The Alpha's Kiss: Lost Omegas Book Six: A M/M Shifter Romance

by Claire Cullen

  “If they’re all Asenian, well, the doctrine mandates surrender of Omegas to be raised according to tradition. A lot of those living on the outskirts of the northern and central Packs follow the old doctrines.”

  It shook Adam to the core, the idea of parents willingly handing over their children to someone like Tobias. Had his parents given him up, just like that?

  “Casey comes with us,” he said again, tears brimming in his eyes. James nodded as Ben stepped forward, taking him into his arms.

  “We’ll take him home with us to Glenoak. Help him feel safe.”

  Chapter Eleven

  They returned to the kitchen, all three of them sitting at the table.

  “So where do we start?” Odin asked.

  “We start with what we do know,” Byron replied. “We know Jay lived in a large forest. We know he was taken from there by the traffickers. And we know what the traffickers told us about where they picked Jay up. It was approximately half a day’s travel north of where we found him.”

  “Alright. Let's check the map for large forests a half day's drive north of here.”

  “And on the outskirts of any Pack territories.”

  “That’ll certainly narrow things down.”

  Jay watched the back and forth between the two men. Byron could guess his thoughts. Would it really be that simple?

  Odin left the room, returning a few minutes later with his tablet. Soon they had a map and were fast crossing potential locations off their list.

  “What are we left with?” Byron asked sometime later. Jay had watched with interest but hadn’t contributed much, contenting himself with munching on pieces of fruit.

  “North west there’s Parson’s forest, right on the border of two Packs.”

  “Jay, did you meet many other wolves in the forest?” Byron asked. Jay shook his head but before Byron prodded for more of an answer, he spoke.

  “I never saw any before Brett and Mike, except one, when I was small.”

  “Then I think we can discount Parson’s. Those Packs are close, there’s no way there wouldn’t be a lot of crossing back and forth.”

  “Okay. Then it’s either Spear’s point about eight hours north or Acorn Forest Reserve to the north east.”

  They poured over the map. Byron turned his head to see Jay looking a little lost. Not wanting his Omega to feel left out, he encouraged Jay to lean over and look at the map with them.

  “Spear’s point isn’t that large. But it is isolated. Jay, your forest, how many big rivers were there?”

  “Just river. And stream.” Byron gave him a minute to think it over before they moved on, knowing how hard it was for Jay to get out the words he needed. Thinking deeper, Jay added, “River swallows stream like this.” He held his hands pointing in an arrow shape.

  “Spear’s point has two rivers that don’t meet,” Byron said, showing Jay the two squiggly lines that never crossed.

  “Then we’re left with Acorn Forest Reserve,” Odin said.

  “Which is huge. How can we narrow it down?”

  “Packs on three sides of it. Two aren’t likely to neglect their borders but Avon Pack…”

  Avon Pack had been having ongoing leadership troubles, manpower troubles, infighting. You name it, they had it. An empty forest border would not be their biggest priority.

  Byron pulled the tablet closer, magnifying the map.

  “See this section here, this valley. It’s got high cliffs on three sides, with the easiest access on Avon’s side. There’s a single river running through it, with a small tributary feeding into it.”

  He spun the tablet around so Odin could take a closer look.

  “That looks like a contender. Jay?”

  They both watched the Omega’s reaction carefully.

  “My forest doesn’t have all those lines on it,” Jay said with some hesitation.

  Byron hid his smile. “They’re just on the map, they tell us things like how high the land is or where the rivers are.”

  Jay continued to stare doubtfully at the map. Clearly it might as well have been in hieroglyphs for all the sense it was making to the Omega.

  Byron shifted closer until they were bumping shoulders, then spoke, keeping his voice low as if he was telling Jay a story to soothe him after a nightmare.

  “This forest goes deep into the valley, surrounded by high crumbling cliffs to the east, where the sun rises, sweeping around to the north and then west, where the sun sets.”

  Jay’s eyes had closed as he took in Byron’s words.

