He dug his spoon in for another bite and another but the food began to sit heavily in his stomach. He couldn’t stop, though. Who knew when he’d get more? A hand landed on his arm and James’ voice, deep and rumbling, filled his ears.
“Don’t make yourself sick. If you’re full, stop eating.”
The hand squeezed then let go, making no attempt to stop Luke taking another spoonful. He made it halfway to his mouth before he realized the Alpha was right. His stomach was already aching with fullness. It didn’t need more. He let the spoon fall back into the bowl and took a drink of water instead. When he looked up, James gave him a nod of approval. It felt good to be doing something right for once.
All too soon they were heading out the door. Luke was going in a car with Sandra and one of the older men, Tom. The rest were going in a second car. Luke knew the plan, at least what James had told him. Sandra and Tom were bringing him to meet Eagle Creek. They were going to hand him over to Eagle Creek, to Jeremy, and they were going to bring him back to their Pack house so Jeremy could mate with him. Only they wouldn’t get that far. At least, that’s what James had said. Luke wasn’t sure if that, or anything they were saying, was true.
Before he could get into the car, James stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. Luke turned around to face him and James leaned forward, resting his hands on the car either side of Luke. Luke tried to look anywhere except at the Alpha but James ducked to catch his eye.
“You’re very brave, Luke. It’s all going to be okay. We’ll see you on the other side.” He brushed his knuckles across Luke’s cheek, Luke’s breath hitching at the gentle touch. Luke wasn’t brave, he was powerless. He’d do what he was told.
“I’m sorry, but I have to do this.”
James pulled a length of rope from his belt and took Luke’s wrists in hand. He tied them tightly, ignoring the wince and the murmur of pain that escaped Luke’s mouth.
James opened the door and helped him into the car, his hand on Luke’s head. They drove off as soon as the door closed. He turned around in his seat, watching the Alpha staring after them as they drove away.
The car bumped along the road, each jolt sending his heart racing. They were giving him back to Jeremy. Whatever else they said, that was what it came down to.
Sandra and Tom talked little amongst themselves. They seemed nervous, glancing back at him, watching the road with unease. Luke didn’t blame them. Jeremy was going to be furious.
The sun rose in the sky, brightening the world around them as they drove. The outside world, that Luke had stared at with such fascination only a day previously, had lost its charm. His last meal sat heavily in his stomach. What would Jeremy do when he got his hands on him?
They slowed down as a sharp turn led them onto a narrow road lined with thick trees. Another turn brought them into a dirt trail that opened out into a field where a group of vehicles were clustered.
“They’re already here,” Sandra muttered.
“Never mind that. We just hand him over, ask them for the money, and don’t press it if they get snarky. We do it exactly as James said.”
They got out, Tom opening the door and dragging him out. He was none too gentle, one hand on the rope binding Luke’s hands, the other fisted in Luke’s hair. He was dragged a few feet across the damp grass, trying to keep his feet under him. Then Tom let him go, pushing him to walk in front as they approached the large group gathered nearby.
They stopped a few feet from them.
“Your Omega, as promised. Untouched.”
A small group broke off and approached them. One of them was Jeremy, his eyes flashing with anger.
“Get your hands off him.”
Tom let go immediately. “Just don’t want him running,” he said solicitously.
“He won’t be doing that again, ever, if he knows what’s good for him.”
“He’s young. They don’t always do what they’re told.” Tom took a step backward, leaving Luke standing alone as the men approached.
“Pay them,” Jeremy said and Perry walked passed him. Then he could hear Tom and Sandra beating a quick retreat to their car. Luke ducked his head as Jeremy stepped closer.
“You better be untouched. You stink of other wolves.”
Luke glanced up, catching sight of Etta out of the corner of his eye, an expression of fear clear as day on her face. He looked back to Jeremy, just in time to see the fist flying towards his head. It smashed into him, throwing him to the ground, his face a blaze of pain. Jeremy followed it up with a kick to his stomach, forcing a cry from him. He heard leather sliding across leather.
