He handed Ben’s stuff to him. “Here you go.” He stepped aside to give Carr room.
The gamma balanced two heaping plates, napkins and forks in each hand. Daniel relieved the guy of the things meant for him and once more sat on the floor. He wanted to be as close to Ben as he could in case the boy needed something.
“Shit,” he muttered, standing again. “What would you like to drink?”
Ben licked his lips. “Water, I guess. Thanks.”
Kyle shook his head. “Milk.”
Ben made a little moue with his mouth. “Right.”
“On it.” He didn’t even have to ask, Carr simply held up his free hand to take Daniel’s dinner again.
A sigma helped him locate a glass. He filled it to the brim with cold milk and brought it to Ben. He was heartened to see the boy eating already. However else he felt, his appetite was good. Probably a biological thing. He needed nourishment to breed. As Ben was already awkwardly balancing his plate on his knees, Daniel put the glass on a side table nearby. Then, sitting once more at the omega’s feet like a supplicant, he tucked into his own food. Gods, he was starving.
They ate in relative silence, most of the sounds in the room coming from the happy family sitting next to Ben. Whenever he needed to take a drink, Daniel would hand him the glass. When Ben had finished his food and asked for seconds, Carr dumped some of his onto the boy’s plate. When that wasn’t enough, Daniel ran to the kitchen for even more. By the time the omega was full, Daniel and Carr had established a well-run partnership of care.
With a sigh, Ben settled back into the couch. Carr had liberated him of his empty plate and dirty fork. “Thanks, you guys. It’s sweet of you to help me out.”
“It’s our pleasure,” Daniel assured him. “Really. We want to do whatever it takes to make you comfortable.”
Wiggling a bit, Ben frowned. “I’m not sure that’s possible.” He glanced at Kyle. “How much longer do you think it’s going to be before I lose control?”
Kyle handed Hope over to Lorcan. “Would you please get her ready for bed?”
The alpha hugged his pup close and got up. “Of course, sweetheart. Don’t be too long, though. I have to go take my turn on the perimeter in a few hours now that we’re going to be down two men.” He gave Daniel and Carr a pointed look before leaving.
Daniel understood immediately what the alpha meant. With Ben’s heat almost upon them, there was no time for the boy to make a measured decision about who got to breed him. The realization didn’t faze him. He glanced at Carr, who nodded in understanding and agreement. Unless and until Ben said otherwise, the two of them were tasked with helping him in any way he needed.
Kyle placed his hand on Ben’s bouncing knee. “I hope you don’t mind, but Joey and I made up the small room next to Andrea’s. It’s been used by various couples before they had their own home built in the compound. We thought you’d appreciate having some private space in the longhouse for your breeding.”
Ben opened his mouth. A shudder ran down his body before he got the words out. “T-thanks. I think I should go there now.” He stared at first Daniel, then Carr, with twitchy eyes. “Um, would you two take me? I mean,” he stuttered for a few seconds. “I know it’s not fair to ask both of you to stay with me…”
“It’s fine,” Daniel assured him.
Carr nodded. “We’re happy to be of service. Whatever you need. Don’t worry about us.”
“G-good.” He jerked, his leg moving so fast and powerfully, it knocked Kyle’s hand off.
Daniel shared an alarmed look with both Carr and the alpha mate. Something didn’t seem right. Not that he had a lot of experience with omegas in heat. Make that no experience. Still, Ben seemed to be almost sick. And, his heat hadn’t officially started yet. Gods, Daniel was suddenly glad to have Carr by his side. As much as he wanted Ben, he wasn’t sure he could handle what was coming.
Kyle grimaced. “I think you should go lie down. Some soothing tea might be a good idea.”
Ben’s head bobbed up and down. “Okay.”
The omega stood with difficulty and tumbled into Daniel’s arms before righting himself. “I’m sorry, I’m so clumsy.”
Tightening his grip on the boy’s waist, Daniel said, “No apologies necessary. Let me hold onto you.”
“I’ll get the tea,” Carr chimed in. “If someone can show me how to make it.”
Kyle stepped around Daniel and Ben. “I’ll show you. Last door on the right, Beta.”
