“I can hear a stream nearby,” Odin said as the ground began to level off.
“So can I. Let’s head for it and camp nearby.”
The trees grew sparse, and here and there patches of grass opened up. Byron slowed down so Jay could walk by his side.
“Does any of this seem familiar?” the Alpha asked him.
“No.”
Byron’s mouth turned down at his answer.
Odin spoke from behind them and his words eased the concern on Byron’s face.
“But you spent most of your time as a wolf and a young one at that. As a human, you’re relying on your eyes and you probably never saw the forest from this perspective.”
Jay thought about what Odin had said. The forest might not look familiar because he’d spent so little time in human form and he’d only been a small child. Putting a hand on Byron’s shoulder, he closed his eyes as he walked, trying to force his body to rely on other senses.
His foot hit something, and he stumbled.
“Jay!” Byron grabbed him, keeping him upright. “What are you doing?”
“Trying to see if it sounds or smells familiar.”
The tension in Byron’s body eased but his smile was tinged with sadness.
“Your human nose and ears are a poor substitute for your wolf senses. It’s a good idea, but I’d rather you reached the campsite in one piece.”
Byron’s arm slipped across his shoulder as the Alpha urged him on through the forest. He kept his eyes open, watched as the shadows of the trees grew longer.
They found the stream and made camp nearby. Jay was eager to get the tents up, relishing the chance to stretch his muscles and distract his mind from the whispers of wind in the surrounding forest. It was a warm night, and they didn’t build a fire, opting to eat their food cold.
“Do you want to go for a run before we bed down for the night?” Byron asked as Jay set his plate down.
He nodded eagerly. His wolf itched beneath his skin, especially surrounded by so many different sounds and smells.
Odin stayed with the tents while he and Byron went exploring.
“Stay close,” he called to them as they left. Jay wasn’t sure if he meant close to camp or close to each other. There was no fear of the latter, he wasn’t letting Byron out of his sight.
Jay waited for Byron to move before following behind him, feeling the soft earth beneath his paws. It had rained the night before and the earth still held tight to the moisture.
Now that he was a wolf, the strangeness of the forest had fallen away. The scent on the wind was achingly familiar as were the cacophony of sounds that heralded the end of the day. Birds returning to their nests, mice and other small creatures waking and beginning their nightly search for food. An owl hooted loudly somewhere to their left, startling him, and he crouched close to the ground with a whine. A moment later Byron was at his side, his warm nose nuzzling Jay’s face and chasing away the fear.
They didn’t go far, only to the stream, following the flowing water a little way into the distance. The bright glow of the moon reflected in the water, its image distorted by the swell of the stream.
Byron lay down on the soft grass next to the bank and Jay settled beside him, their warm bodies pressed together. Byron’s nose pressed into his neck, his breath hot against Jay’s fur. He felt like they were back at home, in Byron’s wood, the house just visible through the trees.
The spell was broken by the owl hooting again, closer now. The sound wasn’t as startling the second time around but he still pressed closer to Byron, taking comfort from the Alpha’s presence.
Byron made a sound low in his throat and nudged Jay a few minutes later before getting up. Jay followed his lead, turning back towards their camp.
Odin was gone when they got there. They changed back, throwing on their clothes to protect against the chill of the night. Odin wandered back into view, phone in hand.
“We have signal about a hundred yards back up that hill if you need to make any calls.”
“Good idea,” Byron said, taking out his phone from the backpack and following Odin’s trail. Jay stayed with Odin, grinning when the other man rooted around in his pack and pulled out a bar of chocolate. He broke off a square and held it out to Jay. Jay took it eagerly, slipping the chocolate into his mouth. He hummed as it melted, enjoying the silky sweetness on his tongue.
“You’re doing great, Jay. It can’t be easy for you being back here.”
Jay gave Odin a small smile. Like Byron, the other Alpha used gestures just as much as words when he wanted to talk with Jay.
He was enjoying his second square of chocolate when Byron returned.
