Omegas Unchained (The Rogue Pack Book 8)

by Samantha Cayto

  Her warm fingers danced across Ethan’s abdomen before she eased up one of his legs to check out his hole. Flicking his gaze up to the ceiling, he studied the unrelenting whiteness of it while trying to imagine he was anywhere else. Graydon knelt beside him, grim and silent. Another cramp rippled through. He whimpered and moved his free hand to palm his belly.

  “How often are you getting those cramps?” the healer asked as she sat back on her heels.

  Graydon answered for him. “That is the fifth one in the last half hour, since he woke me with his cries.”

  “I see. And, Ethan, is it a sharp pain?”

  He looked at her as he blinked away tears. “No, ma’am. It’s kind of like when I strain a muscle.”

  “Hmm. I would like to take this blanket off you now, if you don’t mind. Alpha Graydon, would you please help me?”

  Ethan said nothing as the two of them worked to free him from one covering and replace it with another. The healer’s blanket was softer and smelled as lovely as the rest of the room. He closed his eyes when they were done because he didn’t want to watch the woman as she inspected the cloth. He knew she was checking out the blood. The blanket was an old thing that he’d brought from home. He didn’t care about it but felt bad that the healer’s pretty bedding was going to get ruined.

  Graydon took his hand once more. “You are doing very well at staying calm. I’m proud of you, my mate.”

  He tried to smile at the praise and couldn’t quite manage it. It was astounding that he had the strength to keep his shit together as well as he was now. His poor wolf was curled up deep inside, letting out an occasional whine. Graydon’s wolf kept yipping in response, although there was no solace to be had.

  “Is this all that he was lying on since the problems started?”

  The question seemed directed at Graydon, and Ethan was happy to have him answer. “Yes, he slept in it overnight. He was cold being on the ground.”

  When he’d joined his mate where the Strongbloods had made their camp, he’d been determined to be as tough as they. After a couple of hours, though, he’d started shivering. Not even Graydon’s large, hot body had been enough to keep him warm. It had felt like failure that Graydon had needed to get a blanket from Elijah. Gods, if only he could go back to that time and realize it was nothing compared to what was to come.

  “Well, it’s not much blood at all.”

  Hope flashed within him before dying again. This was only the beginning. Things would get worse.

  Graydon squeezed his hand and stared down at him. “Don’t get ahead of the problem,” he said in a soft voice. “Hear what she has to say, and no matter what, know that this doesn’t change anything between us. We are fated mates, and I believe in you completely.”

  Ethan couldn’t keep the tears back anymore. He started crying again, although this time, without the wailing and great gulping sobs. His reaction was quieter because now it was about how much he loved Graydon. The man had to be beside himself over the loss of his pup, and no matter what he said, he had to be thinking that Ethan was a dud for a mate after all. And still he cared enough to ease Ethan’s worries.

  With a frown, Graydon reached down to wipe at Ethan’s wet face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t intend to make you feel worse.”

  “You d-didn’t.” He tried to stop the waterworks for Graydon’s sake.

  “Now, now, Omega. That’s still not helping matters,” the healer chided in her soothing voice. “I’m going to give you something to help with the pain and relax you. It won’t hurt the pup, either.”

  That got Ethan’s attention more than anything else had. He gazed around the room to see that she’d gone to the far side and was standing by a bench filled with bottles. “What difference does that make? I’m losing the pup.”

  The healer glanced over her shoulder. “Perhaps. I don’t think so, however.” She turned back to her task. “I don’t want to give false hope, but your pain seems mild and the blood loss is very low for a miscarriage.”

  “It feels as if it’s buckets full and how can any pain not be bad?” He looked wide eyed up at Graydon.

  “I know it’s scary, and it’s easy to panic at any sign of trouble, especially when it’s your first whelping.” The woman returned with a glass of cloudy liquid. “But some cramping and spotting is perfectly natural for shifters. Male omegas are particularly susceptible given how your body is accommodating a pup in a space not normally designed for it. And, naturally there are no promises. Let’s take it an hour at a time and see how it goes, hmm?”

