Four days of complete bullshit. That’s what this journey amounts to,” Charlie complained.

“Do you ever shut up?” Hansel asked. His face was ashen. The infection had spread up his leg.

“The answer is obvious. We need to leave Hansel. We have no ties to him. He’s a soldier,” Charlie said.

I didn’t want to step into this argument. I was on Liam’s side completely. My omega managed to take his past anger and turn it into compassion. In the future, the Alliance could grow to take over. I wanted us to stand on certain principles.

“We’re almost there, Charlie,” Liam said.

“We exited the subway tunnels this morning, without a clue as to what the right direction was,” Charlie argued.

My father remained silent on the matter, but he gave me a heart to heart last night. In our tent, he told me what it meant to be an alpha. “Being a man doesn’t mean being macho. I think Charlie sometimes misunderstands this point. Being an alpha male is about constantly asking yourself if you’re doing the right thing. It’s about helping those in need,” he said.

The odd thing was that Liam knew what to do instinctually. When the time came, he decided to leave his old life behind. He received one glimpse into my world and decided he would be a better man. It was a rare thing to do.

Charlie needed to man up. He needed to accept that we had to alter our plans a little bit, for the greater good.

Hansel was barely hanging on. “I showed you the map. We’re close. I promise you,” Hansel murmered.

Sure enough, thirty minutes later, we saw an old, abandoned neighborhood. The road leading toward it had been bombed out, as well as some of the surrounding houses. “This place looks about as abandoned as the station,” Charlie said.

We kept walking until we got to the house Hansel insisted the doctor lived in. Charlie aimed his rifle at the door. We knocked three times in quick succession. A man glanced out of the window, before opening the door with his hands up.

“I’m registered with the militia. You can check my papers if you want to,” the doctor said.

“Jared,” Hansel whispered. “It’s me, you son of a bitch.”

The doctor slowly reached for his glasses. Charlie lowered his rifle. “Hansel? Is that you?”

Liam balanced him with me. “His leg got caught in a bear trap. Can you help us?” Liam said.

Jared peered at Charlie’s Northern Alliance patch. “The Alliance. Somehow, I knew this day would come,” he said. “Everyone inside. Now. Or they’ll see you.”

“They?” I asked.

“The neighborhood patrol,” he said. “You need to get inside now.”

Liam and I carried Hansel inside. His eyes were closed. The only way I could tell he was alive was by his fingers moving.

“Bring him onto the stretcher here,” Jared said. “Remove the bandages for me. I’ll go find my kit.”

I carefully removed his bandage. I jumped back when I saw just how bad the wounds were. “Oh, fuck. Doc! You’re going to want to see this,” I said.

Liam covered his mouth before turning away completely. Jared came rushing into the room with a syringe in his hand. “Antibiotics!” he yelled.

He plunged the needle into his ankle. I had to turn away, alongside my mate. I hated needles! Hansel whimpered lightly. Tears streamed down his cheeks. Jared cleaned the wound carefully.

He tore off his hospital gloves, snapping them into the garbage. “Do you want my honest opinion on this?” he asked.

Liam wrapped his arm around my waist for support. We both told the doctor that we needed to know the truth. He eyes were sympathetic and understanding, but full of worry. “He’s going to need to stay here for at least a month,” he said.

Charlie threw his bags across the room. The contents of his first aid kit scattered onto the floor. “A month? We can’t stay here for that long!”

“Ignore him. He’s got a stick up his ass at all times,” I said to Jared.

Jared didn’t laugh. “I apologize for the way this place looks. We don’t have as many supplies as we used to. I’m going to help Hansel in every way that I can,” he said, glaring at Charlie.

I glanced out of the window and saw the sad scene of destruction. Turrets were set up in every boarded up window. There was spray-painted signs telling people to beware.

“What happened to this place? It seems like everywhere we go is abandoned,” I said.

“You can’t trust anyone these days. The militia has a vested interest in one thing only. They want to catch and imprison every gray wolf on their lands. Apparently, they’re willing to attack any neighborhood standing in the way of that goal. We were peaceful here,” he said.

“They just came in here and attacked you?” I asked.

The doctor reached into his kit and found a thermometer. He placed it in Hansel’s mouth. “They got tipped off about a freedom fighter hiding out in one of the houses. It was false. Of course, they didn’t waste any time shelling our homes. Half of the neighborhood was gunned down. I was the only one who could help,” he said.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. Out of nowhere, Liam teared up. The story must have hit him hard.

