Knowing that course of action would be disastrous, he was left with this nagging at the back of his mind that he should have somehow known at the time the abuse was happening and done something about it. Never mind that he’d been a low-ranking gamma with zero power. Guilt still plagued him. This time, however, he could make a difference. Whatever the omega’s story was, the boy clearly needed help now. Caleb was the only one to provide it, whether the omega wanted it or not.
He reached the cave more quickly than he would have expected, his concern egging him on. Shifting back to human form, he caught the bag as it slid off him. He stood a few moments, catching his breath, before entering the tight space. His human eyes needed a few seconds to adjust to the gloom. He used that time to familiarize himself with the space and to confirm what his nose and ears had already told him—the omega was still alive and awake. Harsh panting filled the small space, and two bright, shiny dots of brown were trained on him.
As Andrea had said, time was not on his side, so he quickly opened the bag and pulled out the lantern first. He turned it on low to cast a warm glowing light. The glare from the omega’s eyes dimmed, but the poor thing’s breath still labored in obvious pain and his fur was matted with dried blood. He didn’t seem to have moved in all the time that Caleb had been gone, so he counted that as a win. Maybe it was simply a matter of the omega being unable to get up, but it could also mean that he trusted Caleb some. Or, maybe he viewed Caleb as a lesser evil than anything that would be outside the cave. Regardless, Caleb would take what he could get at this point.
He crouched down a couple of strides away from the injured shifter, dragging the bag with him. “I have some things in here that will help you,” he said, careful to keep his tone low and as soothing as a big, aggressive gamma could muster. “The healer of my pack told me that things will be easier if I treat your wounds while you have skin only and no fur. Do you think you can shift for me?”
On a whine, the omega seemed to shrink back. He shoved his muzzle into the crook of his forelegs and eyed Caleb suspiciously.
“I know it’s scary. It’s probably been a long time since you’ve taken human form, eh?” He leaned in closer. “I need you to be strong, now, for your own good.”
The omega whined some more, the sound pushing all of Caleb’s buttons. Instinct told him to back off, to not inflict stress on the weaker shifter. Andrea’s words came back to him, though. Not only about what was best in the long run for the omega, but also how he was stronger than he understood. Strong enough to change a reluctant omega? He was skeptical about that. And yet, there was really no choice. If he stood any chance at all of helping this poor creature, he had to do all that he could no matter how hard he found it.
He would not fail another omega by taking the easy way out and turning a blind eye.
Digging deep for a sense of authority, he hardened his expression and his voice. “Change now, Omega!”
The booming quality of his voice surprised even him. For a few seconds, he didn’t think it had worked. The omega jerked away, then started shaking. Suddenly and amazingly, a coppery skin-toned boy with shaggy black hair replaced the wolf. He stared back at Caleb with the same suspicious brown eyes and let out a heart-wrenching cry.
Shifting brought on its own type of agony. For a few seconds, the throbbing of Seth’s wounds were overshadowed by his body’s transformation. It had been so long since he’d dared live in his human skin, he’d almost forgotten what it felt like. The morphing of his bones and the snapping of his ligaments forced a scream past his lips that he couldn’t stop. As he lay upon his now-scratchy bed of needles and leaves, he panted through the pain. His vision clouded up briefly, but he kept his eye on the gamma crouched before him. No matter what the strange shifter said, Seth knew better than to trust him.
As the immediate effects of his shift subsided, he noticed a warmth trickling down his arm and hip bone. His wounds had opened with the change, and while his thoughts were clear enough to wonder if shifting back would help with the healing, he didn’t dare try it. The force of the gamma’s power held him in check. In the company of this larger, stronger shifter, Seth was helpless. He couldn’t keep from whimpering and trying to pull away even though his back was already up against the wall.
The gamma smiled. “Good boy. I knew you could do it.” The praise eased Seth some, although he also resented how his nature made him so needy. “I’m going to take a look at your wounds now and do what I can to treat them. First, though, I have something to help with the pain.”