“Got it.” He shuffled Ben forward. “I have you. Easy now.” As he moved Ben down the hall, he worried that he didn’t have the omega at all. Not in the way it counted. There was nothing to be done, however, except take one step, and then another.
****
Carr carried the hot mug of tea, careful not to spill a single drop. The drink smelled sweet and flowery. Knowing nothing about it, he had to trust that the alpha mate and the sigmas who’d showed him how to prepare it had the right notion. From what he knew of omegas and heat, he doubted anything was going to make Ben feel better other than being mounted and bred. Something didn’t seem right, however. Kyle’s obvious worry wasn’t helping his own. He forced himself to focus on doing what he could for the moment and hoped that when the time came, he’d be able to truly help the boy.
As he entered the small, warm room, he heard Daniel’s voice pitched low. The beta wasn’t saying much. Rather he made the kind of soft sounds that Destin had sometimes used to soothe a fretful Loki when they’d first run from their birth pack. Daniel and Ben both sat on the large pallet dominating the room, the former’s back propped up against the wall. The omega sat within the V of the beta’s legs. He had his hands braced on the beta’s thighs while getting his back rubbed.
Daniel looked up at Carr. “Hey. Ben’s back is aching from all the gardening he did this afternoon. I thought this would help.”
Carr shut the door behind him and knelt at the edge of the pallet. “That’s a good idea. Here’s the tea. Would you like some?”
Ben nodded with that jerky, almost spasmodic, way he’d developed since dinner. “Thanks.” He held out shaky hands.
“Let me help you.” Carr first blew on the surface of the drink to cool it, then leaning over, he held the rim to Ben’s lips.
Daniel stilled his hands while the boy slurped up some of his drink. “That smells nice.”
Ben drank a bit before turning his head away. “It tastes good.” After swallowing convulsively, he sipped some more.
Carr had to use two hands to keep the mug steady. Ben clasped his own around them in an attempt to achieve some control. His small fingers and palms barely covered half of Carr’s. And, they shook too badly for Carr to let go. When the mug was about a third empty, Ben pulled away and let his hands drop.
“I think that’s all I can take now.” He fluttered his lashes a few times before leaving them closed.
Putting the tea aside, Carr watched Daniel resume the massage before an idea struck him. “Would you like me to rub your feet?”
“Hmm.”
He took that as an assent and scooted down to the end of the pallet. Gods, the room was stifling, at least to him. He wanted badly to strip off his jeans, but worried that it would upset Ben for him to be naked. He’d have to live with the discomfort. It was nothing compared to what the omega was feeling.
Ben’s feet were adorably small, like the rest of him. Carr took them onto his lap and stripped off the socks. The narrow instep arched into a delicate bow that curved into slender toes. The pads and heels were soft, testament to how infrequently the omega must have shifted during his time with the abusive gamma. Not allowing the boy the freedom to race his wolf was another indication of how much horror Ben had survived. For a shifter not to run free was an abomination. Carr vowed that the first thing he’d insist on once Ben was breeding was that he explore the forest with him. That was assuming he had anything at all to say about the omega’s life.
He worked his thumbs into
the warm skin, eliciting a sweet moan of appreciation. His wolf and dick took the expression in the wrong direction. It wasn’t that kind of pleasure the omega felt from the massage. Glancing up, he caught Daniel’s gaze, and he could tell from the man’s eyes that he’d felt the same reaction. Such a pair they were, fussing over Ben with the hope of being the one to win the right to mount him. At the moment, it seemed as if they were on equal footing, as it were. If Ben intended to make a choice, he gave no indication. He didn’t appear capable of making any kind of decision, actually.
It was odd how the alpha and his mate had set up this room and permitted both Carr and Daniel to spend time with a vulnerable Ben. It showed they were trusted, which was humbling and appreciated. But it also indicated that the pack leaders weren’t going to force a choice on the omega. That was not how it normally worked. Not that the Rogues were typical of their species. He gathered it was rather the whole point of the ragtag group Lorcan held together—they intended to do things differently. Did that mean, however, that if Ben wanted or needed both Daniel and Carr, that was okay with them?