  By unspoken agreement, Graydon and the healer lifted Ethan’s head and put the glass to his lips. He drank it down without compunction because if there was any chance of keeping his pup, he wanted to do what was necessary. He didn’t trust in himself to stay calm, so the potion was welcome. Besides, it tasted pretty good.

  Once he’d finished, they placed his head back down. The healer went to putter around her room, while Graydon sat still beside the pallet. His big, warm hand held Ethan’s in a loose hold that was comforting without being confining.

  Ethan yawned. “I feel better already. Floaty.” He did, too, as if he were levitated off the pallet with only Graydon’s grip keeping him in place.

  Graydon pushed strands of hair back off Ethan’s face. “That’s good, love. Go to sleep.”

  “You’ll stay with me?”

  “On my honor, I won’t go anywhere I can’t hear you.”

  “Good.” He closed his eyes and gave into the lovely warmth of the drug. He hadn’t missed, however, that his mate had called him love—twice.

  Graydon waited until he was sure his mate slept deeply before releasing his hand and tucking it under the blanket. He was beyond grateful that the Rogue’s healer had given Ethan something to both calm and render him unconscious. No good would come from his being awake while he lost the pup. He wasn’t sure how well he, himself, was going to handle it, truth be told. When he’d woken not an hour ago to Ethan’s cries and the scent of blood, he’d felt the fear and grief as a physical blow.

  After the elation of finding, mating and breeding his fated mate, this unexpected misery was hard to accept. He’d always prided himself on his mental strength. Nothing had ever diminished his confidence, until now. He was powerless in this matter, and he hated it. His only solace at this point was that his mate was no longer showing signs of pain and the scent of blood had diminished.

  With quiet care, he stood and stretched to work out muscles strained by holding the scrunched position for so long. He approached the healer, who sat at her work bench, writing in some book.

  “Your pardon, madam,” he said in a low voice so as not to wake Ethan. “I would ask you to give me the unvarnished truth about my mate’s condition.”

  Putting her pen down, she swiveled her body to look at him. “You think I lied to your mate, Alpha Graydon?”

  “With the best possible motives, yes. I, however, require no such coddling.”

  The woman stared down her nose at him, not quite impudent, but clearly amused. “Well, you’re wrong. What I told Ethan was completely true. I am not convinced that he will lose the pup. Time will tell, but there is every reason to be hopeful.”

  Graydon rocked back on his heels, hands at his waist. It was at that moment he remembered he was naked. Naturally, given that he’d sprung from his grassy pallet and had taken no time to throw on those ridiculous cut-offs Kael kept bringing him. His dick swung only about a foot away from the healer’s face. Even back home, he would have shown more courtesy to a female.

  “I beg your pardon,” he said, stepping back, although not as far as he would have liked. He didn’t want this conversation to wake Ethan.

  The healer grinned. “No apology necessary. I, too, came from a traditional pack. Nudity doesn’t bother me. It’s wearing clothes all the time that was hard to get used to.”

  The information surprised him. Nevertheless, he clasped his hands in front of him before he continued. “How long un
til we know the outcome, do you suppose?”

  “We need to give him the rest of the day, at least. Shifter miscarriages tend to be quick events. A blessing to be sure given how heartbreaking they are.”

  “So, we cannot leave today as planned.”

  “I’m afraid not.”

  Graydon scratched his chin. “I must inform my host. Lorcan will think we are the guests that never leave.”

  “He will understand. Everyone has become very fond of Ethan.”

  Graydon halted the urge to preen at the compliment. It wasn’t anything he could claim credit for. His mate was simply a sweet omega. “Thank you. I should go and speak with the man.” He glanced over at where Ethan slept. “I am loathe to leave him. I promised him I wouldn’t.”

  “He will stay asleep for many hours yet. If he should wake, I will explain to him why you left and come get you immediately.”

  “Thank you.” With one last look at his mate, he turned to leave.

  “Alpha Graydon?”