The gamma moved with surprising grace given his bulk. He opened the big pack he’d pulled in with him and took out a few things. Seth kept his gaze and his concentration on the activity and tried to ignore the more compelling parts of his would-be healer. It was hard, though. The gamma was naked, his pale skin stretched tight over bulging muscles. A long, thick cock hung between massive thighs. It swung slowly with each movement the gamma made. At least it was flaccid. Seth wouldn’t have been surprised to see the powerful shifter rampant with need, ready to take payment from Seth in the usual way of the higher-ranked members of their species. As hurt as he was, Seth doubted he could bear to service the gamma in any way. There was no sense worrying about it. He had no control over this situation regardless. He was completely at the gamma’s mercy.
If the guy had any.
“This should help.” The gamma held up a cup into which he’d poured some water from a bottle and added a few drops of something from another. When he reached for Seth’s head, he flinched automatically. “Easy now. I’m not going to hurt you.”
That large hand cradled the back of Seth’s neck with surprising gentleness and helped him lift his head up to drink. There was no way to truly know what was in the cup, yet it hardly mattered. He couldn’t fight the gamma over taking it. The concoction tasted almost sweet and far more tepid than the frigid stream water Seth was used to drinking. Just as well given how queasy the pain made his stomach. He hadn’t even finished before a languid warmth spread through him. His head felt heavy, and he would have dropped it down like a stone if the gamma hadn’t been there to give it a gentler landing.
“There. I can see it’s making you feel better already.” The gamma put aside the cup and brushed tangled strands of hair away from Seth’s face. “This wants a good combing, I’d say.” He grimaced. “I didn’t think of bringing anything like that. First things first, anyway. Let’s see what Haldon’s goons did to you.”
Seth could only assume the guy referred to the alpha of a neighboring pack. That was the only thing that made sense. In running from this shifter, he’d entered another’s territory and right into the waiting arms of gammas intent on harming, not helping. That cruel reaction hadn’t surprised him, of course. He was used to it. It was the kindness being visited upon him right now that mystified him. There could be only one reason for it.
Eyeing that large dick, so much closer now, he understood even with his foggy brain. There would be a price to pay for all of this. He knew that currency well. And, he would pay it. His life might not be worth much, yet he hadn’t reached the point where he was willing to give it up.
The gamma methodically laid out medical supplies on the earthen floor before turning back to Seth and giving him a tight smile. “I’m no healer, but I do have some experience patching other gammas up, as well as myself. Please trust that I know what I’m doing. More or less,” he added in a mutter and dropping his gaze briefly.
“My name is Caleb, by the way. If we’re going to be spending time together, we should at least get beyond gamma and omega.” He raised his eyebrows with a pointed look.
“Seth.” The sound of his own voice, rusty from disuse, made him wince.
The gamma—Caleb—smiled again. “Pleased to meet you, Seth, although I’m sorry for the circumstances. Now, I need to clean your wounds, get rid of this blood so I can see how bad the punctures are. This is going to sting.” He held up a bottle as he knelt down on one knee by Seth�
�s stomach.
Beyond words, Seth nodded to show he understood what was going on. He closed his eyes and clenched his fingers into tight fists. A touch on his left hand caused him to look at Caleb through narrowed lids.
“Go ahead and hold onto my leg.” Caleb unfurled Seth’s fingers and moved them over to the corded calf of his upright leg. “Dig in as hard as you need to.”
Seth folded his fingers around the warm flesh. It was like gripping a slightly softer version of a rock, almost no give, yet smooth enough not to hurt. He hadn’t intended to actually squeeze until a fiery trail blazed along the site of his injured shoulder. Slamming his eyes completely shut, he buried his face into the scratchy pallet. A mewl of pain escaped his lips before he could hold it back, and his fingers dug into the gamma’s skin.
