.
“Here,” he pulled the gun out, holding it in his hand for Adam to see. “I’ll leave you with this. For protection. Do you know how to shoot?”
He wasn’t surprised when Adam shook his head. Whoever had raised him had preached learned helplessness and complete dependence on an Alpha.
“Okay, well, it’s really simple. It’s best as a deterrent. Someone comes nosing around they’ll likely take off once they see it. If they don’t, well, that’s simple too. Gun’s loaded with bullets, all you have to do is point and shoot. Use two hands to keep your aim steady and target the center mass, the biggest part of what you can see, makes it much more likely you’ll hit something. Once you’ve hit them, don’t hang around, just run. I’ll track you.”
He handed the weapon over. Adam was slow to take it, watching it like it might come alive and bite him.
“Don’t worry, it doesn’t have a hair trigger, it won’t go off by accident. You need to put firm pressure on the trigger, give it a good squeeze, to get a shot out. We’ll practice when I get back.”
“Okay,” Adam said finally, setting it down next to him on the couch and taking up the book he’d picked out.
When he returned ninety minutes later, Adam was asleep on the couch. At least, that’s what it looked like but Ben could tell from the tension in his body that he was faking it, the gun under his hand.
“Hey Adam, I’m back,” he called and Adam’s eyes opened, the Omega smiling with relief. “I thought it was you when I heard you pull up.”
“I’ve got groceries and take out. You feel up to putting these away?” He didn’t want to pressure Adam but at the same time thought the Omega might appreciate the chance to feel useful. Adam nodded eagerly and stood, reaching to take hold of the grocery bags.
“I’ve got some fuel, I’m going to see if I can get the generator going. Lights and hot water might be nice.”
He made quick work of getting it started, thankful when it sputtered to life and he didn’t have to go rummaging around in the toolbox.
When he returned, Adam had dusted off the surfaces and set the take out down on the small dining table. He’d also tidied the groceries away in the cupboards.
They sat down together and ate, Ben on alert for the sounds of anyone approaching. After dinner, they sat reading in companionable silence. Every so often, when Adam found a word he didn’t know, he’d ask Ben for help.
Ben had scoped the bedrooms out earlier, opening the windows to air out the rooms and checking the cupboards for sheets and duvets. The whole place could do with a spring clean, and they’d get around to that. For tonight, they’d make do with warm beds. He showed Adam to his room and said goodnight, assuring the Omega he’d be right next door if he needed him.
Chapter Twenty-One
Thunder rumbled in the distance and a flash of lightning illuminated the room. He lay on his back, contemplating the ceiling. Under the sounds of the storm, he caught the thump of a heartbeat growing closer and the soft footfalls accompanying it. The footsteps paused just outside his door which lay ajar.
“Can’t sleep, Adam?” he called softly. They had been in the cottage three days and he’d only just started to relax.
A curly head of hair appeared in the doorway, accompanied by pale blue eyes.
“Me neither,” Ben continued as if Adam had answered. “I like storms but I don't sleep well during them.”
Adam continued to hover in the doorway.
Ben patted the duvet next to him. “Come on. Might as well keep each other company.”
A
dam didn’t move.
“I don’t bite. Much,” he added softly with a smile. It was enough to spur Adam into action as he crossed the threshold and made a beeline for the bed. He perched on the edge and Ben reached out one hand to tug him closer.
“Geez. You’re freezing.” The patch of skin he’d touched was ice-cold. “Here. Climb under the covers and warm up.”
“Okay.” Adam’s reply was barely above a whisper as he slipped under the duvet Ben held aloft, burrowing into the bed sheets.
The lightning flashed again, thunder following only seconds later, and Adam jumped.
“It’s okay. Storms just getting closer, that’s all.” Adam’s eyes met his again, a shiver wracking him.
“Here, scoot a bit closer and my body heat will warm you up.”
Adam moved an inch closer and stilled as Ben resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
“Why does it do that?”
