"Where did you hear about that?" he replied, avoiding Adam's question.
"Sam told me, in Glenoak. He said that there was a lot of history between you and the Porters."
"There is." Ben replied, not looking up.
There was a noticeable tension in the room.
"I'm sorry," Adam said. "I didn't meant to pry. It's just, you said I should learn about you but you don't talk much about who you were before we met."
Ben was encouraging Adam to open up to him. The one place he hadn't made much headway was in getting Adam to talk about his past. But how could he expect the Omega to do something Ben wasn't willing to?
"My great grandfather was the Alpha of Gray Valley. He had two sons, twins. The eldest, my grandfather, was to become leader when he passed away. The brothers didn't get on. The younger started vying for power, he preached a more aggressive stance with other Packs. My grandfather spoke of peace, and prosperity through trade. The Pack became divided and was on the brink of war when my great grandfather died. To keep the peace, they broke the Pack into two; Gray Stones and the Valley."
Adam moved closer to him, hanging on his every word.
"The younger brother brought in outsiders, people who shared his views, to bolster his numbers."
"The Porters?" Adam guessed.
"Right. Ultimately, they betrayed him. Killed him and his family. I was just a kid at the time. At first, things in the Valley were okay. Gray Stones, where my great uncle had been Alpha, had a few unsettled years while the Porters consolidated their power. Then they began to look further afield. My grandparents were killed when their car was run off the road."
His hand clenched into a tight fist as the memories assaulted him. His mother's fear, his father's anguish. It wasn't hard at the time for his young mind to conjure images of his grandparent’s deaths, even though he hadn't seen the accident or the aftermath.
Adam's hand settled over his. Ben looked up, giving the Omega a grateful smile. The younger wolf was very attuned to others feelings. Probably from a lifetime of trying to anticipate the moods of others.
"Over the next few weeks, everyone was afraid and on edge. My parents knew time was running out. They looked for help from elsewhere, but Eagle Creek had already been lost and Foxdale's secondary Alpha had taken over leadership in unusual circumstances. Bear Lake's Alpha was killed by his younger brother. The City Packs were closing off trade agreements, becoming more insular. The world outside was in turmoil. There was no one to come to our aid."
And he was a child again, growing more fearful by the day as his parents tried to shield him from the danger. He shook the memories away, and finished the story.
"My mother wanted us to run, to come here, but my father wouldn't abandon the Pack to the brutality of the Porter's reign. One night they came for us. Broke through the guard, reached the house. My father told me to run. My mother brought me to the cellar and helped me into the tunnel. Told me to go to her sister's house. She blocked the entrance, hid it from view."
He could picture his mother so clearly in those last moments. Her stomach round and heavy with what he'd hoped was a baby brother. He'd begged her to come with him, but she'd been intent on staying. It was only years later he'd reasoned that while he might have been overlooked that night, her absence would not have been. Going to her sister's house would probably have condemned the rest of her family to the same fate as her and his father.
"I didn't want to leave them, but she made me promise not to stop until I was safe. So I ran. My parents died that night. Everyone in our house died. Both Alpha lines."
"They let you live?"
Ben's laughed hollowly, not hiding the bitterness from his voice.
"The Porter's tried to rewrite history. Claimed it was a group of rogues who attacked us. Took credit for chasing them down and killing them. Then united Gray Stones and the Valley under their leadership."
He took Adam's hand in his, tracing the lines across his palm.
"They let me live because killing a six year old looked bad. Over the years they made a few attempts on my life, but, until he died, my uncle did his best to protect and educate me, all the while training me to defend myself. When I got too old and none of their fighters could best me, they kicked me out, sent me to the Enforcers. Got rid of their problem while still looking like the benevolent heroes."
They were hard words to swallow.
"So that's what Sam meant by you having a claim? Gray Valley should be yours."
"It's a pipe-dream, Adam. The Porters are too numerous, too well entrenched. They wouldn't hesitate to tear down any threat to their leadership."