Was it okay with him?
Ben squirmed. “Why am I so hot?”
“Are you?” Carr asked, although he could feel the temperature of the boy’s feet rising.
“Y-yes.” The omega wiggled his toes and his ass. He clenched Daniel’s thighs with a white-knuckled grip. “I need to take some of these clothes off.”
Carr looked over the boy’s head to gage Daniel’s reaction. He looked as worried as Carr felt. They were both in unchartered territory, apparently.
The beta shrugged. “Would you like me to take your shirt off?”
“Yes, please.” Ben moaned and remained pliant while the beta stripped him to the waist. “Please, can you keep up the massage?”
“Of course, baby. Whatever you want.”
Carr’s wolf bristled at the proprietary way the beta spoke to the omega, although he’d done the same earlier. His wolf needed to remember that Ben was not a pawn, but more of a patient. “Do you want to take off your pants, too?”
Ben shook his head. “Not yet.” He licked his lips. “Talk to me, please. I need a distraction.”
“What would you like to hear?”
“Tell me about where you come from? Both of you, please.”
Daniel gestured with his chin to indicate Carr should go first. “Um, okay. I’m from the Arctic, as you know.”
“It’s cold up there?”
“Very.”
“And white?”
Carr smiled. “When there’s snow, which is most of the time. And, in the warmer months, there are lots of bugs.”
Ben scrunched up his pretty face. “I hate bugs.”
“I’m not very fond of them myself, at least not the kind that buzz around my eyes and snout. If game is scarce, though, grubs and other ground-born insects can be the difference between a meal and hunger.”
“Oh, yuck.” Ben actually chuckled and his brief joy pleased Carr immensely. “Why did you leave?”
Carr focused on the feet in his lap. The reminder of his journey away from home made him sad. “It’s a long story, and not really mine to tell. Let’s just say that Destin has been my friend since pup hood and when he needed to leave, there was no question that I would follow him.”
“Do you miss it? The Arctic?”
“A little. Less now that I’ve found another pack to live in. I didn’t like being feral.”
“Me, neither. At first, I thought Kurt was taking me to his pack. It was a big disappointment that he didn’t. I hate living among humans.”
Carr flicked his gaze up to Daniel. The beta was frowning, yet he said nothing. “Then it’s a good thing you’ve landed here. I’m glad Daniel brought you.” He gave the beta a crooked smile, hoping that his sincerity was obvious.
“Me, too. Except, you like living in the human city, don’t you, Beta?”
“I do, yes.” Daniel answered in a gentle tone. “I can’t really explain why. Living in my old pack was okay, just not enough to make me happy. I do hope to get back there someday soon for a visit. It’s hard because it’s all the way across the country.”
“What’s it like there?” Ben’s voice was getting low and sleepy. He’d slumped down to lean on his arms.
“Much like here, except wetter. It rains a lot up in the Pacific Northwest.”
“Hmm. I bet the earth smells wonderful afterward.”
Daniel chuckled. “I guess it does. I’d never really noticed.”
“You’d have to like gardening, I think, to appreciate the various smells in the dirt.”
“The way you do,” Carr interjected.
“Hmm.” Ben nodded. “Kyle says I can do as much gardening as I want. Growing food will make me useful to the pack.” His mouth scrunched up. “That and popping out pups, I guess.”
Carr worked his fingers up to the boy’s ankles. “It is what makes you a special type of shifter, you know? It’s a gift, Ben.”
The boy sighed. “I know. If not for my sire selling me off to Kurt, I’d have accepted my role. I’d figured a beta or gamma in a neighboring pack would take me as a mate. I was okay with that, for the most part, because I had no choice. I’d hoped for someone who’d treat me better than my sire had my dam.”
“And, that’s what you’ll get.” Carr said it as a vow, staring straight at Daniel. The beta held his gaze and nodded his assent.
Ben whimpered, a sad sound that struck Carr right in the gut. “I don’t want a mate. Not anymore. I know pups are inevitable, but I don’t want someone bossing me around all the time. I’ve had plenty of that already. From what I can see, Lorcan is not an oppressive alpha. I believe that he’ll give me space so long as I’m not screwing up. A mate would be constantly watching and judging. And punishing.”