“Did you get through?” Odin asked.
“Yeah,” Byron said. “No news.”
Though he didn’t say it, Jay knew he was talking about Noah. The little boy was why they were here, in his dark forest.
Byron sat down heavily next to him, catching Jay’s chin between finger and thumb and kissing him softly.
“Hmm,” he said as he pulled back. “You’re very sweet. Who’s been feeding you chocolate again?”
Odin whistled innocently as Byron dived in for a second kiss, slipping his tongue into Jay’s mouth to taste him deeper.
Odin coughed. “I think I’ll bed down. You two should get some rest.”
He slipped into his tent, leaving them alone. Byron seemed in no hurry to follow suit, wrapping his arm around Jay, his fingers idly playing across the skin of Jay’s upper arm. Jay curled close and Byron’s second hand wrapped around him, holding him tightly.
No words passed between them as they sat there but Jay knew Byron heard everything he couldn’t say.
Chapter Fourteen
Ben sat in the living room watching Xander play with some toys and listening to the muted sound of voices from upstairs. Adam and Ro had taken Casey up to the bathroom to wash up and to take a look at his injuries. They’d already called Alicia, and she promised to be over as soon as she could.
They had opted to stay in the Pack house for now. There were more people around and it seemed safer for all concerned
“Papa, where’s Noah?”
Ben blinked and found Xander watching him.
“We… we don’t know Xan. We’re looking for him.”
Xander got up and crossed the room towards him, stopping beside his chair. He held his hands up and Ben reached for him, lifting him onto his lap.
“I want Noah back,” Xander whispered.
“Me, too,” Ben whispered back. “We’ll find him and bring him home. I promise.”
“Will the bad men take me too?”
“No. Never. I won’t let that happen.” Not again.
Xander rested his head against Ben’s chest. “It hurts.”
“What hurts? Show me,” he coaxed.
“Here, in my tummy,” his son replied, poking one finger towards his belly.
Ro had told them Xander had been anxious and clingy since they’d left, refusing to eat, telling them his stomach hurt. Alicia had seen him but said it was normal after what had happened. He needed lots of reassurance.
“How about I rub it better?” Ben said. Xander nodded and Ben placed a hand on his belly and rubbed slowly.
“It’s okay, Xander. You’re safe here, with me and your Dada, and Uncle Ro and Seb.”
“And Martin and Uncle Sam,” Xander added with a yawn. “And Alicia and Joel.”
“That’s right. Lots and lots of people here to keep you safe. And we’ll get Noah back and everything will be okay.”
Xander nodded against him, his eyes drooping closed.
Ben cradled him in his arms until well after he’d fallen asleep, before lifting him and carrying him to the room they were staying in. He didn’t stir as Ben settled him on the bed and covered him in blankets. Then he sat by the side of the bed and just watched him sleep. He couldn’t keep the images of Noah from his mind. Sleeping on a hard floor, cold, with no blankets. Being shouted at, being hu
rt. Without food or water or the comfort of his parent’s touch.
When the thoughts got too much, he stood and left the room, intending on going outside to vent his frustration away from those he loved.
There was a shout of alarm from down the corridor then a figure raced towards him. Ben caught them easily, finding himself with an armful of a struggling Casey. The Omega froze when he realized who had caught him, before sinking to kneel on the floor. Ben knelt with him, keeping him upright.
“Casey, what’s wrong, what is it?”
Adam and Ro arrived a moment later.
“We were trying to get him into the bath,” Adam explained. “Out of nowhere, he just ran. Come on, Casey, let’s go back to the bathroom—” Adam reached for the Omega. No one was more surprised than Ben when Casey dived forward and grabbed hold of him.
“Whoa, hey,” he said, unsure how to handle the Omega who had latched on to him. “It’s okay, Casey.” He slowly settled a hand on the Omega’s back, feeling Casey flinch at his touch. “Easy, kiddo. No one’s going to hurt you.”
He looked to Adam and Ro for guidance but they both seemed equally lost.
