“Then I’ll go wherever you send me.”
James regretted his words almost immediately. He’d just been trying to get to the root of Luke’s motivations. If he knew there were other options, would he still want to be here?
“Luke…” He stepped towards him.
“I… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to presume a connection. I know you want an Omega but I understand why you don’t want it to be me.”
James rubbed a hand across his mouth. This wasn’t an ideal time for this conversation but Luke was being more forthcoming than he had been when they’d talked before.
“What I don’t understand, is why you want me as your Alpha?”
“Because I’m selfish and disobedient and I don’t learn from my punishments,” Luke parroted, a few tears slipping from his eyes and sliding down his cheeks. James cupped his chin.
“That’s not what I mean. Why me?”
Luke took a shuddering breath.
“You’re strong and brave and kind. Any Omega would be lucky to have you.”
“I’m not talking about any Omega. I’m talking about you. Why do you want me?”
He wasn’t prepared for the reaction, Luke letting the jacket fall and launching himself into his arms. Catching him, he couldn’t do more than hold the Omega as Luke clung to him.
Luke murmured quiet words against his chest and he had to crane his head down to hear them.
“…can’t stop thinking about you, the way you talk to me and touch me and how good it feels. Even though I’m scared all the time, you’re there and things don’t seem so bad.”
James picked him up bodily and laid him down on the bed, lying side by side with him.
“We don’t have time for much, the Council will be here soon. There may be a way to bring on your heat, if that’s what you really want. But it may not work and, Luke, it is going to hurt, a lot.”
“What is it?” the Omega asked, their faces so close together James could feel the warmth of Luke’s breath against his skin.
And James cheated, leaned in to capture Luke’s soft lips with his own, kissing him lightly and earning a soft sound of surprise from Luke. Cupping his cheek, he kissed Luke a second time, firmer, surer, nudging his tongue against Luke’s lips until the Omega parted them for him. Luke stilled as he slipped his tongue inside, as if becoming used to the sensation. James had a moment to wonder if Luke had ever been kissed before, deciding the answer was no when Luke whimpered needily as he pulled away.
“There are some historical records that say a heat can be brought on by a bond bite to the back of the neck. A bond bite is usually something done in the middle of sex, as part of a mating, that heightens the pleasure. I’m afraid, outside of that and with the burn on your skin, it will be extremely painful.”
Luke’s eyes met his before his attention was drawn to James’ lips, leaning in for a third kiss, an expression of wonder on his face.
“I want to try it.”
“Luke, I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“But if it brings on my heat and we mate… everything will be okay.”
“It’s not a solution to all of our problems. It might stop an attempt to return you to Jeremy but it might not stop the Council ordering or orchestrating my death. I have other plans to keep you safe. You don’t have to submit to something truly torturous for that.”
“No, I want to try,” Luke insisted.
James growled in frustration, turning Luke over onto his stomach.
“You say stop the second it gets too much for you. Do you understand?”
“I understand,” Luke said, settling down onto the mattress.
James started by easing him into it, tracing the skin around the brand. Luke’s breathing because labored and he squirmed a little with the sensation. James moved on to lightly licking across the branded skin.
Luke’s squirming stilled and he gasped but not from pleasure. A third pass of James’ tongue and Luke was sobbing quietly from the pain, a heart-wrenching sound. James couldn’t do this. It was no better than torture and it made him no better than someone like Jeremy.
Easing Luke’s body onto his side, he lay down so they were face to face.
“You didn’t do it,” Luke said, still breathing harshly.
“It was too much for you. I couldn’t be the cause of any more pain.”
“But I want you to do it,” Luke argued, trying to lie back down on his stomach. James leaned in closer to his ear. “Well, I’m your Alpha and I say no. End of story.”
Luke turned his head towards him. “Do you promise?”
“I give you my word. You’re mine.”
Chapter Seventeen
James found Luke some clothes to wear and they dressed side by side. The Alpha turned to him, giving him a once over.
“Perfect. You’ll blend right in.”
He’d given Luke another warm, hooded top that covered the back of his neck so no one would see his brand, then he was dispatched to the kitchen to help Sandra.
“Chop these,” Sandra said, setting him up at the table with a pile of vegetables. She had to return a minute later and show him how to do it safely, tutting at his ignorance.
“It’s not your fault but how someone let you out into the world without a smidgen of common sense is beyond me.”
Etta came in to help, taking a seat beside him. She seemed lost in thought.
“What do you think will happen?” he asked her. “What do you think the Pack Council will say?”
“I really don’t know. The mood across the Packs is mixed. Some are angry with what the FW did and some feel it was justified. I’d guess, right now, the Packs on our borders are breathing a sigh of relief.”
“Why was your father so mean?”
Etta blinked at the question, considering her words before she spoke.
“I guess he had to fight for anything he got, pretty much from the moment he was born. You took what you wanted or you went without. To him, there was no middle ground. What about your parents?”
“I never had any, just Tobias,” he said, matter of factly.
“But you must have had a mother and a father at some point.”
“I have a brother,” he offered.