He fell into my arms, crying silent tears. I held him tightly, kissing the back of his neck. “Baby, we’re going to be okay. I promise you,” I said. I knew my words were lackluster, but they were all that we had right now.

“I’m used to crying, so don’t feel ashamed,” Jared said.

Charlie sat down in a chair, holding his rifle in his lap. Jared went back to fixing up Hansel’s leg, while my omega vented his emotions. I just wanted one night with him, where we could discover ourselves and connect again. It was looking like we might be here for a while, so maybe I’d get my chance.

“I’m sorry, Jared. It’s just that…” My omega trailed off. He glanced at me to make sure it was okay to tell an outsider he was pregnant. I was unsure as well.

“Go ahead. Tell him,” Daren insisted.

“I’m pregnant,” Liam said. I could smell the fear in him.

The doctor threw away the old bandages and took a step back. He pulled off his glasses and squinted. “A pregnant omega? That’s impossible,” he said.

“It’s possible,” Charlie interjected.

“I’ve heard some stories of this happening, but you’re an ex-soldier. How could you possibly get away with it? Your scent would drive an alpha crazy,” Jared said.

Liam was wild with embarrassment and apprehension. “I took precautions. Every morning, I would wake up early to de-scent. Trust me. It wasn’t easy, but I had to do it. These guys killed my parents. I didn’t want to end up with them,” Liam said.

The doctor frowned and clenched both fists together. He closed his eyes and nodded his head with emotional excitement. “This is what we’ve needed. New life,” he said. “I thought there wasn’t any hope left.”

“So you’re not aligned with the government?” Liam asked him. “We can trust you?”

Jared laughed a little, before sitting down. “I’m a doctor. My job is to help people, not dabble in politics.”

I looked at his pupils. “You’re a human, though. You don’t despise us?” I asked.

“Good heavens, no! I don’t despise anyone. When the new regime took effect, I couldn’t fathom why they were doing it. You’d be surprised. Most humans are on the Alliance’s side,” Jared said.

He took out a pipe and lit the embers, grinning. “You’re almost there too. If people knew you were pregnant, they could feel inspired again,” Jared added.

“I want you to check me out. I need to know that this baby, will be safe. I haven’t exactly lived the best life,” Liam said.

“How do you know it’s just one?” I asked with a curious smile.

“I just have a feeling,” Liam replied.

Jared jumped out of the seat, groaning when his back started to hurt him. He grabbed his tools. “I’ll check your vitals, but that’s all I can do. I don’t have the necessary equipment,” Jared said.

“Then, we’ll rest here until Hansel is better. It’ll be a better atmosphere for the pregnancy,” I said.

Nearly everyone but the doctor and I sighed. “It’s all we can do,” I said.

“I just hope that Sandoval won’t find us. We’re not that far off from the metro,” Charlie said.

“Sandoval?” Jared asked, startled.

“You know that name?” I asked.

The doctor shifted back, knocking his tools to the side accidentally. He cleared his throat and nodded. “Yeah. I think I, uh, I’ve seen him before. The prison guy, right?” he asked.

“That’s him,” I said.

“I doubt they’ve followed you all this way,” Jared said, still looking curious.

“Look, as far as Hansel goes, he’s the best fighter Liam knows. He’s ruthless. We need him,” I said. “And right now, I need to dote on my omega. I’m tired of fighting with you, Charlie. This isn’t up for discussion. You might think that I’m going to fail, but I won’t.”

Jared listened to Liam’s heartbeat with a stethoscope. “Well, it’s like I said. I can keep on eye on you, but you’re not far enough along with your pregnancy. I’ll know more in time,” he said. “In the meantime, you can grab a room. Don’t mind me. I’m pleased to have guests, as long as you don’t point any more guns in my direction.”

We all glanced at Charlie, who looked away, ashamed. Liam placed his arms around me and whispered, “Let’s find a room.”

I kept trying to tell myself to relax, but it was hard to feel at ease, no matter how safe we might have been. We both collapsed onto the bed, staring at the ceiling in silence. I held his hand, hoping the dangerous forces in the world wouldn’t be able to tear us apart.

“Life has changed now. Hasn’t it?” Liam asked me.

I turned over on my side. His yellow eyes reflected back at me. He was so beautiful. “It has,” I whispered.