  He paused. “Yes?”

  The healer cleared her throat delicately. “If the worse comes to pass, what will that mean for you?”

  He tried not to take offense, but the question was impudent indeed. “If you have a more pointed question to ask, madam, do not hesitate.”

  “Ethan came here believing that he was barren. You proved him wrong, yet in his mind, a miscarriage would mean that he is defective. I’m sure that is driving much of his fear. He’s wrong, of course. I can’t help worry, though, that you feel as he does.”

  Graydon bristled. “What nonsense. He was never barren, and as you’ve said, loss of a pup is a thing that happens. If it does in this instance, we will simply try again.” He gave her a stern look. “He is my mate, regardless. I will stand by him no matter what. We are fated to be together for the remainder of our lives.”

  The healer nodded. “I’m glad to hear you say that. I would counsel you that when he wakes, he’d benefit from hearing you say those words to him.”

  “I would not have believed such was necessary. I will take your advice, however.”

  With that, he left.

  He didn’t get far, however. Just outside the room, Elijah sat on the floor with his back against the wall and knees drawn up to his chin. He looked up at Graydon with a baleful expression. Ignoring that, Graydon crouched down to speak to him at eye level and without being provocative. The last thing Ethan needed was a fight breaking out mere feet away from where he rested.

  “Did you hear the healer’s prognosis?”

  “Mostly,” Elijah confirmed. His tone revealed nothing of his feelings. “I understand it’s a waiting game, and that Ethan might not be losing the pup after all.”

  Graydon nodded. “Correct. I hope, for his sake, that he doesn’t,” he added because he really did want the Green Mountain alpha to be his ally, not his enemy. They held common ground in that they both wanted what was best for Ethan. The least they could do was get along.

  “Me, too,” Elijah said, then sighed. “Hearing his cries this morning and scenting his blood made me crazy.” He hesitated only a moment before saying, “I’m sorry I jumped to the wrong conclusion. It was foolish of me. Obviously, you wouldn’t be so stupid as to harm him right under my nose.”

  Graydon’s reaction morphed from surprise at the apology to fury at the back-handed compliment. He grimaced. “We agreed less than a day ago that I wouldn’t hurt him ever. How can you mistrust me so much when you barely know me?”

  Elijah sighed again and shook his head. He pinched the bridge of his nose before answering. “It’s not you. Not really. I’ve actually come to believe that you are not only trustworthy, but a valuable ally for the future. What I don’t have faith in where Ethan is concerned is my own judgment.”

  The man slid his legs down straight and banged his head against the wall. “I thought that Walden was a decent man and a good alpha. I was a little less convinced he was the right choice in mates when he offered for Ethan. But my brother was smitten with the guy and pleaded with me to accept his suit. Ethan’s always been a smart, sensible omega, so I told myself I was being overprotective and picky. I approved their mating and look how that turned out.”

  “You were not to know,” Graydon offered because he felt sorry for the man and kindness in this situation cost nothing.

  Elijah gave him a pointed look. “Wasn’t I? I focused on physical abuse and became comfortable that wasn’t going to happen. It didn’t occur to me that he could essentially eviscerate my brother without lifting a hand.

  “And,” he continued before Graydon could muster a suitable reply, “with you, it was the opposite concern. Your sincerity about this fated mate thing is obvious, but you’re so damn traditional, I haven’t been able to shake my fear that you’d beat him. That’s why I leaped to that assumption this morning.”

  Once again, Graydon had to tamp down his angry reaction. While he knew his own character, of course, Elijah’s assumptions about him weren’t unfair. Perhaps if he shared more of his thoughts with the man, they could broker a true peace.

  “I understand. You don’t know me, so you judge me based on misconceptions about my pack and our way of life. And, you aren’t wrong in your thinking, either.”

  He sat on the floor to present a relaxed posture as he prepared to spill some of his own secrets. “I became alpha of the Strongbloods by killing my sire.”

  Elijah stiffened slightly. “Daniel had told me. I assume you had a good reason.”

