Chapter Twelve
After they ate and talked, they watched a movie together, passing the time until they were tired enough to sleep again. Sitting next to each other, Ronan couldn’t miss the sideways glances Noah was giving him, the omega’s curiosity obvious. He’d asked a lot of questions; most Ronan wasn’t in a position to answer just yet.
As soon as Griffin gave the go-ahead, he’d give Noah the information he desired. But their pack leader was a stickler for following procedure. Doubly so when it came to omegas. If Noah learned the truth before they mated, then went out and mated another alpha, any information he had would potentially fall into the wrong hands.
Mating, in Griffin’s eyes, was a necessity. Ronan truly believed they could do it, he just didn’t know exactly how or how long it would take. And he knew it would never happen with Noah hating the sight of his own body. At least it gave them somewhere to start.
Noah kept inching closer to him as they sat there until they were just touching. Ronan snorted and wrapped an arm around him, tucking him in closer. At first, Noah stiffened, but he quickly relaxed, sighing happily. He was asleep long before the movie ended.
Ronan shut off the TV then lifted the omega into his arms and carried him back to the bedroom. Just like before, he set him down on his side, climbing in to lie behind him. This time, sleep wasn’t long in taking him too, his wolf reassured by the steady thump of Noah’s heartbeat beside him.
He woke as Noah climbed out of bed, reaching for him even in his sleep, catching hold of the shirt he wore.
“I’m just going to the bathroom,” the omega said. Ronan let go and turned onto his back, stretching his arms up as he slowly woke. He guessed it was early morning, around dawn. A quick check of his phone confirmed that. Sitting up against the headboard, he thought about how to fill their day and get started on their project. He had a few ideas but wasn’t sure how receptive Noah would be to them since almost all of them required the omega to be naked. Maybe they could work up to it. Or, he considered idly, maybe the right kind of exposure would help change Noah’s mind.
“Breakfast?” Noah asked hopefully from where he stood at the end of the bed.
“Sure. What do you feel like?”
“Do you have eggs? As you may remember, I make a good omelet.”
“Sounds great.”
He made no move to get up, and Noah climbed back into the bed beside him, staying on his knees. He’d taken off the sweatpants at some point during the night but put them back on as soon as he got up. The material swamped him, and Ronan made a mental note to canvass the smaller of their houses’ occupants for clothes. Darcy was just a smidgen taller than Noah but his taste in clothing was a little… outlandish. Still, it was better than Noah tripping over his own feet when he tried to walk.
“What will we do today?”
“I can show you a few more of my rooms if you like.”
“There’s more?” Noah sounded surprised. He’d only seen the bedroom, bathroom, and living room.
“Sure. Lots more. Even a balcony if you want to get some air.”
“But I can’t go outside.” That seemed to trouble Noah, the omega worrying his lower lip between his teeth.
“You can’t have free rein around the rest of the house. But if you want to explore the grounds, that’s another thing. We’ll just have to run it by Griffin first.”
“How… how is he your alp… leader?” Though Noah caught himself just before the slip, it highlighted the problem well enough.
“Yeah, he gets that a lot. People make assumptions about leadership. Like that alphas always make great leaders and that omega can’t take care of themselves, let alone anyone else. And maybe, as a rule, they make sense. But Griffin is the exception. Besides, we’re not exactly a pack, not in the traditional sense.”
“But Griffin is the leader here?” Noah pressed.
“That’s right.”
“Why aren’t you? You’re an alpha. You’re strong, you’re brave.”
“Being strong and brave doesn’t make me a good leader. It just makes me a typical alpha.”
“And… and a wolf, right?” Noah seemed even less sure about that.
“What makes you think I’m a wolf?” Ronan teased.
The omega shrugged. “Something about the way you move. How you tracked Preston down and then me. And there’s something in your face when you smile.”
Ronan laughed at that. “A wolfish grin, huh?”
“So you are, then?”
“That would be telling, wouldn’t it? You’ll just have to wait and see. I’m still puzzling over what you might be. You remind me of…”
“A scared rabbit, frightened of his own shadow,” Noah finished, the words sounding well-rehearsed, like he’d heard them a thousand times before.
“Don’t put words in my mouth,” Ronan said, a little sharper than he meant to be. He pressed his hand over Noah’s, taking the sting from his words with a soft touch. “Besides, I was thinking more something in the bird family. You seem ready to fly away at any moment.”
Noah’s shoulders rose and fell as he sighed wistfully. “I wish. I’ve always wanted to fly.”
Ronan sat up and pressed forward, drawing Noah into the circle of his arms.
“Stick with me,” he said, “and I’ll teach you how to soar.”
Noah smiled at that but shook his head. “I don’t understand you, not one bit. But when you talk, all I want to do is listen.”
“That’s a start. Come on, time for breakfast. After that, maybe a quick shower.”
“Separately,” Noah interjected.
“Two quick showers,” Ronan continued smoothly. “And then we get to work. Operation Soar. Objective; mating.”
“I think you’re a little crazy,” Noah said, but the smile hadn’t left his face.
“We’re all a little crazy. It’s how we stay sane.”
He had to do a run to the downstairs kitchen for supplies, but once Noah had what he needed, the omega seemed very at home in the kitchen, cracking eggs, chopping ingredients. He was generous with the meat and cheese, especially so for Ronan’s omelet. Omega usually knew how to cater to an alpha’s needs but still, having one in his kitchen, making him breakfast… it wasn’t a position he’d expected to find himself in. And he found he liked it.