  “A river comes from the East, in a big crashing waterfall down along the cliffs then winds its way south west. A stream starts in the north west and feeds into the river just beyond some big, jagged cliffs, before river breaks into two.”

  “It meets again, just before the loud place,” Jay whispered and Byron exchanged a look of triumph with Odin. This was it.

  “The loud place?” Odin asked.

  “I didn’t go there. There were monsters that growled in the daytime and slept at night.”

  “What did they look like?” Byron asked, a little mystified.

  Jay just shook his head, reaching out to trail his finger across the map. “This is my forest?”

  “I think so.”

  He looked up again, his lower lip trembling. “And you won’t leave me there?”

  “Never. This is your home, with me.”

  “You don’t belong there, kiddo, you belong here,” Odin added.

  Jay looked from one man to the other before nodding slowly. “I belong here, with you.” They were five important words, made all the more so because Jay so rarely expressed himself through his voice.

  Odin snorted suddenly, taking a closer look at the map.

  “What is it?” Byron asked.

  “A quarry. Where monsters growl in the daytime and sleep at night.”

  They spent a few minutes describing what a quarry was but Jay had never gone close enough to see it.

  “How will finding my forest help find Noah?”

  “Well, it’s a long shot, but I hope that we’ll find some clues to where you came from there. A bit like a scent trail.”

  Byron put an arm around Jay’s shoulders and Jay relaxed against him.

  “When do we leave?”

  “First thing tomorrow. This evening we’ll finalize our route and pack some supplies. We’ll get a good night’s sleep tonight and get an early start tomorrow.”

  Later that night, after their bags were packed and loaded into the car, Byron went to bed, Jay in tow. He knew the Omega wouldn’t sleep if left by himself and he didn’t want him out in the woods alone. Jay seemed to be of the same mind. He was clingy, one hand holding on to Byron’s shirt as they entered the bedroom. As Byron changed for bed, Jay curled up in the chair in the corner of the room. He didn’t make any attempt to undress and Byron had the sense he wasn’t planning to sleep.

  “Hey, we need to get some rest, okay?” Byron said, pulling Jay to his feet, and slipping his arms around the Omega’s waist.

  Jay let his head rest against Byron’s chest with a shudder.

  “I don’t want to dream anymore.”

  “I’ll be right there to chase the bad dreams away.”

  Byron undressed Jay before pulling out one of his own shirts for him to wear, smoothing it down over his hips. Jay stood on his tiptoes, bracing his hands on Byron’s shoulders as he pressed his lips to Byron. Byron kissed him back, knowing the Omega needed this. He’d been slow about the kissing and touching since it had become clear he and Jay weren’t going to be parting ways. He wanted Jay to have time to learn and grow, not to feel his whole sense of worth was tied to sex.

  Jay had been eager, more than eager, for things between them to progress. But Byron was determined they’d wait until Jay’s heat. They both knew they wouldn’t be waiting long.

  Byron broke the kiss first, pressing his forehead to Jay’s as he caressed his cheek.

  “Time for bed,” he sai
d, making it clear there was no room for argument. Jay climbed under the covers without complaint though when Byron slipped in after him, Jay was pressed against him head to toe. Byron had gotten so used to sleeping like this with Jay that he missed the times the Omega wasn’t there. He hated what he knew he’d be putting Jay through the next few days and weeks but he also knew that the day would have come eventually when Jay would want to know about his past. Noah’s abduction just meant it happened a bit sooner than expected.

  “Stop thinking so hard,” Jay grumbled against him. Byron huffed a laugh, slipping a hand beneath Jay’s shirt to rub circles across his back.

  Chapter Twelve

  Ben followed Adam upstairs when he went to get Casey. He hung back as Adam stepped past Susan and into the bedroom where Casey was sitting on the bed wrapped in a blanket.

  “Casey, this is Ben, my Alpha.”

  The boy looked up hesitantly, large eyes emphasized by his thin face. He was so pale, his skin looked almost translucent. His condition reminded Ben so strongly of Adam when he’d first found him that it took him right back to those days.