  Surprised that Elijah was giving him that much credence, he nodded. “Yes. The man was the kind of brutal shifter you worry I am. He used his strength not only to keep the pack members in line, but also his family.”

  He shrugged. “It didn’t matter to me. I’m an alpha, I can take physical punishment. It was my mother and servient siblings that were the real victims.” The mere thought of how his sire had abused them caused him to curl his hands into fists.

  “My gamma older brother and I tried to shield them as much as we could. We absorbed the brunt of his ire. Eventually, my brother had to run from the pack before our sire killed him outright. A couple of years later, I gained sufficient growth to challenge the fucker. I lost.”

  He had to pause in his telling of the tale as memories, painful and humiliating ones, swamped him. Taking in a shuddering breath, he continued. “It cost me years of misery, although not for myself. My sire was too worried he’d never have another alpha son. He let me live.

  “He humiliated me every day in small ways and large. Worse, he sold off my sigma sisters to far away packs. We haven’t seen them since. And he threatened to do the same with my omega brother if I didn’t stay in line. Any transgression on my part was taken out on my mother’s hide. He would do it in private, though, with only me as a witness. She deals with the permanent damage done to this day.”

  Graydon fell silent, having said more than he wanted to. That painful past was something he never dwelled on. He couldn’t bring his sisters back, nor wash away the physical pain his mother had and still suffered. He could only move forward, leading his pack and treating his family in a different way than his sire had.

  “Obviously, you tried again,” Elijah said after a few moments of silence. “He was foolish to leave you alive the first time.”

  Graydon parted his lips in a satisfied grin. “The worst mistake of his life. Perhaps the only one, as he was as smart as he was vicious. I took pleasure in ending him.”

  “Can’t say I blame you.”

  They sat for a few more minutes not saying anything. Graydon started to grow restless. He wanted to be by Ethan’s side and still hadn’t had a chance to speak with Lorcan.

  “My point in all of this is that while you’re right that my pack has a history more brutish than you’d agree with, I don’t subscribe to that way of thinking. What I learned from my sire was the opposite of what he was trying to teach me. I don’t need a fist to hold my position. I certainly will never do anything to harm my
mate.”

  He stood with the intent of leaving. If Elijah didn’t accept his words at face value, there was nothing more to be done. Graydon would not continue to defend himself against things he hadn’t done.

  Elijah got up as well and held out his hand. “I believe you.” When they clasped arms, though, he added, “I assume that means you meant it when you told Andrea you’ll keep my brother as your mate even if he loses this pup.”

  Graydon tugged the man in closer and stared him down. “I will kill anyone who tries to take him from me. He is mine. The Gods have decreed it, and…I love him.” The words came tumbling out before he realized what he was doing.

  His brother-by-mating grinned. “Glad to hear it, man, but don’t tell me. Tell Ethan.”

  Graydon frowned as he released his grip. “I suppose in this matter, you are right.”

  With a laugh, Elijah clapped him on the shoulder. “Damn straight, I am. Now go back in and be with him. I’ll go update Lorcan and, uh, find you something to wear,” he added with a wink.

  The sudden change in demeanor from the Green Mountain alpha unsettled him. Still, he was getting his way, and that’s all that counted. “Thank you,” he managed to say before turning back to the healer’s doorway.

  The sight of his mate sleeping peacefully sent his heart tripping. He didn’t question the speed with which he returned to his side. Picking up the boy’s small hand, he pressed a kiss to the inner wrist. Then he sat quietly and watched, while praying to the Gods that they would let them keep the pup.

  ****

  Ethan woke sluggishly, his eyelids heavy, and his thoughts scattered. Then memories came crashing back and fear had him opening his eyes with his gaze pinging around. Graydon’s face caught his attention immediately, however, his steady expression calming him.

  “Easy, my love. You’re safe.”

  Ethan palmed his abdomen instinctively, as if he could feel something. He knew he couldn’t, so he searched within him for other clues. There was no pain and his hole didn’t feel sticky or itchy.