“By the time I’m finished with you, you won’t dare to blink without my say-so.”
The belt whipped through the air, cracking across his arm and side. He curled up tightly, trying to make himself smaller, but Jeremy grabbed him by the hair, dragging him up and towards their vehicle, throwing him over the bonnet. The belt lashed down, again and again, the pain eclipsing all else. He slid to the ground but Jeremy followed him, his booted foot finding Luke’s stomach and chest before he went back to whipping him.
Luke wanted to beg for mercy but knew there was none to be had.
“Jeremy! Enough. You’ll kill him.”
Etta’s voice filtered through the pain as he was hoisted back up onto the bonnet.
“I’ll show him who he belongs to. He won’t look at another Alpha once I’m done with him.”
Jeremy’s rough hands grabbed at his pants and Luke whimpered.
“Jeremy. Not here. It can wait until we’re back at the house.”
There was a long silence, the Alpha's hands holding him tightly as the pain beat through him like a pulse.
“Fine.”
He was pulled to his feet, bodily lifted by strong arms, and shoved inside the trunk of the car, darkness following a second later. Curling up, he tried to will away the pain as they started moving. Every bump they hit, every turn of a corner, ignited a fire across his body. He tried to reach for the lid, see if there was a way to open it, but the pain was too much with his arms bound and he fell back, contenting himself to stay still and await his fate.
He blacked out for a while, coming to as the car jerked to a stop, voices shouting and screaming. Wolves howling. Nothing happened, just the dark and the pain. There was more shouting, close then growing distant.
Then voices grew nearer, panicked, hurried. The car started again and took off, turning around and throwing Luke hard against the side. The pain blossomed and everything went dark again.
Chapter Eight
The plan worked like a dream. Half of Eagle Creek’s cars were gone, and more than a dozen of their people, some to pick up Luke and another car load gone on a supply run.
With Graham at the wheel, they drove right up to the door. It was almost too easy though Eagle Creek put up a good fight. James hadn’t planned to kill Frank or his other son but there’d been little choice in the end. Frank wouldn’t back down, not even when he was clearly outnumbered.
The rest of the Eagle Creek group arrived back sooner than they’d expected and before they’d had a chance to set the second trap. They came in fighting but the FW had the house and the advantage. Some fought to the death, some ran. By the end, there was blood split on both sides and bodies on the ground but Fenrir’s Warriors were the clear victors.
Once the fighting was at an end, he went in search of Luke. Graham caught up with him as he circled the perimeter of the house a second time.
“Jeremy escaped, alongside a handful of others. Andrew was injured, we think they took him. No one saw Luke but we believe they have him too. We’ve sent someone after them, to track where they’ve gone.”
James cursed, holding a hand to his head. “Stupid. I should have factored in how much of a coward Jeremy is. Of course he ran.”
He looked up at Graham.
“I told Luke it would all be okay.”
“We’ll go after them. For Andrew, for Luke.”
&nbs
p; But that would be a mistake.
“No. We have to secure our standing here, bring as many of our people in as we can. Gray Valley will be planning a counter-attack with what’s left of Eagle Creek’s forces.”
“We can’t just leave Andrew in their hands.”
“We’ll lose anyone we send after him.”
“That’s not a reason not to try.”
“It’s a reason to be cautious. To be smart.”
Graham kicked the wall, sending a spray of rock into the air.
“You’re right, I know you are. It’s just…”
“Andrew is our brother. We’ll get him back, I give you my word.”
He’d given Luke his word too and look how that had turned out. Victory they may have but it had come at a high price.
It was cold in the trunk when he woke. The car still moved, traveling at speed along roads that twisted and turned, knocking him to and fro.