  “Hi, Casey,” he said, keeping his voice quiet.

  The Omega cringed, dropping his eyes, clinging to the blanket around him.

  Adam was quick to soothe him.

  “It’s alright. You’re safe with Ben, the same way you are with me. Please don’t be scared.”

  Adam held out a hand.

  “We’re leaving now. And you’re coming with us.”

  It took three attempts for Casey to take Adam’s hand. Each time he reached out, he’d reflexively pull back. It reminded Ben of Adam’s hesitation, Adam’s fear.

  “Take your time,” he said, “there’s no rush.”

  Shocked eyes met his, the young Omega not expecting kindness from an Alpha. Adam’s eyes found his a moment later, his gratitude clear.

  They got out of the room and down the stairs eventually, with Casey calm until he saw the car.

  “Do I have to go in the dark?” he whispered to Adam, his voice harsh in the quiet as his eyes fixed on the trunk.

  “You can sit in the back with Adam,” Ben said, opening the back door.

  “What… what if I’m sick again?”

  “We’ll stop and take breaks if you need them,” Adam assured him. “And I think we have a paper bag around if you need it.”

  “And we’re the parents of toddlers,” Ben added lightly, “puking is an occupational hazard.” He suspected his words wouldn’t mean much to Casey, but it was his tone that mattered, that would convince the young Omega that he wasn’t the big, bad wolf.

  Adam helped Casey in and Ben climbed into the driver’s seat. He waited until they were both belted in before putting the car into drive, glancing at Casey in the rearview mirror. The Omega’s eyes were wide, taking in everything through a veil of fear. At least they’d got to him before Gray Valley. Ben couldn’t imagine the damage done if he’d reached Gray Valley first.

  They drove through the night, Adam falling asleep in the back seat but Casey stubbornly hanging on even though Ben could clearly see the exhaustion dogging the Omega. It was dogging him too, so he pulled in to a lay by and got out taking a walk in the cool air to wake himself up.

  A car door opened and he turned back to see Casey climbing out.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, taking two slow steps towards him. He didn’t want the kid to run, not out there in the dark in the middle of who knew where.

  “I need… I need to…” Casey hand was hovering low on his stomach and Ben could see the tension in his face as he shifted from foot to foot.

  “Bathroom break? Sure, try behind those bushes but don’t go far, okay?”

  A relieved Casey nodded and slipped silently off the road. Ben turned his head to give him privacy but kept alert for danger. A more relaxed Omega scrambled back up onto the road a few minutes later. Ben continued his pacing.

  “Is… is something wrong, Alpha?” Casey asked.

  “You can call me Ben, Casey. There’s no need to call me Alpha. And nothing’s wrong, I’m just a little tired and trying to wake myself up before we get back on the road.”

  Casey’s eyes went wide again as he took in Ben’s words.

  “But Adam said you were an Alpha. I should show respect.” His voice was an awed whisper and he dropped his gaze as soon as he’d spoken.

  “Respect is something that is earned by what you do not by what you are, Casey. I would really like you to call me Ben, if you think you can manage that.”

  That earned him the tiniest of smiles.

  “Yes, Ben.”

  “Great. You must be tired, Casey. Do you need anything, some water or food?”

  The Omega shook his head.

  “How about another blanket?” He’d kept the heat turned down in the car to keep himself awake. There was a half-second pause this time before Casey shook his head, climbing into the back seat.

  Ben went to the trunk, fetching another blanket, and opened Casey’s door, leaning in to cover him with it. Two wide eyes watched him, Casey’s body shocked to stillness. Ben wasn’t sure whether it was his actions or his proximity.

  “There,” he said, trying a smile on for size, “let’s see if we can’t get you warm enough to sleep for a while. We still have a long way to go before we’re home.”

  Adam’s eyes opened briefly, a smile crossing his lips before he sank back into sleep. Ben didn’t try to wake him. He’d hadn’t slept since Noah had been taken. He deserved every minute of peace Ben could give to him.