“Why does what do what?” Ben couldn’t work out what Adam was asking.
“Why does the sky do that?”
“It’s thunder and lightning.”
“I know but… did I do something wrong? Is it mad at me?”
It was such a bizarre question that all Ben could do was stare. When he found his voice, he kept his question simple.
“Why would you think that?”
“Tobias said we caused the storms when we didn’t obey enough or sacrifice enough. He said we were selfish and wanton and that everyone was punished for our misdeeds.”
Adam’s eyes were trained on his hands as he twisted the edge of the duvet between his fingers. He shivered again.
Ben reached for him, caught hold with firm hands, and tugged him so they were side by side.
“You’re making me cold just looking at you,” he muttered, rubbing his warm hands along Adam’s arms. “And no. It’s not mad at you. It’s weather. It’s a science thing.”
He had Adam’s rapt attention as once again another gaping hole in the Omega's knowledge came to light.
“Weather is a kind of cycle. There’s lots of water on the earth. On the ground, under the ground, in the air, and in the clouds. And the temperature goes from cold to warm with the sun and depending on the seasons. It’s colder in winter, warmer in summer. Thunder and lightning happen when there’s warm and cold air and moisture and it creates a kind of electrical charge in the air. And electricity likes to run to ground so it comes down in a lightning flash. Thunder is the sound that the flash makes.”
His explanation was inelegant, probably woefully inaccurate, but he hoped it would be enough to convince Adam that it wasn’t aimed personally at him.
“Tobias doesn’t sound like a very nice person.” What little Ben had heard about him made punching him in the face sound like a reasonable first step.
“He raised us according to tradition, so we would be worthy Omegas for our Alphas.”
Adam succumbed to the lure of his body heat at last and rolled towards him so they were pressed close together.
“How many of you were there?”
He’d tried asking before, Sam had too, but Adam always clammed up right about then.
“I’m sorry. I’m not supposed to talk about the past. An Alpha doesn’t want to hear about before. An Omega’s life doesn’t start until they meet their Alpha.”
“Well, I am an Alpha but I haven’t claimed you so you can go ahead and talk about the past all you want. Who is ‘we’?”
Adam hid his face between Ben’s shoulder and the sheets. Sighing, Ben let one hand comb gently through the Omega’s hair. He wouldn’t push anymore. Adam would talk when he felt ready. When he felt safe.
Another flash of lightning lit the room and he barely heard Adam’s whisper under the crash of thunder.
“Me and my brother.”
“Your brother? What was his name?”
Adam shook his head, biting his lip.
“Is he older or younger?” Ben pressed.
“Younger, I think,” came the murmured reply. "He was smaller than me."
“You must miss him.” They’d clearly been close. Whenever Adam talked of his past, he spoke of 'we' and 'us' and never referred to himself in the singular.
“We were always together. Until Tobias found an Alpha for me. At night, when we were too hungry to sleep or too sore from a beating, we would tell each other stories to pass the time.”
Adam yawned, his eyes slipping closed.
“Did he beat you often?”
“Tobias had to be firm with us, so we’d learn what was expected. We tried to be good but it was hard. My brother hated being hungry so sometimes I’d give him my food.”
“What about you?”
“It wasn’t nice being hungry but holding human form was harder.”
“Holding form?”
“We were only allowed to shift with permission. Tobias said it was an important part of our training. I hate how it feels when it’s been weeks and weeks. My wolf beneath my skin, scratching at me, itching until I can’t think or sleep, I just want to let it out.”
The Omega squirmed with remembered discomfort as he spoke. Ben tried to imagine what not changing form for weeks at a time would be like. He didn’t think he’d ever gone longer than a few days without shifting. Weeks sounded intolerable. Torturous. Tobias was a real piece of work.
Adam stilled and Ben wasn’t sure whether he’d picked up on his emotions or he’d just been thinking back over what he’d said, but his next words were telling.
