by TJ Star
Seth whined and turned, fear in his wide eyes, and pushed himself back against the car door, drawing his legs up into the seat with him. He was breathing quickly and kept darting his eyes looking to see where the blow was going to come from. “S-s-Sorry!” He said trying to untangle his arm from the seatbelt so he could better defend himself.
Realizing his mistake Ryan instantly set out to calm the young wolf saying, “Easy now I just wanted to get out of traffic so we could talk. Your old alpha didn’t feed you all day and only gave you two apples for dinner yesterday?”
Seth relaxed a little not much, but the door was not wedged as far up his back anymore. He glanced up at Ryan quickly then down again before saying, “It was T-T-Tom’s turn to bring food last he brought Dan with him to help pack stuff ahead for the hotel like Ron ordered, because he had to visit the pack members before leaving town. He always says I have to earn my food sometimes I can just get by with not taking the food, but last night he brought Dan and …and they made me earn it. The apples rolled off the table under the crate or they would have taken them along with the food they tossed me on top of as they used me. Tom’s not scared of the alpha, Dan is but he’s also scared of Tom.”
He took a breath and let his legs down from the seat then continued, “Ron had them take me to the hotel early since he had more errands to run. Dan wouldn’t let Tom have a go at me this morning because he said that Ron would smell him on me and that Tom would be getting them both kilt even if they were the hunters that tracked me down last time I ran.”
He gulped think about that and closed his eyes, opening them again he said, “Then he wouldn’t let me have my breakfast because he was pissed so they ate it and they brought me to the hotel and had me lock myself in the bathroom so I wouldn’t be a temptation until it was time to drive to the meeting. Then I left with you.” Seth was now sitting straight in the seat again and while he wasn’t looking at Ryan he took a couple quick glances every now and then to make sure his mood had not changed.
Then Ryan started the car back up and pulled out saying, “Thank you for telling me, you can tell me anything, I will not hit you though I know that will take a while to believe. Let’s find us something to eat and get gas and back on the road.”
They grabbed more food than he had seen in a long time and after stopping to use the bathroom and get gas at the gas station they were back on the road. His new alpha said to eat as much as he needed, but he could only manage most of one small burger since it had been so long. He asked if he could save the rest for later and Ryan didn’t seem to mind.
He heard him talking to his brothers as he started to dose off, he tried to stay awake but he couldn’t. Ryan had reached over and let the seat back for him after he finished his burger, noticing that he was having trouble keeping his eyes open long enough to finish his sandwich. The alpha had four sandwiches down by the time he had his almost done. His world went dark and he wanted what he always did, what he always dreamed of… “Home!”
Chapter 14 Ryan
Ryan was talking to his brothers as Seth dosed, they were on a conference call via Bluetooth. He wanted them to be prepared for the new omega, so warned them of the condition things seemed to be in. The packs in the area are and that Galen was to never ever go to that state ever. He had filled them in on the plane ride and his initial reaction to walking into the meeting and that Jeff had lied and Ron’s reaction to his ultimatums, then a hand grabbed his arm and Seth said ‘Home’ plain as day.
“Was that Seth? Hi! I thought you said he was asleep.” Galen said. Rambling in his fast paced manner.
“He is asleep, he just grabbed my arm and…” Ryan stated then paused.
“Said home!” Nathan finished for him. “Yup, we heard. So your mate knows in his sleep at least that you are his.” Nathan went on with a note of wistfulness in his voice.
“It will take time; he will have a lot of healing to do.” Ryan said looking over as he rubbed his hand where it lay on his arm. He brought his eyes back to the road to concentrate on getting them back to their pack.
“We got your back bubby, he’s one of us now, we will be gentle with him we promise.” Then Galen added, “Oh and you said he is an artist, we will so have to build him his own work space. How much did you like your garage? Who really needs a garage, or we could add another room, think about it.”
Ryan took some deep breaths and thanked them before hanging up and driving through the night and into the next day. They ate breakfast and lunch before he couldn’t go any farther and had to grab a hotel room for a few hours. He had Seth shower first and put a chair wedged in front of the room door as a second layer of protection just in case.
His need to protect was pushing him to get home fast, but he needed to sleep or he would hurt his mate wrecking the car. He felt guilty jacking off in the shower knowing Seth was just out in the other room and he was thinking of him, but he was hoping he was sleeping.
He came out of the shower in his shorts drying his hair, as he passed Seth’s bed to his own. When Ryan looked up he saw him staring at him, he wondered if he had a question he was afraid to ask. “You okay, I can go down to the hotel vending machines if you are hungry or thirsty?” He just shook his head so Ryan lay down and dosed off on top the covers, hugging one pillow under his head. “If you get scared or hear something and I don’t then wake me. Otherwise go to sleep or draw if you want.” Then he turned back over and closed his eyes.
Chapter 15 Seth
Seth sat on the bed staring at his new alpha. His eyes were drawn to his the moment he stepped into the meeting room, though he was embarrassed to be in such a position as he was when they met. He knew he should keep his secret in from his old alpha and not draw up the plans from memory; though at the time he didn’t know why.