That last part infuriated Carr. He knew that Ben had been sorely abused for the last year and hated that he saw a prospective mate in such negative terms. “Mates aren’t always dictatorial, and if they are, it’s mostly because they’re worried and protective.”
Ben grunted. “I don’t think so. I’ve seen them at their worst and even at their best, which isn’t very good at all. If I thought I could manage it, I’d go back to my old pack and help my little brother get away before our sire sells him off to the highest bidder.”
“Your brother?” Daniel asked with a frown. “Is he an omega, too?”
“Yes,” Ben hissed. “He’s a year younger than I, so he’ll be ready for breeding soon.” He let out a sob. “I’m worried about him. Reed isn’t like me. He’s more independent and even less cut out for a life of being under a dominant mate’s control. He won’t survive someone like Kurt, even though he’s always wanted to roam around and see the human cities.”
“Oh, baby.” Daniel stopped his massage to gather Ben in his arms and hug him from behind.
Scooting closer, Carr ran his hands up the boy’s outer legs to soothe him, as well. They both spoke nonsense words to make the omega feel better. The boy kept his eyes closed and tears leaked through. Then his breath hitched and turned into a yawn.
“I need to lie down.” Ben practically wailed his need.
Carr shot an alarmed look at Daniel before they worked in concert to get Ben on his back. The boy clutched at them both.
“You’ll stay with me?”
“Certainly.”
“Absolutely.” Carr swallowed past the worried lump in his throat. He slid down on the pallet beside Ben, while Daniel did the same on the other side. “We’re here for you, Ben. For as long as you need.”
The only answer he got was a whimper that morphed into a louder yawn. The only light was a dim lamp in the far corner. He considered getting up to shut it off entirely, then thought better of it. If Ben woke during the night and needed something, their human eyes would need the help. So, snuggling closer, he draped an arm loosely across the omega’s chest. Daniel did the same, his arm touching Carr’s.
And, that is how they set
tled down waiting to see what Ben’s heat and need would do next.
****
Ben woke, thrashing from his nightmare. Kurt and a large group of human men had been chasing him under the hot, pounding sun. He gasped for breath and clawed at his sweat-slicked skin. He ached everywhere, as if he suffered from a high fever. His ass wiggled beneath him with a relentless itch that pricked his hole. He clenched it rapidly and without control in an effort to scratch the miserable feeling away. It wasn’t enough. He needed to claw it away.
Two solid walls, one on each side of him, restricted his movement. He cried out in frustration and tried to smack his way free. Hands grabbed his and held his arms down.
“Easy, baby.”
“It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not!” He struggled even more. “Make it stop!” Writhing against the restraint, he tried to scoot upward. “Get them off,” he begged between harsh pants. Then he kicked his legs to make his plea clear.
One of the pair of hands released him. Fingers tugged at his waistband, unsnapping the jeans and dragging the material down. It rasped past his stiff cock, causing him to grit his teeth in a wave of pain. But, oh Gods, the coolness of air hitting his newly-exposed skin gave him a moment’s reprieve. It was short-lived because a sudden wave of wetness pulsed out of his hole. Far from easing his itchy, achy need, it increased it.
With an urgent cry, he clutched at the hand still holding his. His claws popped out, and he raked them along the arm in his grasp. There was a hiss, and some part of his brain recognized Carr’s sound and scent. It didn’t matter, though. His body knew only one need. Rolling away from the guy, he pressed his ass against him.
“Make it stop. Please!” He was only vaguely aware of what he demanded and lacked any ability to express himself more.
He didn’t have to. A knee pressed against the back of one of his, sending his top leg forward. Then something thick poked at the cleft of his ass. It pierced his hole with one long ramming stroke that both sent him screaming and gave him instant relief. For a second, his breath caught, trapping his voice inside his throat. It released on a sigh as the cock tunneled all the way into his slick, desperate channel, cramming him to the hilt.
Omega in the Middle (The Rogue Pack Book 5) Page 10