As he ran, all Sam felt was cold.

It was better that way, though, he decided; if he only felt the cold, then less would distract him from putting as much distance as possible between him and the monster that was trying to hurt him—hurt them, he amended, a hand coming around his middle as he skidded around a corner down the block. He had a vague sense of a destination but wasn’t even sure what he was going to do beyond just getting there—he wasn’t even sure how he was going to get there, if he even could. If he couldn’t…he would have to come up with something else.

Still, he had to try. He slowed his jogging down to a trot as he neared a convenience store, its halogen lights too bright for him to look at but bright enough that he was drawn to them. Ducking inside as the wind began to howl, he gave himself a moment to gulp in air that wasn’t quite as cold and allow his legs a moment to rest. The muscles that carried him this far were burning and screaming at him for their abuse, but he paid them no mind as he tried to look like someone who was wandering the aisles in search of a snack rather than a new purpose to his life.

His hands had long since lost feeling but still he forced the one that wasn’t holding his stomach to work, rummaging in his pocket and fumbling with his phone. The touch screen was difficult to work with frozen fingers, but still he managed to dial out a number and press the phone to his ear.

“Please,” he whispered, his bottom lip quivering with the weight of trying not to cry. “Please, pick up the phone…”

The longer the ringing went on, the greater his fear grew. If he couldn’t get in touch with him...

“Sam?” He nearly let out a sob of relief as he heard his friend’s voice on the other end of the line.

“Adam!” His friend’s name was nearly unintelligible through his warbled crying but he did his level best to swallow his tears long enough to talk. “Are you home? I—I need someone...”

“Yeah,” Adam’s deep voice remained level, though it had taken on that protective tone that it always did when Sam needed his help. It was a balm on his frayed nerves, and he let out a shuddering breath as he tried to collect himself. “Are you safe? Where are you? Should I come get you?”

“No!” He nearly shouted as he shook his head but realized he should clarify; he’d been asked a few questions there. “I mean, no, I’m not safe at the moment, but I’m a few roads from your house, and no, please don’t come for me.” It was better that way—Adam coming for him meant he was going to have to wait, and waiting meant he had to stay still; possibly stay still long enough for him to catch up and drag him away. There was no point in him begging for help in a public setting; Omegas being coerced back into their homes after an ‘erratic emotional outburst’ was to be expected—it fed into the mentality of Omegas needing to be protected and sequestered, and the world was content to see that stereotype continue. “I—I can come to your house. I’m not far, maybe a few blocks or so. Is…” He swallowed again, realizing he needed something to drink (and that the cashier was giving him a strange look) so he grabbed a can of tea and purchased it. “Is that all right?”

“It’s always all right, dummy.” He knew what Adam was trying to do; he was trying to sound as normal as possible so he didn’t make Sam stress more than he already was, and while it wasn’t necessarily working, he appreciated the attempt. “Come on over, I’ll have some snacks and a blanket ready.”

“Thank you,” he said to both Adam and the cashier before he took his purchase and began to stuff his money in his pocket, intent on getting moving as soon as he could.

“Can you stay on the phone with me while you’re coming, though?” Adam asked.

It wasn’t an unfair thing to ask—Sam was the one that had said he wasn’t safe right now, so it was only sensible that his friend was worried. “I know you said that I shouldn’t come get you, but can you at least tell me—”

“I have to keep moving,” Sam said, stepping outside and into the night once again. “I don’t know if I’m being followed, but I don’t want to wait and find out—I’ll be there soon. I’m a few streets away, I think.”

“Sam—” He heard Adam wanting to say more, probably to talk him into staying on the line but he couldn’t stand around and talk—he needed to move.

He hung up his phone and took off once more, feeling a little more confident in his ability to reach his destination now that he had a better understanding of how far away he was from it. His feet seemed particularly loud as they slapped against the wet pavement, the slushed snow splashing around his footfalls as he ran down the street, and the cold in his hands turned painful as he clutched at the can of tea he bought, but he paid it no mind. Feeling something physical was a good distraction and a good motivator to keep moving. His baser instinct of needing heat and shelter helped his body work through the way his leg muscles were quickly beginning to fail him, scorching in agony as they were pushed past their normal stamina. It was late enough that the sidewalks were sparsely populated, and he was glad to be alone. Having only his own footsteps to worry about, he could focus on hearing if anyone was trying to keep pace with him. Though, now that he thought about it, there was only one set of footsteps he needed to worry about; fearing other Alphas invading his personal space wouldn’t have to be a problem for the foreseeable future.

Sam supposed he should have been grateful that he wouldn’t have to worry about possibly going into heat for the next while—it would be one less thing to worry about, now that everything was up in the air for him. It was baffling; less than twelve hours ago, he thought his life had settled. He had a bond mate, they were both working well-paying jobs, they were looking at getting a house to move into so they could put roots down. He thought he’d made it. Now…now what did he have? His job, he supposed, and he was grateful he worked remotely rather than having to go into work; he wasn’t sure he would be able to step into an office and pretend nothing was wrong with how he was feeling come tomorrow morning. If nothing else, he wasn’t going to be destitute, though the thought was of little comfort at present.