He knew untold minutes of burning pain that layered on top of the floaty feeling the drink had given him. They warred with each other, neither gaining control, until he lay panting in an exhausted, muddled state. The one comforting constant was the feel of Caleb’s strong muscle and bone that anchored him while he existed in the confusing realm of semi-consciousness. Finally the gamma’s painful ministrations stopped. Fingers carded through his hair, now slick with sweat.
“There now, all done with that.” The gamma had a surprisingly soothing voice for his type of shifter. “It’s not too bad. I think they were just toying with you. You got away before they dug in too deep to touch organs or bone. I’m going to put a plaster and bandages on to seal the wounds up while they heal. Okay?”
Seth didn’t bother to even nod. He knew the gamma wasn’t really asking for his permission to proceed. Instead, he let his body go slack, even letting go of his hold on Caleb’s leg. As soon as he pulled his hand away, he kind of missed the contact. Silly. Like there was any comfort to be had in touching a more powerful shifter who only helped him so that he could make use of his body later on.
“Hey.” Caleb’s thumb caressed Seth’s cheek. “I need to know you’re fine with what I’m doing.”
Huh? Surprise and confusion had Seth opening his eyes and staring up at the gamma. Surely the “okay” had been a rhetorical question. It was odd enough that the shifter bothered to even speak to Seth about what he was doing, let alone actually soliciting his input.
Caleb stroked Seth’s face some more, sweeping along his jaw line and across his lips briefly before jerking his hand back. “Sorry.” It wasn’t immediately clear what the apology was for.
The gamma’s expression turned into a grimace. “I’m a little out of my element here.” He huffed a breath that ended on a sharp bark of laughter. “Make that a lot. I know it’s hard for you to talk given the pain you’re probably still in and the fact that I bet it’s been a while since you’ve used your human vocal chords. But, this is your body, so you have the final say in what I do with it. To it.”
Yeah, that wasn’t entirely true, even though the gamma seemed sincere. If it had been up to Seth, he would have stayed in wolf form and would be literally licking his wounds by himself. Except he couldn’t reach them for the most part and they were far worse than the scratches he was used to dealing with. He was also tired and scared. And, lonely. The strange gamma frightened him like just about every shifter did, but at least Seth wasn’t alone for the first time in longer than he could keep track. Someone else higher up in the shifter hierarchy was making decisions so he didn’t have to. Omegas weren’t designed to take care of themselves. Seth was no different. Caleb taking charge was a blessed relief in many ways.
He licked his lips and worked his throat to speak. “Please do what you think best, Gamma. I trust you,” he added with a shudder and less conviction than he felt. Then he closed his eyes because he couldn’t keep them open any longer.
A large palm descended onto the top of his head. “I’ll take good care of you. I promise.”
That was the last he heard before the physical and emotional stress combined with the drink Caleb had given him won the war and sent him down into sleep.
Chapter Four
Caleb could sleep anywhere, and had done so throughout his life. So, bedding down for the night on the dirt floor of the cave didn’t bother him. After finishing treating and binding the omega’s wounds as best he could, he’d covered the restless boy with the survival blanket and tucked him in much like he expected Will did for Annie.
Seth, he reminded himself. The omega’s name was Seth. So beautiful and delicate in his human state that it made Caleb’s heart ache to look at him. His coloring proclaimed a heritage from an ancient line of First Nation shifter packs, or Native American as they’d be called in the United States. Like humans, shifters had come in waves of migration to the American continent. And, like humans, they’d often fought over territory. Knowing that much about him didn’t explain how he’d come to be out on his own.
Caleb had a ridiculous urge to sit down by the boy’s side and watch him sleep for the rest of the night. The lack of activity allowed his fatigue to set in, however. Lying by Seth, near enough to be of aide if necessary, would have to do. He had a fleeting idea to pull on the jeans Andrea had thoughtfully packed for him. Then decided it would be pointless. The small cave was warm with their combined body heat, at least for a healthy gamma. Besides, Seth had already seen him completely naked. What was there left to be modest about?