When they finally stopped, when the trunk was finally thrown open, it was dark outside. He didn’t recognize the face of the shifter staring down at him but Etta stood by his side as the stranger lifted him out and onto his feet. It was Etta who reached for his bound hands, cutting them free from the rope with a knife.
She didn’t speak and the other shifter turned him, forcing him towards the house they were parked beside. Jeremy was ahead of them, talking animatedly to an imposing Alpha standing on the porch.
“Let’s get you all inside and we’ll see the lay of the land,” the Alpha said.
There was a lot of talking, back and forth, most of it going over his head. It was warmer inside, a fire blazing in the hearth, and he was grateful for that, even though he was pushed to kneel on a stone floor, the cold seeping up through his thin pants.
Someone made a comment and Jeremy’s voice grew closer.
“My birthday gift. An Omega. He took off and we were retrieving him.”
And Jeremy’s hand suddenly closed around the back of his neck, pulling tightly on the skin there. The pain was like nothing Luke had felt before, agonizing and sending darts of pain every direction through his body until the grip loosened.
“You were a trap, weren’t you? Sent there to distract us, get us out of the way to let those FW bastards attack?”
Luke stayed silent. All James had told him was that he was returning him, for a little while at least.
The hand tightened again, fingers pinching painfully across the sensitive skin.
“Answer me. Who sent you? Where did you come from before those shifters gave you back?”
Luke didn’t know how to explain places or directions.
“A house,” he said, eyes darting left and right.
“What house? Where?”
“I don’t know.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know.”
“What about him?” Terrance, the bigger Alpha, asked, gesturing to the corner.
Luke peered over to the corner of the room where a familiar face lay on the ground, bloodied and bruised. Andrew. There was a man kneeling by his side.
“Unconscious. Probably concussed. Significant blood loss. You’re not getting anything from him today. Or even tomorrow.”
Jeremy stalked back over to Luke.
“It’ll have to be the Omega. What was their plan? Who helped them?”
Luke held still, hoping somehow this nightmare would just go away.
Jeremy grabbed him by the hair.
“I know you can talk, Omega. So tell me what I want to know. Where do I find the bastard responsible for this? Where are his safe houses, where do they keep the women and children? I want to hit him where it hurts, I want some leverage, then I’m going to take back what’s mine.”
He let go of Luke, stalking across the room towards the fire.
“You’re going to talk, Omega. One way or another. Bring him over here.”
A rough pair of hands grabbed him, half-carrying, half-dragging him on his knees across the room. He felt the softness of a rug beneath his legs and the warmth of the fire before Jeremy grabbed him by the hair again, forcing his head forward and exposing his neck.
“Tell me what I want to know.”
He heard Etta’s voice, nearby. “He doesn’t know anything, Jeremy. He was a means to an end. They must have got lucky and picked him up.”
“Shut up. He knows more than he’s letting on. I just have to loosen his tongue. This will do the trick.”
Luke closed his eyes as something searing with heat was forced against the back of his neck. There was a second that seemed to stretch on forever before the pain finally hit, an agonizing burn that spread across his whole body.
He screamed, hearing voices in the background, feeling people moving around him. And Etta's high-pitched voice. “Jeremy, stop, stop! He doesn’t know anything. He doesn’t know. Stop!”
He welcomed the darkness when it came.
Chapter Nine
He woke lying face down on a cold, wooden floor. Moving was a mistake, igniting all the hurts, both big and small, across his body. He sobbed quietly, feeling his tears pool on the floor beneath his face.
A door opened and he stilled.
“Luke, honey? It’s just me.”
Etta’s voice was a hoarse whisper as she neared, setting something down next to him.
“I wanted to put something on that burn but the doctor here said it wouldn’t help. We should just leave it to heal. I was going to give you something for the pain but my brother said no. I’m sorry.”
Luke didn’t move, quieting his sobs as she continued to speak.