“Right. Is he a blood brother or just someone you’re close to?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Does he have the same mother as you, the same father?”
“I don’t have a mother or father,” he said again, unable to hide his exasperation. It felt like they were going around in circles.
“Alright, sorry. It’s just, there are two things important to a wolf; family and Pack. I’ve never met someone who grew up with neither.”
“I had Adam, he was family. He protected me.”
“How did he do that?”
“He took beatings that should have been mine, gave me his food. He even tried to stand up to Tobias a few times. But that didn’t work out so good.”
“No?”
“Tobias punished Adam really badly and then punished me anyway. He even separated us for a while. Said Adam was a bad influence on me. But he was wrong, Adam was the best thing in my life. Until James.”
That got Etta’s attention and she turned to look at him.
“You really like him. I get it, sort of. He’s quite charismatic, he’s powerful. But that doesn’t mean he’s a good match for you. There are hundreds of Alphas out there. You don’t have to settle for the first one you find.”
“But I’m not,” he argued. “I found Jeremy first and I don’t want to mate with him. And James is powerful but he protects me instead of hurting me. He’s gentle. Jeremy wasn’t gentle.”
Belatedly, he realized he’d been talking about her brother.
“You’re right about Jeremy. There’s no kindness in him. And no real power, he hides in the shadows of others, only coming out to steal the glory after the hard work has been done. I suspect that’s what he’s trying to do with the council, get them
to make the hard decisions then ride in at the end and reap the rewards.”
“What could they do?”
“Declare the FW’s actions as illegal. Sentence James to exile or death. Pull out any of a dozen old rules and try to implement them. Take custody of you-”
“James said he won’t let that happen,” Luke said, interrupting her.
“Then I’m sure he won’t,” she replied smoothly. “And I’ll help any way I can.”
A hush fell over the house minutes later when cars pulled up outside.
“What do we do?” Luke whispered to Etta.
“We stay right here and keep chopping vegetables. That’s our job this morning and we’ll stick to it until someone tells us otherwise.”
Luke turned his attention back to the pile of carrots in front of him. It would all be okay. James had promised.
James and Graham waited by the door for the arrival of the Pack Council’s delegation. But the first car to pull up was someone unexpected.
“Sebastian. Ro.”
James jogged out to greet them as they stepped out of the car.
“It’s good to see you.”
“And you. What brings you both here?”
“We heard you were having some important visitors and we thought we’d lend our support.”
Martin and Ben climbed out of a second vehicle and James greeted each man in turn.
“Sam is holding forth in Glenoak. You can’t be too careful these days,” Seb explained.
“Of course,” he agreed, inviting them inside.
“The Pack Council aren’t far behind us,” Ben said. “We’ll wait here.”
“How are the Pack taking to your arrival?” Seb asked.
“We’ve had a bumpy few days but it hasn’t been as bad as we expected. Most of those loyal to the Migones have left voluntarily and we’ve exiled a handful of others. A significant proportion of our people are occupying nearby Pack houses and we have a strong perimeter up and running.”
“And Gray Valley?” Ben asked.
“Our sources tell us they’re hesitant to become active in this dispute without a reasonable assurance of their victory. They, and what remains of Eagle Creek, don’t have as much support as they were counting on. Whereas we, on the other hand, have more support than we were expecting. Raventree have been busy.”
Seb smiled at that. “Byron has no love for Eagle Creek after what they did or tried to do.”
The sound of car engines was heard in the distance.
“How are we playing this?” Graham murmured to him.
“Like we agreed. We’re the polite hosts unless they force our hand.”
They turned out to be six men and two women, from five of the larger Packs including Gray Valley and Raventree.
“You’ve certainly been a thorn in our sides for far too long,” a man named Arnold commented as they made introductions. He was from Gray Valley. “We have quite the list to get through. First, we need to see proof of your claim to this Pack. Second, we will need to speak to some Pack members to ascertain conditions here. Third, we’ll need you to surrender the Omega stolen from Jeremy Migone.”
“One and two are easily done. Three is not happening, under any circumstances.”
“That is an unfortunate position for you to take,” Arnold said.
“You wouldn’t think so if you saw the physical condition of the Omega in question because of his mistreatment at the hands of Jeremy Migone. They haven’t bonded; therefore, his claim is minimal.”
The Council members exchanged looks.
“Perhaps, if one or two of us could see him, ascertain the extent of his injuries and how he came by them, we would be better able to make a decision on his future,” Alanna, from Raventree, said.
James considered that. It might buy them some time at least and would look like they were cooperating, even if he was planning Luke’s escape out in his head as he spoke.
“That would be acceptable. If you’d all like to come inside, we can get you the information you’ve requested.”
Proof of his identity was in the form of papers, photographs, personal testimony of those who’d known him since childhood and the subtle similarities of his scent and Ro’s. James suddenly understood why Seb had taken the risk of bringing him.
While some of the council were pouring over his documents and talking to Ro, others were speaking with the Pack members who had elected to come to the meeting. They had put the word out as soon as they knew they were coming, leaving it open ended. Any Pack member who wished to speak with them could, with no restrictions.