I ran my hands through his silky hair. At the same time, I was enchanted by his rich omega scent. I grabbed him and held him close to me. He whispered back, “I’m scared. I’ve never been scared before, but the stakes are so high. I just want to feel a sense of ease with you.”

“If we went back to our normal lives, we wouldn’t be able to claim our love. We just need to get over the border. After we do that, we’ll be given political asylum and granted access to the Sanctuary.”

I felt a rush of electricity enter my body. We both closed our eyes. Our lips crushed together passionately. I breathed in his scent, unable to stop kissing him. When he pulled away playfully, I rolled underneath him and held him on top of my pelvis.

“Tell me everything there is to know about the Sanctuary,” Liam said.

He had such a cute level of excitement to him now. “It was something my dad told me about growing up. It was like this mythical place. I never thought it was real,” I said.

“But it is, right?” he asked.

I nodded, smiling. He kissed me quickly. “It’s a place where we can be free. There are other omegas there too. We could raise our children there, Liam. We’ll never have to aim a rifle at another person again,” I said.

“Is there a beach? There better be a beach.” Liam smiled really big.

“It’s an island, so there better be.” I laughed. I reached forward and grabbed the top of his shirt, unbuttoning it slowly. He slid out of the fabric.

His eyes lit up, as he kissed me. “What about ice cream? Do they have ice cream?”

I burst out laughing. “Ice cream? Really?”

He winked, looking smug. “Well, I’m not going if they don’t serve ice cream,” he said.

“It’s not a theme park,” I said.

“Wait. You’re telling me that there’s no theme park there? Uh, yeah, I’m not going,” Liam said.

We ripped our shirts off and kissed like it was our last day on earth. I really enjoyed Liam’s company. We grew up on the opposite ends of the spectrum, but he understood me.

We had everything stacked against us, but each day brought us closer to our end goal. The Sanctuary was waiting. My omega would have our children there. Then, and only then, could we live in absolute peace.

“Wait. I want to give you a show,” he said, enthusiastically.

“A show?” I raised my brow. I could not wait to see what he had to show me.

“Yes. A little show. Close your eyes, first,” he said.

I closed my eyes, biting my lip. His fingers trickled down my bare chest. I thrust upward, instinctually. I couldn’t stop my hard-on from rising against my abdomen. His fingers grazed it, but only for a brief second. I opened my eyes.

Liam slowly rolled his jeans over his ass, teasing me. He was wearing a jock strap, military grade. He bent over in front of me. His fingers ran underneath the elastic bands. He snapped them against his soft skin. Crack. I felt my cock start to throb when he looked back at me, licking his lips.

When I saw a glimpse of his hole, I eagerly thrust my cock against his hip. He turned around and smiled. “Not yet, alpha,” he teased.

“How much longer must you torment me,” I grunted.

His cologne wafted into my nose. My balls tightened. He dropped to his knees and spread his lips over the head of my cock. “Liam,” I moaned. “You’re the best cocksucker in the world.”

Coming back up, he opened his lips and grazed my shaft with his warm tongue. He groaned with desire, sucking up his saliva. “God, I want you so bad. You have to know how much, Carter. I want to give you everything. Can you see that now?”

I could see the desperation and worry in his eyes. The poor omega went through so much these past few days. It wasn’t easy to pack up your life and leave. And since he did, he depended upon my love.

I reached forward and grabbed his chin. I kissed his soft, sweet lips. He tasted so fucking good. I opened my eyes and whispered, “I want you.”

He slowly dropped to his knees, placing his palms flat against the mattress. Arching his back, he pushed his cute ass in front of my face. His scent lingered, forcing my wild and animalistic desires to go haywire.

“Is this how you want me?” he asked.

I leaned over and kissed the top of his cheeks. Holding his butt against my face, I bit down lovingly. I felt my knot tighten inside of me. It was going to be hard not to cum quick.

“This is exactly how I want you,” I groaned and smacked his ass, unconcerned with whether the other guests in this house heard us or not.

I spread his cheeks open, sliding my cock against his hole. I spat down, letting my saliva run around his rim. He moaned, airy and adorable.

“We’ve been moving around too much. We never get any time to ourselves,” I said.

“You sound like you need a release, baby. Are you going to mount me now?” he asked, innocently enough.

I licked his hole and grunted. “Is that what you want? Do you want me to fuck you hard and deep?” I asked.