They sat across from each other as they ate, talking about this and that. Noah slipped in a few more questions but didn’t press when Ronan changed the subject. It was hard for Ronan to blame the other shifter for being curious. Looked at in a different light, he’d basically abducted Noah and now had him locked in his rooms. Another omega might be huddled in a corner hyperventilating or throwing himself at doors like a caged animal. But this was why Ronan had chosen Noah. There was something, underneath the ingrained fear and distrust, beneath the self-loathing. If Ronan could see it clearly, he would know he’d made the right decision bringing the omega to Briar House.
Standing side by side, they did the dishes, Noah washing while Ronan dried each dish and put it away. As they finished up, Noah snagged the cloth from him to dry his hands.
“Thank you for breakfast,” Ronan told him.
“You’re welcome. I like having someone to cook for. It makes a nice change.”
The smile Noah gave him was genuine, the omega bouncing gently on his heels as if unable to keep still.
They headed back to the bedroom and Ronan pulled some clean towels out, setting them down on the dresser.
“You take the first shower, I have some stuff to do,” he told the omega.
Noah snagged a towel and disappeared into the bathroom. While he was gone, Ronan went and got things ready, returning to find Noah towel-drying his hair.
Setting the clothes he’d borrowed on the bed, he gestured Noah over.
“These might be a bit closer to your size. Try them and see.”
He didn’t wait for a response, grabbing his own towel and heading to the bathroom to shower. When he returned to the bedroom, the towel around his waist, he found Noah dressed in a T-shirt and pants. He’d had to roll the pant legs up a little, but the clothes no longer swamped him. Ronan nodded, satisfied with what he saw. It would make their plans easier if Noah could actually see his own body as he worked.
Walking to his dresser, he pulled the corner of his towel free and let it fall to the floor, hearing a soft gasp behind him. Pulling some clothes from the drawers, he turned around with them bundled in his arms and walked to the bed. He wouldn’t hide what he was from Noah, and he hoped some of his confidence might rub off on the shy omega.
“You’re not a bear,” Noah said suddenly, sitting up straight.
Ronan pulled a tank top over his head. “Oh, why not?”
“You’re not… bulky enough. You have muscles but they’re not like, this big.”
He held his hands about a foot apart and Ronan snorted with laughter. “If bear shifters had muscles that big, they wouldn’t be able to move. But you’re right, they’re generally heavier on the muscle than other shifters. You have any bears in your pack?”
Noah made a face but was quickly distracted as Ronan pulled on a pair of boxers.
“One,” he said, his eyes on Ronan’s body.
“Your alpha?”
How’d you know?”
“Lucky guess. So, do you make it a habit to study different shifter bodies? Or am I a special case.”
Noah flushed pink at that, looking everywhere except at him as Ronan tugged on a pair of shorts.
“Sorry, I… I didn’t think you’d mind since… you know, the whole mating thing.”
Ronan cupped the omega’s chin, drawing his eyes upward before letting go.
“Look as long as you want. I don’t mind. Of course, quid pro quo, I get to look at you, too.”
Noah shrugged his shoulders. “Why would you want to?”
Ronan caught his chin again, holding it firmly between finger and thumb.
“Hey.” The sharpness of his tone ensured he had Noah’s full attention. “If you think I’m going to tolerate you talking about yourself like that, you’ve got another think coming. You want to know what I see in you?”
Noah nodded, his expression earnest, almost desperate, as if he was yearning for something, any little thing, for him to cling on to.
“For starters, those eyes of yours. Every time I catch your gaze, I have to make myself look away.”
The omega had gone quiet, barely breathing as he listened to Ronan speak.
“And then there’s this point here.” He stroked his fingers down along Noah’s neck. “Where your neck flows down into your shoulder.”
Stepping around, behind Noah, he nudged the omega’s head forward.
“And then there’s the dip of your back, starting here, just below your neck.”
He pressed the pad of his thumb lightly against the muscle, feeling Noah’s body respond to the touch. “I want to chase the line of your spine, see where it leads.”
He slowly dragged his thumb down Noah’s back, wishing it was bare skin he was touching and not the omega’s T-shirt.
“Beautiful,” he murmured.
When he stepped back around so they were face-to-face, Noah closed the gap between them and hugged him tightly.
“This is just the beginning, Noah. Don’t you want to see where this leads?”
He felt the omega nod against him, his hands fisted in Ronan’s tank top.
“Then let’s get started. No time like the present, right?”
Noah pulled away from him and took a deliberate step back.
“Right. So… what now?” the omega asked, rocking back and forth on his heels.
“Now I show you another room.”
Ronan had decided over breakfast that, since it was likely Noah would be confined to his corner of the house for a while, it might make sense to ration the remaining rooms, widening Noah’s world one bit at a time.
“Should I close my eyes?” Noah teased.
Ronan let his fingers rest either side of the omega’s forehead before he slowly drew them down, Noah closing his eyes as Ronan’s fingertips brushed across them.
“Just like that,” he said. “Hold on a sec, okay?”
It took another minute of searching through his drawers before he found what he was looking for. He let the smooth material slip down over Noah’s eyes.
“This okay?” he asked, waiting for a reply before he kept going.
“What is it?”
“Something to help the suspense. Just a blindfold.”
“Oh. Okay.”
Ronan took Noah’s hand in his. “Ready?”
The omega gave him a weak smile. “I’m ready.”