Chapter Fifteen
The sweet sound of birdsong woke him alongside the quiet rush of water in the near distance. He had a moment of where and what before Jay’s face pressed against his chest reminded him. They had brought Jay to the place he called home for a decade or more. The place Jay had grown from a child to a man.
One of his hands had slipped under Jay’s shirt and was resting on the Omega’s back. Byron took advantage of it to wake him, rubbing circles with his fingers and the palm of his hand. It was better than waking Jay with words. Speaking had such strong memories for Jay, few of them good. But touch… Jay craved it, the light gentle touches Byron used to wake him, the heavier ones that he used to settled his Omega after a nightmare. The teasing ones he used to build that physical connection between them as surely as the emotional bond between them knitted together.
He heard Odin unzip his tent and get out, followed by sound of a slap as hand met flesh and a grumble about bugs. The sounds woke Jay with a start, his head lifting, fear flashing in his eyes before the touch of Byron’s hands registered. Settling back against him with a groan, he mumbled under his breath.
“Five more minutes.”
“Okay.” Byron conceded with a smile. “I’ll go and wash up.”
But when he tried to slide out from under Jay, the Omega held on tighter, his knees gripping Byron’s thighs tightly as he cuddled impossibly closer.
“With you,” the Omega said plaintively.
Odin slipped further from their camp, humming under his breath as Byron gave Jay his full attention.
He continued to rub circles across Jay’s back, each circle sweeping lower and lower. Jay wore a pair of loose sleep shorts and Byron let his hands slip under to cup Jay’s ass, feeling the swell of smooth skin and muscle beneath his fingers.
Jay moaned under his breath and arched his back, pressing into Byron’s hand. His groin was pressed against Byron hip and he squirmed a little, as if seeking friction.
It was with a reluctant sigh that Byron let go and edged Jay away. They didn’t have the time to enjoy each other’s touch right then, and this certainly wasn’t the place.
The loss of contact brought Jay back to awareness, his eyes opening and his hands bracing themselves against Byron as he sat up. Then he stretched his hands above his head, lifting his shirt to reveal his toned stomach as his fingers brushed the top of the tent. Byron couldn’t resist running a hand across the offered skin, hearing Jay suck in a breath as he did. Jay’s body was a marvel to him and he’d often wondered what it would look like after they’d mate, Jay’s body growing with their child inside him. He knew the thought interested his Omega too. He had paid a lot of attention to the other Omegas he’d met.
“Let’s wash up, have some breakfast, and we’ll get going,” Byron said, breaking the silence. Jay continued to peer down at him as his hand settled over Byron’s where it still lay on his stomach.
“You’ll stay with me…”
“The whole time,” Byron said with insistence. “I won’t leave your side.”
They followed Odin to the stream, washing in the chilled water. It was a bright morning, the sun peeking out from behind a cloud and a warm breeze buffeting them.
As they ate breakfast, they pulled out the map again.
“Jay, is there any place that you remember clearly that we should maybe look out for. Somewhere you spent a lot of time. Maybe a place you went when you were scared?”
Jay just shrugged one shoulder and continued chewing on the piece of bread in his hand.
“Jay…”
If this was going to work, they needed the Omega on side.
“I went to the river most days. It was easier to hunt there.”
Byron could see why. The river would attract a lot of different animals, not to mention the fish, and the sound of the water would have masked Jay’s movements.
“Then we’ll start at the river.”
They’d travel as wolves from here on in. They’d cover more ground, and it was more likely to jog Jay’s memory if he was looking at the forest from a familiar perspective.
Byron had hoped Jay would lead the way once they’d shifted, but the Omega hung back and only moved when Byron did, sticking close. He picked up the pace once they got going. The sun dipped in and out from between the clouds which were gathering above them.
The followed the stream as it rolled across stones, rocks and pebbles, reeds growing in tufts along the bank. Now and then, they disturbed something: rabbits, birds, rats. He resisted the urge to chase them but when it happened for the umpteenth time, Jay darted out from behind him after a rabbit who was fast disappearing into the undergrowth, his tail a flash of white in the green foliage.
Byron barked sharply as he followed him, Odin a split second behind as Jay weaved a path through the woods after the frightened rabbit. The Omega skidded to a stop as the rabbit disappeared into the undergrowth.
Overhead, there was a flash of lightning and an answering rumble of thunder.
Jay reacted like he’d been struck, his back going rigid, his fur standing on end. Before Byron could react, Jay was on the run again, his movements frantic as lightning laced the sky and thunder rolled.
At the best of times, Jay was frightened of storms. Those times, those nights, were the ones he’d always come to Byron seeking comfort and protection. He didn’t like to be alone, especially during a storm.
Byron struggled to keep up with Jay as he tore through the forest, the wind whipping through the trees. He barked after him, hoping his familiar voice would get Jay to slow. The Omega’s movements changed from erratic to purposeful. As if… as if he knew where he was going.
Another crash of thunder and Jay howled to the sky. The trees gave way to grass and the bank of the stream. No, not the stream, Byron realized. The river. Jay’s river. The Omega didn’t pause, diving right into the water, and wading across. Byron followed, Odin a second behind him. More and more, Byron got the sense Jay was acting on instinct and knew exactly where he was going. Somewhere he felt safe.