Chapter Twenty-Five
Jensen acted quickly, stripping the wet clothes from Liam’s body, wrapping him in a blanket from the trunk, and sitting him in the front passenger seat. He turned on the engine and cranked up the heat then called Hunter. The alpha answered on the second ring.
“I have Liam.”
There was a brief silence.
“You have him?”
“Yeah.” He gave Hunter a brief summary of what had happened and where they were.
“And Liam’s okay?”
“He’s hypothermic. I’m treating him as best I can. But we’re too close to Nevan’s pack. We need to put some distance between us and them.”
“Okay, start driving. We’ll meet you on the road, take over the driving, and let you do your doctor thing.”
Jensen ended the call, glancing over at Liam. The omega was still out cold, his skin pale. But he was here, and he was alive, and Jensen would nurse him back to health.
Liam made a noise, his eyes blinking open.
“Jensen?”
“Shh, I’m here.” He reached over, tucking the blanket tighter around Liam.
The omega smiled at him. “I knew you’d come.” Eyes slipping closed, he drifted back to sleep.
Liam awoke to the rumble of an engine and the soft murmur of voices. There were arms around him and he was surrounded by Jensen’s scent.
“Hey, sweetheart.”
Shivering, he curled closer to the alpha’s warm body.
“Cold,” he murmured.
“I know, we’ll get you warmed up.”
The blanket was tugged tighter around him, and a warm kiss pressed to his forehead.
He squirmed around, his stomach pressed tightly against Jensen.
“The babies?” He clung to the alpha while he waited for his answer.
“They’re fine. A little quiet because you got so cold, but their hearts are beating away just like normal.”
Liam, feeling a little more awake, gave a happy sigh, Jensen’s hand stroking his shoulder. But if Jensen was holding him, who was driving?
He sat up and looked around, the blanket slipping off his shoulder.
Davyn was in the driver’s seat, Ollie in the passenger seat next to him.
“Hey, Liam.” Ollie had a sad smile on his face. “We’re so sorry about what happened.”
Liam shook his head. “It wasn’t your fault. I shouldn’t have gone outside. I shouldn’t have been there at all. I’m sorry, Jensen. I’m sorry, guys.”
“We couldn’t have known that they’d be there,” Davyn said. “You’d been to three events without anything happening. But I’m glad we have you back safely.”
Jensen adjusted the blanket to cover Liam’s shoulder which was the moment he realized he wasn’t wearing any clothes.
“Um, Jensen?” He lowered his voice, leaning closer to the alpha.
“Yeah?”
“Why am I naked?”
With a laugh, Jensen kissed his cheek. “Well, you jumped into a freezing river, shifted into a polar bear, and swam to shore. I had to take your clothes off to warm you up and didn’t have any spare ones to dress you in seeing as I left all my stuff at Hilltop. But you do have this nice, warm blanket.”
“Oh.” That made a lot of sense. Wait.
“Polar bear?”
“Uh-huh. It was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. You went into the water and then nothing. I couldn’t see you. I… I thought…” The alpha trailed off, glancing away. “And then you were swimming through the water like you’d been born to it.”
“I remember that. I hit the water, and it was so cold, and I went under and… it was familiar, like I’d done it before, and my body shifted. Then I was swimming and you were there.”
“So, you’ve been a bear before?”
That was a hard question to answer. “I…I don’t think so, but Nevan, he used to lecture about the lion being the most superior form and that it was an insult to the pack to shift into something different. He always seemed to be talking to me when he said it, but I didn’t know why.”
“Omega take different forms, especially when they’re young,” Ollie chimed in.
Liam remembered them telling him that. He hadn’t thought it had happened to him. But maybe it had, and he just didn’t remember.
“You were beautiful; strong and fearless.” Jensen stroked his cheek and Liam leaned into the touch.
“So were you.”
“Yeah, we were pretty badass.”
“Nevan ran away.”
Jensen laughed. “He did. I think it was your growl that did it.”
“No, it was you. That roar. I felt it, right down in my bones.” He splayed his hand across Jensen’s chest. “And in my heart.”
Jensen’s arms were suddenly holding him tight. “I’m never letting you go.”
Liam twisted, trying to get up onto his knees. “When we see Nevan again, we face him together.”
Jensen caught Liam’s face in his hands. “I’m your alpha. It’s my job to keep you safe. And I will, I promise.”
“And I’ll have your back because I’m your omega.” Liam wasn’t letting that go. Being scared and helpless all his life hadn’t helped him. The moment he’d been brave, the moment he’d started to fight for what he wanted, things had begun to get better.
“You’re amazing,” Jensen murmured, kissing him. “And I will never get tired of telling you that.”