“Oh god, this is all such a mess. My father’s dead. And Kyle, my older brother, who would have become Alpha. Jeremy is next in line. But Jeremy… he was never fit to rule. Father’s been doing his best for years to keep him offside. And now Gray Valley are negotiating a deal with him to help us reclaim Eagle Creek.”
Her hand found Luke’s head, stroking gently through his hair.
“Gray Valley want you on the table. They don’t have an Omega of their own, so they want you to consolidate their power. But Jeremy’s possessive, he won’t want to let you go. He's offered me instead, for Terrance’s third son, Elliot. It’s not the first time they’ve proposed this. Father wouldn’t agree before. Elliot had appetites. And not the kind I could overlook. Not even the kind Father could overlook.”
Her words were intermingled with soft sobs. He didn’t dare look up at her face but knew if he did, he’d see tears.
“I brought you some water and some food. I need to think about what to do. Jeremy is impatient, he won’t want to wait long. But he’ll mate with you before he goes. He doesn’t trust Gray Valley not to steal you away while his back is turned.”
She stroked his hair one last time, then stood, crossing the room.
“I’m so sorry, Luke.”
She left him in silence again. No, not silence, he could hear someone else breathing. He wasn’t alone.
Moving took a valiant effort. Ever slight shift of his head sent terrible pain shooting from his neck. The rest of his body wasn’t much better.
He got his hands under him, slowly pushing himself upward until he was on his knees. He sat back, shuffling around so he could see the rest of the room without having to turn his head.
There was another body on the floor. Andrew. The shifter was breathing noisily and he looked in bad shape. Adam had looked like that once, after a terrible punishment from Tobias. He’d slept so long after, Luke had been afraid he’d never wake up.
Luke stood, stepping slowly across the floor, kneeling next to the other man.
“Andrew?”
He shook his shoulder twice and Andrew jerked awake, one hand closing tight around Luke’s neck.
Luke froze and Andrew let him go a second later.
“Luke, is that you? Damn, I’m sorry. Are you okay?”
One of Andrew’s eyes was swollen shut, the other peered at him, trying to make him out. Luke shook his head, the action dr
awing a cry from him, shoulders hunching as he tried to ease the pain.
His reaction wasn’t lost on Andrew, who reached towards him. Luke shoved himself backward.
“Sorry, Luke. This wasn’t how it was supposed to play out.” Andrew coughed, wincing from the pain.
Wait, Etta had brought water, hadn’t she?
He crossed the room to retrieve it, carrying it back to Andrew. But the other man had slumped to the floor, unconscious again, and this time he didn’t wake when Luke shook his shoulder.
Swallowing a few mouthfuls, he set it down near Andrew and curled up against the wall. This room reminded him a lot of living with Tobias. One small window up very high letting in a small amount of light. He wished he was back there, at least he knew what to expect. Every day since he’d left had been worse than the one before.
When the door opened again, he’d expected Etta but it was Jeremy and Terrance, the big Alpha from before.
Jeremy pulled him to his feet, ignoring his cry, and dragged him towards the older man who was checking on Andrew.
“The FW scum is still unconscious.” Terrance turned towards Luke. “You’ve made a mess of him,” he said, with a nod to Luke's injuries.
“I had to teach him a lesson. And we needed to know what he knew.”
“Which was nothing, if I remember correctly.”
“Look, Terrance, there are other Omegas out there. Our source for this one assured us that was the case, and this guy would know.”
Terrance seemed skeptical.
“You giving this one to us would sweeten the deal.”
Jeremy’s hand tightened on Luke’s shoulder
“He and I have already made a lasting impression on one another.”
Terrance dismissed that with a wave of his hand. “You haven’t fucked him. He hasn’t been in heat. There’s no connection worth mentioning there.”
“He was the last thing my father gifted me. I’m loath to part with him. Can we agree that Etta mates with Elliot and Eagle Creek will buy an Omega for one of your sons?”
The Alpha's Heart: Lost Omegas Book Five: A M/M Shifter Romance Page 4