He knew it was wrong of Ron, but he also was scared of him and yet he had still took one quick look into Ryan’s eyes and told that easy lie. Maybe it was fate; he had after all survived this long there had to be a reason why. He so wanted to paint the likeness of his alpha and those bright green eyes so like emeralds. They had gone stormy when he had seen what Ron was doing, until he got his emotions in check.
Smiling he took his tablet turned a few pages in and drew his new alpha, he had nice shapely muscles. It looked like he either worked out everyday or maybe it was his job that kept him so fit. He licked his lips as he observed him sleeping thinking of kissing down that nicely formed back and running his hands over those nice muscled legs.
He looked at the clock and at his pad and before he knew it hours had passed and he had several sketches done as he mentally lusted after someone for the first time in his whole life. Then he realized that he was actually thinking about having sex and wanting to voluntarily have sex and he turned away flopping himself down on the bed whimpering and clutching his tablet to him eyes closed.
Next thing he knew there was a hand on his shoulder and he screamed, turning over looking up into the alpha’s eyes. Seth’s eyes were wide from being startled and he barely heard the, “Are you okay?” Ryan had spoken.
“I, yes. You move really quiet!” He stated looking into those same green eyes he thought about painting.
Ryan sat next to him on the edge of the bed now and smiled saying, “Part of being a wolf.” Then looking at the clock decided they better get back on the road. He was given even more food and drink again, and then they drove all through the night until morning. Seth had fallen asleep shortly after eating again so he had been surprised when he woke to the morning sun. They were pulling into a car rental place to return the car. The alpha said that his brothers had texted him early with the location and where they hid the keys to his truck.
When they got to his house Ryan said his brothers planned to meet them there, he told them they lived on the same street nearby. He told him Nathan was an alpha like him, but not to be scared of him. That he joked around a lot like brothers do. His other brother he said was an omega and that if he caught anyone treating th
em they way he seen me being treated, he’d beat the living shit out of them. At this Seth swallowed.
He told Seth how they had run away together friends and blood brothers as kids and that they had followed the river for a week until it ended in this town. Then later changed their names legally while working to get an education and doing the physical labor they planned to make a career doing. In no time they had a small side business of their own customers. Then they were able to enlarge the business and the pack.
Ryan said he wanted him to be prepared because their town was different. It wasn’t an all shifter town and the overbearing pack mentality is not how they did things here. Here they worked together to help each other out, but they were also all allowed to have and run their own lives. He said that while Seth would be living with him, he would not own him or be his property.
He wasn’t sure he understood all that exactly, but he was sure his alpha would let him know if he messed up. He sat in silence as the rest of the miles few by until they pulled up to this cute little house with an attached garage. They were headed in the door with the bags and dropped them in the kitchen dining room area, when he heard voices from the other room and ducked behind Ryan to be safe. “It’s okay, it’s just my brothers.” Ryan said trying to draw him around to meet them.
The room in front of the dining area split in two the left half a sitting area with a couch and television and the right was a hall and then the kitchen on the other side of the hallway entrance. It had barstools at the counter and you could see over into the sitting room while working in the kitchen. Just passed the barstools were the sliding glass doors leading out to the patio where he could see a grill and some chairs.
“I made some casserole up let me get it out of the oven and get plates ready. You all sit in the front room, Nathan come help me with the drinks.” Galen ordered trying to help relax the situation, feeling the fear and confusion coming off the man in spades.
Seth just looked at him ordering the two alphas around and waiting for him to be punished, but they just did what he said. Maybe it was because they were brothers, siblings are close he had been told once. They sat on the couch and he sat near Ryan just in case. The alpha seeing him looking around nervously said, “It’s okay you are safe here, no one will hurt you.” He just nodded and kept his hands in his lap and head lowered.
The plates were brought out quickly just after the drinks and once everyone else started eating he went ahead and started. He couldn’t eat half of what they put on his plate, but they were not angry with him. The other omega started asking questions as soon as he saw Seth was done eating. “Were you born into the Green Valley Pack?” He asked.
So Seth told them about it saying, “No my father sold me to a man when I was nine and then I was auctioned off, then went back to auction again at 14 years when my alpha died, and that was when the Green Valley pack bought me to prosper the pack.”
“Auctioned! I didn’t even think they still kept to those old fashioned barbaric practices anymore. It was outlawed a hundred years ago.” Nathan growled, until he noticed Seth drawing up and leaning in towards Ryan. “Sorry, little wolf I didn’t mean to get carried away. People shouldn’t hurt other people and people don’t belong to other people it is wrong.”
Ryan was rubbing soothing circles over the leg nearest him, when Seth looked down to notice he jerked his hand back apologizing, “I’m so sorry I forgot about the bruises all over your legs, I wasn’t thinking.” Seth looked up and told him it was okay that it didn’t hurt.
Nathan was taking the plates out apparently repentant for upsetting him and then Galen reach out a hand offering to show him where his room would be and helped him move his bags. He liked the calming way Galen had about him. Even if he did talk a lot, but Ryan had said this pack was different so talking was something Galen was used to being able to do.