He nodded, grinning shrewdly. My arms locked around him with comfort. I kissed from his neck down to the butt of his spine. I made him feel loved and desired. “You’re my omega. No one else gets the honor of protecting you on your journey,” I said.

Most of his uneasiness came from the burden of having to carry a child inside his womb for three months. I wanted him to feel like he could depend on me, no matter what.

“You’ll be by my side? You won’t leave me like my parents?” He spoke those words with desperation. This world had fucked him up, just like it fucked me up. We were two peas in a fucked up pod.

“I’ll never leave this tight butt,” I said, grinning.

“Fuck me, alpha,” he whispered, closing his eyes.

I wanted to dive right into him, but I decided to take it slow and pace myself. I quickly came to realize that being with him was more than just a sexual experience. When he hurt, I hurt too. When he felt joy, I felt it too. All of my happiness was now dependent on him.

I slid my tongue against his rim, getting him nice and riled up for my cock. He rocked his hips back and forth, using my mouth in the way he wanted to. I loosened him up and grabbed his hips firmly.

The first penetrative push is a holy rite. His warm hole wrapped around me. A warm glaze of satisfaction tightened and caused my jaw to drop. I reached around and gave him a light tug. He was incredibly hard.

He grunted loudly, forcing his ass back. Slowly, I watched as every inch disappeared into his round hole. “Carter, your cock feels so good,” he groaned.

“Mm, I can’t wait to make you cum,” I replied.

I tugged Liam’s nipples and bit my lip hard to stop me from cumming too fast. My balls were tight, and my cock was ultra sensitive, after holding back my lust for two days straight. When you meet a new partner, all you want to do is fuck their brains out. When you’re a member of the Alliance, you don’t have any time to yourself.

We took our lust to new heights. Liam held my arm as he positioned himself on my lap. I held him close to me, palm on his chest. Our bodies were working up a sweat, and his scent only increased my appetite. I kissed the crook of his neck and thrust upward. I reached down and began stroking his cock softly. I kissed his ribcage and forced myself in deeper until I heard his soft moan of intensity.

“You want to make me cum bad, don’t you?” he asked, giving me a sly smile.

“You have no idea. I want to make you bust, boy,” I grunted.

I wanted him to cum in my mouth. I wanted to taste his sweet load, while I blew mine onto my chest. Every desire I kept bottled up was now bubbling to the surface. I tried to be as perverted as we could be in a house full of people.

His cock was soft, firm, and uncut. His foreskin was tightly pulled back for me. He was in constant heat when we were together, and it sent shivers of pleasure to see how much I could please him.

I moved closer to him as I fucked his warm, wet hole. I wanted to feel entangled with him. I wanted our physical selves to mimic just how bad I wanted him.

“Omega. I want you to cum in my mouth,” I said.

He thrust his ass back down against my pelvis and rocked his hips upward in a swift, smooth motion. A surge of intense pleasure rushed through me. “Seriously,” I groaned. “I’m about to fucking cum.”

“You want to taste me?” he asked.

“Yes! That’s so hot,” I said. “Cum in my mouth.”

I traced the outline of Liam’s shoulder and back muscles, losing myself in his body. I breathed in his scent before feeling my knot expand against his hole.

I was on the brink of losing it, so I pulled out and fell to my knees. I opened my mouth and extended my tongue. The firm, spongy feeling of his cock entered my mouth. He grabbed the back of my head and forced me forward.

I edged myself, starting and stopping with every push he gave me. My heart pounded against my chest when he pulled out and leaned forward for a sloppy kiss. He tasted me and grunted extremely loud.

“Carter, I’m going to fucking cum. Keep that wet mouth open for me,” he said.

I closed my eyes and held my tongue out. Feeling submissive was a guilty pleasure of mine. It was one of those desires that came and went, much like my craving for dark chocolate or red wine. Sometimes, I just ached it.

I first tasted the precum from his cock, but quickly, spurts of warm cum shot onto my tongue and lips. I caught the contents and swallowed. As I opened my eyes, he dropped to his knees and placed his hands underneath my balls, cupping them.

I tilted my head back and felt him stroke me. Every time he pumped downward, he dragged his finger around my tight hole. Each time, he applied new pressure. “Do it,” I whispered. “Massage my spot.”

He slid his finger inside of me, curling it upward ever so slightly. The intense emotional pleasure was intoxicating, so much so that I soon began begging him for a second finger. I felt my hole open for him almost effortlessly, simply because my desire was there.