"I'm sorry about your family. I know what it's like to feel alone."
Adam was often slow to admit to his own feelings. That he could be so open about them meant that Ben had made the right choice in telling him.
"Thanks, Adam. But I'm okay. I put all that behind me long ago."
He held the Omega's hand in his, squeezing gently.
"We all have pasts. They're part of who we are, but they don't define us. The future, that's ours for the taking."
His words rang hollow. Gray Valley would never be his for the taking.
Chapter Twenty-Three
The snow fell, drifting to the ground as Adam watched through the window. Ben had gone on a run to get more supplies in case they were snowed in but now he was back and eying Adam contemplatively.
“You know what snow is, right?”
“I’ve seen it before,” Adam said, nodding.
“Have you ever been out in it, made a snowman, thrown snowballs?”
He shook his head.
“Well, come on then, let's go out and play in the snow.” Ben’s enthusiasm seemed a little forced, as if it was himself just as much as Adam he was trying to convince. He stepped outside the door beckoning Adam to follow him. Adam stepped to the threshold, watching with wide eyes as the heavy flakes fell. Was it safe out there?
Ben waved him out but Adam couldn’t cross the threshold. Ben stepped towards him. “Oh, come on. You can’t tell me you’re scared of snow? Seriously?”
His tone set Adam’s heart racing. He hadn’t meant to make the Alpha angry. He found himself caught between wanting to do the Alpha’s bidding and fighting the fear rising inside him.
“Whoa, Adam, hey…” and Ben was right there, holding onto his arm. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap. Getting a bit of cabin fever, I think.”
Adam didn’t know what he meant and started to worry the Alpha was getting sick. He didn’t think werewolves got sick. Ben must have guessed his confusion as he started to explain. “It means I’ve spent too long indoors and I’m not keeping active enough. It’s not literal, I don’t have a fever. See.” And he took Adam’s hand and laid his palm across his forehead. “Nice and cool.”
Ben’s skin was soft beneath his fingers and the touch sent a pleasant spark of warmth through him.
“Come on. Grab some gloves and I’ll show you how to build a snowman. An essential piece of knowledge every person should have.” He wrapped an arm around Adam’s shoulders, the weight reassuring, and led Adam out of the cottage.
Adam sometimes struggled to understand Ben’s motivations. Why did he want Adam to learn? He couldn’t see any way it would benefit the Alpha but Ben had seemed set on it, sitting down with him that first evening and getting him started on one of the workbooks. Adam found himself, pencil in hand, tracing letters.
Within a week, he had been writing the alphabet on blank pieces of paper and Ben was teaching him how to write his own name. When his arm got tired, he’d take out the encyclopedia at the table and read about something. There was so much to learn, so much he didn’t know. It was all so overwhelming and he found himself slamming the book closed and shoving it across the table.
“What’s wrong?” Ben appeared in the doorway.
“How am I ever going to know all this? There’s so much.”
“Most people will never know half of
what’s in that book. I certainly don’t.” Surprised at the Alpha’s admission, Adam looked up. “You don’t need to learn everything in there. It’s just if there’s stuff you’re wondering about or something you’re interested in, it might be a good place to start.”
“Oh.” Adam felt his frustration ease off and he slumped down in the chair. “I like the page about the rainforest.”
“Yeah, that’s pretty cool. Hey, want to go for a run? You’ve been inside all morning, it might be time to stretch your legs.”
He perked up. Tobias almost never let them run but Ben liked being in wolf form a lot and nearly always took Adam with him. Adam bounded to his room to get undressed, leaving the door open so he could exit easily. Their first week there, he’d changed with the door closed and a laughing Ben had to come and let him out. And then had to coax Adam’s scared wolf out from under his bed.
The snow was still thick on the ground and while Adam and Ben had spent some time out there in human form, this would be his first run in the snow. He took his time with the change, like Ben had told him to, because the Alpha said it put less stress on his injuries that way.