“But I am well trained, Alpha. I won’t change without permission and I can hold human form for as long as needed. And I can go hungry and be obedient.”
He stroked a hand across Adam’s cheek as the Omega subsided, worried eyes watching him.
“Those rules,” Ben said at length, “Tobias’, Harvey’s. You don’t have to obey them anymore. While you’re here, with me, you eat when you’re hungry, you shift when you want. And no beatings. No one lays a hand on you if you don’t want them to.”
That got a reaction, Adam pulling away from him and sitting up.
“But… how will I be corrected?”
“You won’t be. You won’t need to be.”
“But then how will I know how to be a good Omega for you?”
It was Ben’s turn to pull back. Not a smart move as Adam’s eyes widened and his face fell, the sensitive Omega perceiving it as rejection.
“Adam, what I want in a mate isn’t one who’ll live for me but one who’ll live with me. Do you understand what I mean?”
He could see from the lost expression on Adam’s face that he wasn’t following.
“I don’t want someone following a step behind me, waiting for me to tell them exactly what I want them to do. You need to be your own person. Have your own ideas, your own experiences. You need to make a few decisions for yourself.”
“And if I do that, you’ll mate with me?”
Adam’s eager expression tugged at him. He reached out, cupping the Omega’s cheek.
“I want you to reach the point where you want to mate with me because that’s what you really want, not because that’s what you think I want or what you think Tobias would want.”
“But I do want to mate with you.”
“Yeah, because I’m an Alpha, I’m standing in front of you and compared to Harvey it probably seems like you’ve won the Alpha lottery. None of those are the right reason to mate. We have some time, let’s put it to good use, hey?”
Adam was frowning at him and Ben sensed there was little understanding of what he was trying to explain.
“I don’t understand what you want me to do.”
“Eat, sleep, read, run. Ask questions, learn, laugh. Spend time with me. Talk to me. Learn about me, help me learn about you. Can you do that?”
“I can try, Ben.” His reply was solemn and sincere.
“And I’ll help,” he said, settling the Omega back down beside him. “The storms dying down. Let’s try and get some sleep.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
The more time they spent together, the more the gaps in Adam’s education became clear. The reading was one thing, but the Omega didn’t know how to write or do math. He also couldn’t drive. He could cook some basics but it was all rote learning, he had little understanding of the rhyme and reason of what he was doing.
Adam was smart though and desperate to learn, taking in everything he saw, everything he watched Ben do. Ben made a mental list of things to teach him. He thought learning how to drive was probably most important and they spent Adam’s first month focused on learning how to ride a motorbike, healing his wounds, and reading.
On Ben’s next trip into town, he found himself browsing the bookshop. When he returned to the cottage and handed Adam the bag heavy with books and stationary, Adam’s first reaction was confusion. Ben sat him down at the table and showed him the workbooks.
“These ones are for writing. This one is for sums. This is a dictionary, to look up what words mean. And this is a small encyclopedia, it explains stuff about the world. I thought you might get bored just sitting around. There’s only so many murder mysteries a person can read, and you seem to like to learn so…”
Adam trailed fingers across the shiny covers. “But why?” he asked.
“You’ve lived in the dark for long enough. Not just the way Tobias kept you in that room, but in the way that you haven’t had any education. That’s another kind of darkness. Learning will bring light to your world.”
Another sign that Ben's words the night of the storm hadn't been completely lost on Adam was when the Omega got up the courage to ask something that had clearly been on his mind for a while.
"Why did Gray Valley make you leave?"
Ben was going through his finances, working out how long they could continue as they were before he'd need to look for work. He was thankful he'd been preparing for this eventuality for as long as he had but he hadn't counted on having an Omega to support as well as himself. Still, as things stood, he had a comfortable buffer before money would become a worry.
The Alpha's Choice: Lost Omegas Book Two: A M/M Shifter Romance Page 9