His room was big and Galen gasped when he patted the bed asking if he got to sleep on it. “Did you not sleep on a bed in your alpha’s house?” he was asked. Seth bowed his head and fidgeted. Then Galen lifted his chin for him and said, “None of that here, we look each other in the eyes here, it is not considered rude or ill mannered. Also you can’t say anything wrong, there is not wrong answers understand?”
He nodded and smiled then said, “I slept on one at the hotel when Ryan stopped, but I don’t remember sleeping on one even before I was sold. Though I sometimes passed out after the alpha got done using me or hit me hard enough, but he would usually have one of the enforcers drag me back to my room or he would shove me in the punishment closet if I didn’t please him or was a bad omega. Usually only for a week or so, though after I ran the last time I was in there for a bit over a month I think.” He was not sure why he was talking so much but Galen was omega too and he felt only good emotions coming off him.
Before he knew it he was being attacked by the man across the room, he gasped and screamed, “Alpha!” At the scream he was let go and he backed away from Galen and into the wall as Ryan and Nathan came into the room and looked at them. He had expected getting attacked from an alpha and was more on guard but didn’t think to expect it from the omega.
“What is going on?” Ryan asked going over to Seth while looking at Galen.
Seth whispered, “He attacked me.” Then Galen explained that what he had told him and that he felt emotional and hugged him. They were all looking at him like he had done something wrong, he had started to inch his way back toward the corner, but Ryan stopped him grabbing his hand. He felt the anger in the room when Galen had told his side of the story and thought he was going to be punished. The alpha had a different plan to get things done though.
Ryan tried to get him to act out on Galen what Galen had done to him, but he shook his head and lowered it trying to back away again. So Ryan had Seth watch and told him that he was going to have Galen do to Nathan what he did to him. His eyes got round and full of fear and he said, “No please, he’s an alpha, he’ll hurt him.”
His alpha looked him in the eyes and told him that was not how things worked around here and that not everyone was like his old pack. So he watched and Galen attacked Nathan just like he did him and he pointed at them and said, “Yes that is when I screamed.”
“Oh It was a hug little wolf.” Nathan said and had Galen go back and do it again without the interruption, as they did Ryan had his arm around his shoulder now which made him feel safe. Once the other two collided they didn’t fight and no one got mad. Now seeing what they meant he was embarrassed for not knowing what was happening.
They were all looking at him like it was something important that he should have understood, but looking up at his alpha in confusion because he didn’t go to school long. He certainly didn’t learn anything about hugs there. Seth felt somehow like he failed his new alpha, he didn’t want to be an embarrassment to him, make him angry or give him a reason to get rid of him. Ryan had been nice so far. “Sorry, I see now you weren’t trying to attack me, it was a hug, I am sorry I got scared.” Seth said.
“Do you know what a hug is?” Nathan asked him staring at his confused face and back to the others. To which he got embarrassed his tan face reddening and just shook his head lowering it again until Galen reminded him none of that.
Then Nathan seeing them standing there stated, “You know how you are next to Ryan and he has his arm across your shoulder. That is a half hug. How does it make you feel?”
I thought about it and looked up quick at Ryan and then back to Nathan then answered, “Warm, safe. Good.”
Nathan smiled looking at Seth and said, “That was what Galen was trying to make you feel after you told him your sad story. He wanted to help you feel safe and comforted.” He nodded his head and the others said their goodbyes and left leaving him and Ryan alone.
“I don’t want you to be scared, you can tell us anything. I am glad you felt you were able to call for help when you needed it, I am always here. You have been through a lot and I just want you to get use to how
most of the world works, because your old pack that is not how most of the world works. Packs have come a long way over the years. Those designs I brought with me my brothers and I all had input in them, but it was Galen that went to college and learn how to do all that. He was the talent behind that, we just put in our part and work together so he knew what we wanted. Then he made it better like he always does.” Then before Ryan said his goodnight he though to say, “If you get hungry eat there is stuff in the kitchen, doesn’t matter what time it is okay?” To which he nodded trying to take everything in, it had been a long couple days.
Chapter 16 Ryan
Ryan woke up to his alarm and after showering made his way to the kitchen to make coffee. He so needed coffee. He tossed and turned part of the night worrying about Seth and how to show him how things work and that it is safe. He was making breakfast when he heard hesitant footsteps coming toward the kitchen. So without turning he said, “Good morning, are you hungry?”
The footsteps stopped for a minute or two then continued as he heard a yes please coming from the kitchen bar area. Seth had sat on one of the bar stools and so Ryan poured him coffee and set the cream and sugar in front of him to add if he wanted. Soon their plates were ready and he was sitting down to eat with him discussing the day to come.
“I plan on going into town after breakfast and drive around show you where everything is, do you have a drivers license?” Ryan figured it wouldn’t take long to teach him if needed.
Seth was shaking his head no as he ate. “Okay, no problem between me and the brothers we can teach you and it won’t be long before you know how. For now though we show you where everything is and get you a phone so you can contact us if you need anything or are in trouble. Then we can go by work as I need to catch up on paperwork there and can show you the office before lunch.”