He liked the simplicity of being in wolf form, his human emotions muted. Ben’s wolf scent grew stronger and a sound at the door had him turning to see the Alpha waiting for him, tail swishing impatiently. He approached slowly, head lowered. Ben’s nose nudged his, then he took off out the door. Adam padded after him.
The world outside was alive with scents and noises. Birds in the trees, mice rustling in the undergrowth. He caught the scent of rabbit a second after Ben, who took off at a run. Adam gave chase through the snow, perplexed at how his paws sank in the cold softness, slowing him down.
They chased around until the sun set, following rabbit trails but never catching any and then Ben led them back to the cottage. Adam was tired, panting, his body shivering from the cold. As they arrived back at the house, Ben’s body brushed against him, nuzzling his nose again, the older wolf’s breath warming him with each pant. There was still heat coming from the fire Ben had lit after lunch, and Ben nudged and pushed until Adam was in front of it, lying down in his side. Ben lay down next to him, and they drifted off to sleep.
When he woke, it was late and he found he’d changed back in his sleep. At some point, Ben had also changed back, put more fuel on the fire and got them some blankets, which were now covering them both. Ben’s arm was wrapped around him and Adam let himself enjoy the close contact. When they were cuddled up like this, it was easy to imagine them mated. Ben wouldn’t be able to keep his hands off Adam then, unlike now when he seemed careful to keep his distance most of the time.
He twisted around so he was face to face with the Alpha. Now that he was sleeping, the almost permanent frown on Ben’s face was absent. The Alpha was handsome. Harvey had been good-looking too, and charming, the handful of times Adam had seen him interact with other people. With Adam, he’d always been angry, cruel, his face twisted into a mask. It took Adam time to work out that it wasn’t a mask, it was his true self. The charming, easy-going Harvey; that had been the mask. For a long time, Adam had blamed himself. For not being a good enough Omega. If he had, Harvey wouldn’t have had to do all those things he did. He closed his eyes as the memories assaulted him.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
Ben was watching him, the light from the fire throwing patterns across their skin.
“Is it because I’m a bad Omega?”
The frown was back.
“I don’t understand what you’re asking, Adam. You’re not a bad Omega.”
“But I must be. That’s why Harvey had to do all those things he did. And that’s why you don’t want to bond with me.”
Ben’s hand found his shoulder, squeezing gently.
“Harvey was a sick bastard. What he did to you was all about what was wrong with him and nothing to do with you. And it’s not that I don’t want to bond with you, it’s just that you’re not ready to make that kind of decision, not yet.”
“But what if my heat comes and I’m still not ready?”
Ben sighed, hand rubbing circles across Adam’s back.
“We’ll deal with that when it happens.” Ben hesitated, his hand stilling. “Can you tell me? About what things were like with Harvey?”
It took effort to get the first words past his lips, but once he did, the rest flooded out, tumbling from his mouth. He thought it might push Ben away, convince him that Harvey must have been right about Adam to do all that he did, but his words seemed to have the opposite effect, the Alpha holding him closer as the minutes passed, trying to reassure him with words and touch as the tears came. Exhausted, he fell into a disturbed sleep, tempered only by the strong Alpha presence by his side.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Ben was woken by a hand shaking him.
“Someone’s coming,” Adam whispered and a moment later Ben heard the distant sound of an approaching vehicle.
“Go get dressed,” he said, rushing to throw on his own clothes.
“It’s them. Gray Valley,” Adam called from his room. “I recognize the sound of the engine.”
“Damn it. How the hell did they find us?” he muttered to himself, grabbing the gun from the bedside locker.
Adam reappeared, dressed, pulling on his coat. “Can we run?”
“They’re too close. We’d never outrun them.”
“So, what do we do?”
“Here, you take these.” He handed Adam the gun and the keys to the motorbike.
“We’ll talk to them first. If that fails, I’ll distract them while you take the bike and make a run for it. Head to Glenoak, like we talked about. Find Sam. He’ll help you.”