When his fingers went deep enough, I felt that thigh shaking intensity swelling inside of me. I took my cock from Liam and stroked faster as he penetrated me deeper. With his free hand, he fed me his fingers. My lips pursed down to the knuckle.

My toes curled back as I braced for the thickest orgasm of my life. My whole body went sprung as ropes of cum pumped out from my cock.

“That’s right, baby. Cum for me.” Liam’s voice was raspy and low.

I clutched onto Liam’s arm as I hysterically squirmed against him. The orgasm knocked into me harder than a ton of bricks. I called out to Liam, feeling more connected to him than ever before. He eased his fingers out of me and took me into his arms. The mess didn’t faze us as we kissed for at least another minute.

When the orgasm faded, I held him close to me and tried to calm my breathing. I kissed Liam one more time, but he had grown silent and felt distant.

“That was amazing,” I said, trying to read him. Little tears could be seen around his eyelids as he stared off into the distance.

“Come on, baby. What’s wrong?” I asked him.

He let out an exasperated cry. “Just don’t,” he said. “I don’t know.”

I ran my fingers through his hair and tried to alleviate his pain. I massaged up and down his shoulder blades, but that made him squirm away from me. “Liam, I don’t understand. We just had a good time together. Can you just talk to me?” I asked.

“There’s nothing to say,” he groaned.

I started to feel extra worried when he sat up and didn’t smile back. My heart dropped into my stomach when he said the next words. “I think I have to leave,” he said.

I grabbed both of his arms and tried to comprehend him. “Leave? Liam, no. You can’t leave me now,” I protested.

He was firm about this, but it came out of nowhere. More tears began falling from his eyes. “I don’t feel right here. I’m freaking out, Carter. You don’t understand the pressure that I put myself in. I don’t think I want to have our baby like this. The doctor doesn’t even have any tools,” Liam said.

At that moment, everything turned dark and silent. I felt my throat close, choking the air out of me. I collapsed onto the bed, frantically quivering with pain. “Liam…”

He promised he was different. I thought he was just hiding who he was. I thought he was going to become the omega that completed me. We were supposed to be brought together by fate.

“All my life I’ve been an idiot,” he said. “I was born an idiot. When my parents were killed, I became an even bigger idiot. I joined the militia. Then, right when I get a moment of clarity, I do the most idiotic thing imaginable. I get knocked up.”

His face was red and wet with tears. It broke my heart to see him like this. Even if he left me, I’d still want him to be happy. I never wanted to see him hurt.

While I felt betrayed and heartbroken, I also tried to empathize with him. He had no real family, nor did he feel like he had a steady job to fall back on. He wasn’t used to depending on people like me and it probably worried him.

“You’re one of the last ones who can even bear children. It’s a gift,” I said.

I knew that wasn’t enough for Liam. He was wrestling with a ton of emotional damage. The thought of engaging in such a drastic lifestyle change was terrifying to him, as well as me. But I had a duty to protect him, and I thought we both wanted something meaningful together.

“I wasn’t thinking straight,” he muttered. Avoiding all eye contact, he shifted against the mattress. His tears hit the sheets below us.

“Yes, you were! You’re not thinking straight now. Please, Liam. You can’t just walk out of this now that you’re pregnant. I said I’d protect you, Goddammit!” I slammed my fist against the wall, denting it in. I lost all control, turning into an emotional wreck.

“When Hansel joined our party, I became weary of the whole thing, Carter. We can’t win this. No one can, which is why the Alliance has lost most of its members. Do you really trust, Charlie? He’s a buffoon with a rifle,” he said.

I didn’t necessarily disagree with him, but it came at the worst time imaginable. We agreed to do this, together. TOGETHER.

“I’m leaving tomorrow,” he said. “And I don’t think I can come back.”

We came from a world where the population didn’t accept us for who we were. He was conditioned at an early age to hate himself and who he was. Maybe it was stupid for me to think he could overcome something like that.

I turned around and closed my eyes. I couldn’t face Liam anymore. I was filled with rage. When I felt his arms shroud around me, streams of tears fell from my eyes. The naivety of my brain told me that he might stay, that eventually, he would come to terms with his decisions. Eventually, he’d come to know that he was making the right decision by staying.

But he didn’t say another word, and I knew that nothing could change his mind. All the giddiness of having some alone time with my omega had come to an end.

I lost another loved one. Once again, I felt betrayed.