  Ben climbed back in and got back on the road, feeling much more alert. He kept an eye on both his charges, watching Casey fight the lure of sleep under the warmth of the blankets. Soon he was lost, Adam dozing next to him.

  It was hard to look at Casey, hard to know what he was, what had been done to him. And even harder to imagine Noah in his place and what his son would look like at Casey’s age after a lifetime in Tobias’ hands.

  Two hours later and he was fighting the tiredness again. He started to look out for gas stations or anywhere he could grab some coffee when Adam’s low voice met his ears.

  “Ben, why don’t I take over driving. You’ve been awake two days straight.”

  They pulled in at the next gas station, stocking up on food. Adam woke Casey for another bathroom break and downed a cup of coffee. When they returned to the car, Ben was torn between wanting to give Casey space and not freak him out and wanting to be within arm's reach if he did freak out. In the end, with Adam’s encouragement, he chose to sit in the back with him. The young Omega was still exhausted and barely gave Ben a second glance before he was asleep again.

  “Ben, close your eyes and get some rest,” Adam said. “We’ll be back in Glenoak before you know it.”

  Sleep pulled him under almost as soon as his eyes had closed. It was a slumber tormented by the cries of frightened children.

  He woke as they slowed to a stop in front of Glenoak’s Pack house. Home.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Driving was boring. Not at first, when he watched life pass by the windows but after, when it all started to look the same, like he’d seen it a hundred times before. With Byron, they rarely drove that far. Except to Glenoak. He didn’t mind that. He liked to see the other Omegas. He liked to play with their children. He liked to watch the children in their parents’ arms, safe and cared for.

  This journey was different. He wasn’t looking forward to the destination. Just the thought of it made his stomach churn. The fear of being left alone again, of being abandoned. But Byron had promised. And so had Odin. Still, he wished he had more than just promises. If he’d gone into heat already, then he’d be Byron’s in more than just words.

  They’d given him a tablet and earphones to entertain him while they drove but Jay’s attention constantly drifted. Byron and Odin didn’t seem much better. They kept starting a conversation, trailing off, then starting a new one. They were nervous, Jay realized. Just like him
.

  There was some debate between them the closer they got to their destination. About which roads to take, where to leave the car. Jay drowned it out with music, something with a beat that matched the fast pace of his heart.

  When the car finally pulled off the road and rolled to a stop, Jay was more than ready to get out and stretch his legs. As he did, taking in the woods surrounding them, Byron and Odin were pulling bags from the trunk. There was a tent in there. He knew, because he’d helped pack it. Byron had said they might need to spend a few days and nights in the forest while they tried to jog Jay’s memory.

  Jay wasn’t sure how jogging was supposed to help him remember. He didn’t know how jogging was supposed to be useful at all. He liked running, it made him feel better. And walking was useful to get from place to place. Jogging was stupid. Looked stupid, too. But if Byron thought it would help…

  “Jay, can you give us a hand?” Odin asked. Jay took the backpack Odin held out and slipped it onto his shoulders. Byron and Odin were shouldering their own Packs as Odin locked the car.

  “Come on,” Byron said, taking Jay’s arm. “I want to make it to the edge of the valley before dark so we can make camp.”

  “Hopefully, we don’t meet any shifters out here. I suspect they wouldn’t appreciate our explanation.”

  Byron had decided against informing the nearby Packs that they’d be there. He’d said, in this instance, it was better to ask for forgiveness than permission. Jay wasn’t sure what he meant exactly but felt better knowing no one knew they were there.

  He stuck close to Byron as they walked, the Alpha leading and Odin walking behind them. They made sure to keep Jay between them and that simple action made Jay feel safer.

  The sun had dipped low in the sky before they finally made the descent into the valley. They approached from the east and the path into the valley was steep. It would have been easier going as wolves but they couldn’t have dragged the backpacks with them.

  Jay wasn’t sure why they needed so much stuff. If they’d shifted at the car, they’d could just have lived as wolves while they visited the forest. But Byron didn’t want that. He said they needed to be able to talk, they needed to see with human as well as shifter eyes.