“But what about you?”
“I’ll be okay. It’s you they want.” Ben, on the other hand, they wanted out of the way, by whatever means necessary.
The car pulled up outside.
“Stay here. I’ll talk to them.”
Ben scented Josh before he saw him.
“Benjamin, you have something that belongs to me,” the other Alpha announced, as he and four other Gray Valley Pack members approached the house.
“It’s too late, Joshua. We’ve already started bonding. We had before you’d ever met Adam.”
Josh shook his head, an unpleasant smile crossing his face. “See, that’s where I know you’re wrong. Our Pack doctor said Adam probably wouldn’t go into heat until the spring, so there’s no way you’ve formed a full mating bond. Anything but that and he’s mine to claim.”
“Adam is under my protection. I killed his Alpha. I’ve begun to form a bond with him. Any claim to the contrary is a direct challenge to that. Under Pack law. If you want Adam, then we’ll fight for him, just you and me.”
That was old Pack law, still in effect, if not often used. A dispute over a mate and the two challengers faced off against one another.
Josh seemed to contemplate his words. Under his calm exterior, Ben detected his hesitation. He was scared. But he wouldn’t want to lose face in front of his Pack.
“Fine. Get the Omega out here and we’ll fight.”
“Adam,” Ben called, aware that Josh might stab him in the back. He hoped the presence of others would force Joshua to toe the line. The Omega appeared behind him in the doorway.
“There’s my Omega,” Josh called out. “You didn’t think you’d get away from me that easily, did you?”
Adam’s frightened eyes locked on Ben’s.
“Adam, stay there. Josh and I need a few minutes to sort things out. You know what to do.”
Adam nodded and Ben saw his hand slip into his coat pocket where he’d hidden the gun.
“Fine. Let’s get this over with.” Josh called, pulling off his jacket. “It’s been a while since I’ve had a good fight.”
The others moved back, clearing a space for them to square off against one another.
Ben hadn’t fought Josh since they were teens. Josh’s fighting style was a little
predictable, the Alpha relying on strength rather than skill. Ben liked to fight smart. The few times they had faced off, he’d won. It had been part of the reason Terrance had been so keen to get rid of him. It was never good to have a potential Alpha successor hanging around who fought better than your own sons.
There were no surprises, Josh launching straight in with both fists. Ben easily dodged the initial punches, getting in a jab to Josh’s flank, the older Alpha grunting at the impact. Ben had no intention of letting this fight go on long or giving anyone time to take Adam out from under his nose. He drew Josh in, letting him get two punches, one to his stomach and one to his jaw, before taking him down with a hard uppercut to the underside of his chin. Josh hit the ground hard and Ben was on him, two hands gripping Josh’s neck as his body straddled him. One sharp twist and Josh’s neck would snap. Ben was well within his rights under Pack law, but there were wider considerations.
“Concede defeat and I won’t kill you,” he said. There was real fear in Josh’s eyes as Ben’s tightened his grip further.
“Fine, I concede, you win,” Josh said.
“You all hear that?” Ben called to Josh’s Pack mates.
“We heard,” one of them called back, the others agreeing.
Ben released him, standing up and taking two steps back towards Adam.
Josh got to his feet, dusting himself off and stretching out his neck.
“You won fair and square, Ben. Like always. Adam’s yours. No hard feelings?” Josh said, holding out a hand.
Ben couldn’t turn down a chance for a reconciliation between him and Gray Valley. It would make life for him and Adam so much easier.
He clasped Josh’s hand. What happened next seemed to be in slow motion. Adam called his name. “Ben!” and he half-turned towards him. He sensed movement from Josh and turned back, raising a hand to defend himself. There was a glint of metal but his reaction was too slow. A sharp pain spread across his chest and he looked down to see a blade sticking out from between his ribs.
The Alpha's Choice: Lost Omegas Book Two: A M/M Shifter Romance Page 10