“What are you scared of, Casey?” he asked.
“Don’t want to go under,” the Omega whispered.
“Under… under the water?”
Casey shuddered and nodded.
“That’s not how a bath works, Casey. Your body goes in the water and your head stay above it.” His reassurances didn’t do anything to lessen the Omega’s grip.
Adam knelt next to them. “How about, instead of a bath, we try some warm water and a nice, soft cloth? We can do that in the bedroom instead of the bathroom.”
Casey looked from Adam back to Ben and it took him a moment to realize Casey was waiting for his say-so.
“I think that sounds like a really good idea. What do you think, Casey?” he said.
“No bath?”
“No bath,” Adam agreed.
“Here, let’s get you up,” Ben said and Adam leaned in to help. Between them, they got Casey back to his feet though the Omega wavered, his hands latching on to Ben again to keep his balance.
“Sorry, Alpha,” the young Omega said.
“That’s okay, Casey. And you should call me Ben, remember?”
“I remember, Ben.”
Casey turned and Ben’s hand brushed off the bare skin of his arm. The sense of Casey’s wolf beneath the surface was very strong.
“Casey, when was the last time you changed form?”
The Omega seemed stumped at the question. “A while. I… I’m not sure.”
“As soon as Alicia gives the okay, you should change and spend some time as a wolf. It’ll help you recover faster,” Adam explained.
“Recover from what?” Casey asked, and it was a struggle for both of them to school their expressions at Casey’s complete lack of awareness at the level of mistreatment he’d been subjected to. To him, how he felt was normal.
“From your injuries,” Adam said smoothly. “And from not having had enough food and not spending enough time as a wolf. Trust me, in a few weeks, you’re going to feel so much better.”
“Better?” Casey echoed. “But what if I don’t deserve to?”
“Every child, every person, Omega, Alpha or Beta, deserves to be looked after and not to be mistreated. In Glenoak Pack, everyone, no matter who they are, is taken care of.”
He could see his words only served to puzzle Casey but Adam interrupted, gently urging Casey back towards the guest room. “Let’s get you cleaned up before Alicia gets here.”
Casey let go of Ben with reluctance and let Adam guide him down the corridor and into the room while Ro went back to the bathroom.
A moment later, Seb stuck his head out of the room next to them. “I didn’t think a fourth pair of hands would be much help. And another Alpha in the mix to confuse the situation.”
“I thought he wouldn’t want anything to do with me after Tobias,” Ben said.
“I think you might have it the wrong way around. Tobias is everything to him. Provider of food, shelter. He’s the closest thing to a father that boy has ever known. When he looks for guidance, he looks to an Alpha, because he’s been taught to heed them just as much as fear them.”
“What are we going to do with him?”
“The same thing we’ve done with any young wolf we’ve taken in. Welcome him with open arms and teach him what it is to be part of a Pack.”
Chapter Fifteen
The sweet sound of birdsong woke him alongside the quiet rush of water in the near distance. He had a moment of where and what before Jay’s face pressed against his chest reminded him. They had brought Jay to the place he called home for a decade or more. The place Jay had grown from a child to a man.
One of his hands had slipped under Jay’s shirt and was resting on the Omega’s back. Byron took advantage of it to wake him, rubbing circles with his fingers and the palm of his hand. It was better than waking Jay with words. Speaking had such strong memories for Jay, few of them good. But touch… Jay craved it, the light gentle touches Byron used to wake him, the heavier ones that he used to settled his Omega after a nightmare. The teasing ones he used to build that physical connection between them as surely as the emotional bond between them knitted together.
He heard Odin unzip his tent and get out, followed by sound of a slap as hand met flesh and a grumble about bugs. The sounds woke Jay with a start, his head lifting, fear flashing in his eyes before the touch of Byron’s hands registered. Settling back against him with a groan, he mumbled under his breath.
“Five more minutes.”
“Okay.” Byron conceded with a smile. “I’ll go and wash up.”