With a muffled groan at his aching limbs, he spread out on his back and reached over to switch off the lantern. He turned to look at Seth in the resulting gloom. The omega’s lips parted on a puffy breath, and his face twitched a few times before settling down again. Caleb hoped the boy wasn’t in pain. There was plenty of Andrea’s soothing brew left if Seth woke needing it. Secure in the knowledge that he’d done everything he could for the moment, Caleb closed his eyes and let go.
His dreams were the usual jumble of images—running, shifting, wrestling with other gammas for sport. Painful cries that he knew represented Joey’s valiant efforts to push his pup into the world crowded their way into his visions. That in turn, led him to open the hurtful memories of his dam’s death. He tossed to run from them. But what truly chased those bad thoughts away was a languid warmth that spread out from his core.
He bucked his hips and moaned when intense pleasure shot up his dick. His eyes popped open as he came awake with a start. Confused, he blinked up at a jagged, rock ceiling. Memories of where he was and with whom returned in a flash. Which didn’t explain why his cock was so warm and cozy. Looking down the length of his own torso, he spied a dark head bent over his crotch.
A velvety tongue licked a stripe up his rod and slithered inside his slit. He gasped and bucked his hips again without any conscious thought or control. His dick slid down into tight, wet heat that massaged more pleasure out of it. The boy who was gobbling him like candy swallowed hard before dragging his lips back up. Those powerful throat muscles milked every inch of the shaft.
Caleb curled his fingers into fists and pounded the ground on either side of him. “Shit!” It had been so long since anyone had done such a thing to him. Being a low-level gamma hadn’t made him appealing to many of his old pack, and he hadn’t dared approach any of the unmated sigmas in the Rogue Pack.
The intense pleasure was welcome, yet it didn’t make him so mindless that he lost track of who was blowing him. Rationality and guilt warred over basic need. He placed one hand on the black, bobbing head and tried to push it gently away.
“You don’t…” Caleb panted out those two words before Seth robbed him of the rest of his thoughts by taking him down almost to the root.
This time, when the omega swallowed, Caleb’s neglected dick didn’t stand a chance. He came with a powerful rush that forced his eyes closed, his hips up and his breath to leave his lungs on a loud shout. The omega stayed with him for the whole ride, sucking down every bit of Caleb’s cum and not letting go until he’d flattened bonelessly on the dirt floor. The boy licked Caleb’s softening shaft clean before sitting back on his heels that straddled
Caleb’s legs.
Caleb stared up at him with narrowed eyes. His gaze took in the pitiful sight of the gaunt boy with unkempt hair and array of bandages along his left side that fortunately didn’t show signs of seeping blood. Instead of staring back at him, the omega had a faraway look somewhere in direction of the corner of the cave behind Caleb’s head. The boy licked his lips and swiped at them with the back of his hand.
That telling sign snapped Caleb out of his stupor. Mad at himself and Seth for the wake-up blowjob, he bolted upright, and grabbing the omega by the shoulders, tumbled him back onto his rustic pallet. He ignored the yelp his abrupt movement elicited from the omega, and concentrated instead on examining him.
“That was a stupid thing to do. You better not have opened up your wounds,” he ground out through gritted teeth. A quick once-over confirmed that there was indeed no blood to be seen anywhere. He sat back with a huff. “What were you thinking?”
Cringing and trembling, the omega kept his gaze down. “I’m s-sorry, sir. I woke and you were, um, hard.”
Caleb ran an agitated hand through his own hair, already regretting how much he’d upset the omega. “Yeah, well, that’s pretty much my state every morning. Is it your habit to stick stiff dicks down your throat whenever you see one?”
He inwardly winced at his harsh tone. He was really upset with his own lack of control and taking it out needlessly on the very person he was supposed to be taking care of. Gods, what a tool he was being. Before he could apologize, however, the omega did it instead.
“Sorry.” The one word came out in a shaky whisper. “I thought it was what you wanted.” Seth seemed to shrink even more inside himself.
Taming the Omega (The Rogue Pack Book 4) Page 3