He nearly stopped in his tracks when he heard someone else’s feet hitting the pavement, almost in step with him. Fear spurring him into a second wind, he picked up his pace, sprinting in an effort to lose them; he didn’t even know if they were running for him, couldn’t rightly say whether it was the person he was most afraid of in this moment, but he wasn’t about to stop and check. If it was who he was afraid it was, he couldn’t afford to stop. Blood began to pound in his ears, and he suddenly wasn’t sure if he was still hearing other footsteps—he could barely hear his own, and it only made him panic even more than he already was.

He heard shouting. It was a male voice, but he couldn’t make out the words, distant as they were and as loud as the blood roaring in his ears was, but all that mattered was that it could have been his pursuer calling out to him, and he couldn’t afford to take that chance. He nearly stumbled as he begged his legs to move faster, faster than they likely even could, faster than whoever else was running, because all he wanted was to just be safe. Was that even possible at that point? He wasn’t sure, though he didn’t want to stop to think about it. Moving was his top priority. He stole a glance up at the street sign, and sobbed with relief. That was Adam’s street! He slid on the slushed sidewalk as he veered down the road, hoping this would be enough to shake off anyone that might have followed him. If they even were—the one part of him that managed to remain even somewhat calm knew it was just as likely that he had simply been listening to the sounds of the city and had just been hyper aware of them, given his current state.

Still, no sense in taking the risk.

Blessedly, Adam’s house wasn’t far from him now, and even as he continued to cry, he sobbed in relief when his friend’s familiar red brick townhouse came into view down the bend of the street. Still, he couldn’t let up his pace now. He was not about to get caught off guard when he was so close to salvation and safety, especially now that he had more than just himself to think about. He stumbled up the steps leading to Adam’s front door, nearly barreling into the door before composing himself enough to knock. He gulped in air around his sobs, trying to keep himself upright; it wouldn’t do to pass out at the door.

Adam must have been waiting near the door because he answered within seconds of Sam knocking. He wasted no time in greetings, merely opening the door and ushering the Omega in. He closed the door and locked it, taking a breath before turning to face Sam. Something in the way he was looking at the Omega broke the dam of emotions Sam had barely managed to cobble together, and he began to weep in earnest.

“Oh, hon,” Adam cooed, opening his arms up to him in invitation. Sam launched himself into them, alarmed at how much more solid and tangibly there he felt for the embrace. Running in the snow had somehow shifted his thoughts into something ephemeral, like he was a spectre of a human, barely there, barely mattering. Now, he was thawing and feeling and real again because Adam was anchoring him. “What happened, sweetheart? I’ve never seen you so upset.” The Omega whimpered when he felt Adam’s large, callused hand come up and gently stroke his wet, tousled locks. He tried to answer, but all that came out of him were hiccuping sobs. Adam pulled away to look at him, thumbs wiping away his tears. “Listen hon, you’re absolutely soaked, and you’re probably freezing, yeah?” Sam nodded. “Go ahead and take a nice hot shower, and I’ll toss your clothes in the dryer so they’re warm and dry for you, okay?”

“You don’t have to,” Sam rasped as he scrubbed at his face.

“I know I don’t,” Adam agreed patiently, “but I want to. So go on, get yourself warmed up. Did you want some hot cocoa? I’ve got some of that good peppermint stuff you like.”

“That would be great,” Sam admitted sheepishly, stepping toward the bathroom. “Sorry, Adam.”

“Sam, don’t apologize, all right?” The Alpha said as he clicked his tongue in light admonishment. “Go on and take your shower, hon, and toss your clothes in the hallway for me to dry. I’ll leave ‘em for you by the sink.”

“...’Kay. Thanks, Adam,” he said before he moved to the bathroom. The small part of him that wasn’t heartsick thrilled at the thought of using Adam’s shower. It was a lovely, spacious thing, with shower heads on two sides of the shower and a heated lamp. If anything would stave off the chill that had settled into his bones, it would be that.

He peeled off his clothes and set them outside like Adam asked him to and set to work turning the shower on and waiting for the water to heat up. As he did, he caught his reflection in the mirror. On the outside, no one would know anything was different for him, that he was anything but an average man in his late twenties. His hazel eyes seemed especially dark against his pale skin, though he knew part of that was from the cold.

He shivered as his gaze was inevitably drawn to his stomach, and he placed a hand over it protectively. The skin of his stomach felt cool to the touch, but even now, he wondered if the flutterings under his fingertips were his nerves or the little life just beginning to grow inside of him.

Pregnancy—or at least, pregnancy without his partner—hadn’t been in his plans; when he was going to have children, he had always thought it would be with his bond mate at his side every step of the way, eagerly anticipating the arrival of their baby as they went through all of the steps of parenthood and transitioning into being a family together. He had thought it would be a joyous occasion. Announcing his pregnancy should have been a happy moment for him. For his bond mate. It should have been wonderful.

And yet, here he was, in a bathroom that wasn’t his, waiting on a shower more luxurious than the one at his home, holding his hand to his stomach, and wondering what was going to happen from here. No matter what came, be it him keeping the baby, or finding another path, he knew he would walk it alone.

At this point, he would have to.

The shower felt just shy of too warm, the perfect temperature for him, and he let out a broken moan as he stepped fully into the stream of water. For a few moments, he simply stood there, letting the water hit the front and back sides of him, and let the warmth creep into every cold crevice of his body. It wouldn’t fill the hole he felt in his very soul, but it was still pleasant enough. The only downside to warming up was that now that he wasn’t numb, he could feel every little hurt in his chest, every ache that marred his spirit, and before long, he was crying again.

At least the water from the shower hid his tears well enough.