But when he tried to slide out from under Jay, the Omega held on tighter, his knees gripping Byron’s thighs tightly as he cuddled impossibly closer.
“With you,” the Omega said plaintively.
Odin slipped further from their camp, humming under his breath as Byron gave Jay his full attention.
He continued to rub circles across Jay’s back, each circle sweeping lower and lower. Jay wore a pair of loose sleep shorts and Byron let his hands slip under to cup Jay’s ass, feeling the swell of smooth skin and muscle beneath his fingers.
Jay moaned under his breath and arched his back, pressing into Byron’s hand. His groin was pressed against Byron hip and he squirmed a little, as if seeking friction.
It was with a reluctant sigh that Byron let go and edged Jay away. They didn’t have the time to enjoy each other’s touch right then, and this certainly wasn’t the place.
The loss of contact brought Jay back to awareness, his eyes opening and his hands bracing themselves against Byron as he sat up. Then he stretched his hands above his head, lifting his shirt to reveal his toned stomach as his fingers brushed the top of the tent. Byron couldn’t resist running a hand across the offered skin, hearing Jay suck in a breath as he did. Jay’s body was a marvel to him and he’d often wondered what it would look like after they’d mate, Jay’s body growing with their child inside him. He knew the thought interested his Omega too. He had paid a lot of attention to the other Omegas he’d met.
“Let’s wash up, have some breakfast, and we’ll get going,” Byron said, breaking the silence. Jay continued to peer down at him as his hand settled over Byron’s where it still lay on his stomach.
“You’ll stay with me…”
“The whole time,” Byron said with insistence. “I won’t leave your side.”
They followed Odin to the stream, washing in the chilled water. It was a bright morning, the sun peeking out from behind a cloud and a warm breeze buffeting them.
As they ate breakfast, they pulled out the map again.
“Jay, is there any place that you remember clearly that we should maybe look out for. Somewhere you spent a lot of time. Maybe a place you went when you were scared?”
Jay just shrugged one shoulder and continued chewing on the piece of bread in his ha
nd.
“Jay…”
If this was going to work, they needed the Omega on side.
“I went to the river most days. It was easier to hunt there.”
Byron could see why. The river would attract a lot of different animals, not to mention the fish, and the sound of the water would have masked Jay’s movements.
“Then we’ll start at the river.”
They’d travel as wolves from here on in. They’d cover more ground, and it was more likely to jog Jay’s memory if he was looking at the forest from a familiar perspective.
Byron had hoped Jay would lead the way once they’d shifted, but the Omega hung back and only moved when Byron did, sticking close. He picked up the pace once they got going. The sun dipped in and out from between the clouds which were gathering above them.
The followed the stream as it rolled across stones, rocks and pebbles, reeds growing in tufts along the bank. Now and then, they disturbed something: rabbits, birds, rats. He resisted the urge to chase them but when it happened for the umpteenth time, Jay darted out from behind him after a rabbit who was fast disappearing into the undergrowth, his tail a flash of white in the green foliage.
Byron barked sharply as he followed him, Odin a split second behind as Jay weaved a path through the woods after the frightened rabbit. The Omega skidded to a stop as the rabbit disappeared into the undergrowth.
Overhead, there was a flash of lightning and an answering rumble of thunder.
Jay reacted like he’d been struck, his back going rigid, his fur standing on end. Before Byron could react, Jay was on the run again, his movements frantic as lightning laced the sky and thunder rolled.
At the best of times, Jay was frightened of storms. Those times, those nights, were the ones he’d always come to Byron seeking comfort and protection. He didn’t like to be alone, especially during a storm.
Byron struggled to keep up with Jay as he tore through the forest, the wind whipping through the trees. He barked after him, hoping his familiar voice would get Jay to slow. The Omega’s movements changed from erratic to purposeful. As if… as if he knew where he was going.
The Alpha's Kiss: Lost Omegas Book Six: A M/M Shifter Romance Page 7