James took responsibility for the third task, having Etta bring Luke upstairs to one of the bedrooms while he led Alanna and Arnold there.
Luke was uncertain, his eyes darting around the room as he stood in the center, his fingers holding tightly to his sleeves.
“Omega,” Arnold addressed him, his voice strict and unyielding. “Strip.”
Luke balked, taking a step towards the door, his eyes wide and frightened.
“It’s okay, Luke, they don’t mean you any harm,” James counseled gently, moving to block his escape. “They need to see the extent of your injuries. Please, take your clothes off and place them on the bed. I promise no one will hurt you.”
“James is correct, Luke, we’re here to look and nothing more,” Alanna said, throwing a less than friendly look at Arnold.
Luke was trembling, eyes downcast. James stepped forward, taking him into his arms. “It’ll all be okay, I promise. Just a few minutes and it’ll all be over.”
Luke clung to him, pressing his face against James’ chest.
“Are they going to send me back to Jeremy?”
“That will depend on you,” Arnold said. “On you being obedient and doing what you’re told.”
“He’s scared and no wonder,” Etta bit out.
James reached for the hem of Luke’s sweatshirt, drawing it over his head.
“No, no,” Luke begged, clinging to him.
“I’m sorry, Luke,” he whispered. “I promise, it’ll only be for a few minutes, that’s all.”
He pulled off his t-shirt next, before reaching for his pants. Resigned, Luke’s hands moved to help him, slipping them down his legs and stepping out of them. James left the loose fitted boxers on to give Luke at least some sense of privacy. Luke let James turn him so his back was to the two Council members. They stepped forward and James stepped backward, watching Luke’s reaction closely.
The Council members talked amongst themselves as they circled Luke, commenting on each cut, each bruise, each welt.
Then they started to ask, question after question. What and when and who and how. Over and over. Luke answered each one, his voice quiet, not meeting their eyes.
When they got to the back of his neck, they seemed puzzled by the burn.
“How did this happen?”
Etta stepped in, to James’ relief. “I was there. My brother used a hot poker to brand him. He was torturing him.”
Alanna went pale. “But… the back of his neck… it’s… it’s…”
“Why? Why was he torturing him?” Arnold interrupted.
“He wanted to know about the FW. Who they were, where they were. We knew Luke didn’t know, he was innocent, just caught up in everything.”
“You knew that for certain?” Arnold asked, his sharp eyes watching them.
“Not absolutely but it would have been very unlikely. Jeremy did it because he could, not because it would be useful.”
“Still, it could be seen as a reasonable action. His father and brother had just been murdered and this Omega had helped engineer the trap that allowed it to happen.”
“Luke didn’t engineer anything,” Etta snapped.
Arnold returned to his examination.
“Omega, have you had sex yet? With Jeremy? With another Alpha?”
Luke shook his head.
“Bend over. I’d like to ascertain that for myself.”
Luk
e started and only Alanna’s hand on his arm stopped him from running. James stepped forward, ready to intervene, but he held back when Alanna gave slightest shake of her head and spoke.
“I’m certain that is unnecessary, Arnold. And it would be extremely traumatizing. Omegas are very fragile creatures.”
There was a brief standoff between the two council members before Arnold backed down.
“Fine. We’re finished here.”
“Thank you, Luke. We’ll see you downstairs.”
They left and Luke stayed in his position in the center of the room. He didn’t react when James wrapped arms around him, as Etta slipped from the room, closing the door quietly behind her.
“I am so sorry I put you through that Luke. But I think it helped. I’m certain Alanna was on our side by the end. Arnold wasn’t but he’s a Gray Valley shill.”
“Etta said I was on the table,” Luke mumbled against him. The words made no sense to James.
“What do you mean?”
“She said Gray Valley wanted me and were trying to make a deal with Jeremy, that they’d help him in exchange for giving me to them.”
“Did he agree?”
“No. But he said the big Alpha, Terrance, could have me for a night.”
James’ stomach turned at the words.
“That’s not going to happen, Luke.”
Luke clung to him tighter, burying his nose against James’ neck. He smelled sweet, like his scent had blossomed somehow. It overrode the scent of fear that had filled the room only moments before.
“Okay, let’s get you dressed. You seem to end up without clothes an awful lot. And you’re thin, you must get cold.”
Luke shrugged, raising his arms as James slid his t-shirt over his head. “Adam and I were always cold, we’d huddle together at night to keep warm. It was a lot colder once he’d gone.”
They came downstairs to hear the Council’s verdict.
“We believe you, James Holden, are who you say you are and verify your claim is a valid one. However.” The silence hung heavy in the air. “The Holden’s Alpha line has not been a part of, or leader to, this Pack for a very long time. We find Jeremy Migone also has a valid claim.”
Alanna stepped forward. “As for the Omega, we have made a determination that he belongs to the Alpha of Eagle Creek, whoever that will be.”
The Alpha's Heart: Lost Omegas Book Five: A M/M Shifter Romance Page 9