Chapter Nine
“Well?” Joe asked when Jensen returned to the kitchen.
“Right on the money. Terrified we’re going to kick him out as soon as he’s better and desperate to stay. Scared of something else but he won’t come out with it.”
“I hope you set him straight.”
“Of course. He wants to go for a walk. I’ll ask Ollie to take him, I know Axel’s arriving today.”
Joe blushed and busied himself stirring the oatmeal he was cooking.
“He won’t be here until this afternoon. If you need me to help out with Liam…”
“We’ll manage just fine. You deserve some time off, you work hard enough. And you’ve waited long enough.”
“We both have,” the beta said.
“Joe…”
Joe put a hand on Jensen’s arm, silencing him. “I know it’s not so easy as all that. But he’s here, right here in front of you. You have the time you need to get to know each other, to strengthen that connection. Take it, Jensen. Take all that you can get.”
Ollie came and had lunch with Liam, the other omega chatting excitedly about showing him around the den. Jensen popped his head in the door twice to remind them that when he said a short walk, he meant it.
“You’ll come too, right?” Ollie asked.
Liam was torn between wanting the alpha there and thinking it would be easier if he wasn’t. He didn’t know why Ollie was so keen for Jensen to come with them. The alpha agreed, shaking his head, and giving them a wry smile.
“Do you like him?” he asked Ollie quietly when Jensen had disappeared back into his office.
“Like who? Jensen?”
Liam nodded.
“Sure. I like him a lot. He’s a good person and good company.”
“No, I mean… do you like him the way an omega likes an alpha.”
Ollie, who’d taken a sip of lemonade, choked on it, and wound up coughing hard. Liam reached over, trying to pat him on the back.
“No,” Ollie said when he finally had breath to speak. “I don’t like Jensen that way. We’re not compatible like that, we don’t have that kind of connection. In fact, Jensen’s never had that kind of connection with anyone, until—” He went abruptly silent, his face going red, and he quickly changed the subject.
Liam didn’t ask again but he did wonder. Was there someone in the den that Jensen loved? There were so many people he hadn’t met yet, that it was easy to imagine he could have a mate. It made him feel a little sad. Not that it should. Even if Liam did like the alpha, Jensen would never choose him as a mate. And even if he did, Liam already had an alpha. An angry, jealous one. He wouldn’t want Jensen hurt because of him.
When Jensen returned, he brought a jacket for Liam to wear and some shoes.
“It’s not that warm out there today. I don’t want you catching cold,” the alpha said. Liam put them on, then walked outside with the two men.
It was a little chilly. Even though the sun was out, there was a cool breeze blowing.
“So, this is the outside of the clinic. And over there is the schoolhouse.”
Ollie was a little ahead of him and Jensen, pointing out everything and anything of interest. Liam felt like his head was ready to spin, twisting and turning to see every little thing.
As they were passing by the school, the doors were thrown open and a group of children ran out.
“Liam!”
“He’s awake!”
He suddenly found himself surrounded by kids, all grins and boundless energy. Their enthusiasm was a little scary. He was a nobody, a nothing. In his old pack, the kids had ignored him like everyone else or tormented him if they were bored.
Taking a step back, he found strong, steadying hands on his shoulders. Jensen.
He glanced at the alpha over his shoulder.
“If you need to go back inside, just say the word,” Jensen said quietly.
Liam managed a nod, distracted by a small voice nearby.
“Did you like my card?” a little girl asked. “It was the one with the sunflower.”
He remembered it. Each and every single card had been a surprise and a joy to look at. Ollie had read them to him, over and over when Liam had asked, so he’d memorized every one.
“Are you Isobel?”
She grinned and nodded.
“I loved your card, Isobel. I loved all my cards. Every single day I look at them and they help me get better. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
She grabbed his hand between her two small ones and squeezed, then bounced away. As Liam watched, she shifted into something furry with long ears and bobtail, disappearing into the grass beside the school.
“Is… is she…”
“Rabbit shifter. Yep. Her mom, too. Dad’s a fox.”
“That sounds like an interesting match.”
“Sounds like a Rudyard Kipling story,” Ollie chimed in.
Liam didn’t know what a Rudyard Kipling was so stayed quiet. His energy was starting to drain. His feet suddenly felt heavy and his legs weak.
“I think that’s enough for today,” Jensen said. “Back inside we go.”
A few of the remaining children groaned audibly, waving goodbye as the three of them turned toward the clinic. Halfway there, Liam’s legs decided not to cooperate, tangling with each other, and threatening to send him to the ground. Jensen swooped in, lifting him into his arms.
Liam’s usual instinct on being carried was to stay very still and hide his face from whoever was carrying him. But this time he found himself wrapping his arms loosely around Jensen’s neck.
“That’s the way,” the alpha said. “I’ll have you inside in a jiffy.”
“What’s a jiffy?”
“A really short amount of time,” the alpha said, following Ollie back inside.
Liam was quickly settled back into bed and Jensen sat on the edge next to him while Ollie made some hot drinks.
“What did you think of the little bit of the den you saw?” Jensen asked him while they waited.
“It was nice. The clinic looks bigger on the outside.”
“That’s because you’ve only seen a small part it,” Jensen said. “The kids were happy to see you.”
“Why were they so nice to me?” Liam wondered.
“They’re kids. They’re nice to everyone who’s nice to them.”
“But I’m just an omega, and a stranger. I don’t understand why they…” he trailed off, unable to voice his feelings properly. How to tell the alpha that he was nothing, no better than a slave, and certainly not good enough to be given colorful cards like the dozen or so dotted around his room.
“Being an omega doesn’t make you lesser. Not here,” Jensen insisted.
Before Liam could think of a reply, Ollie returned.
The alpha excused himself to go back to work, leaving Liam to talk with Ollie who was already planning their next excursion from the clinic. Liam was torn between eagerness to see the rest of the den and fear that he’d find something he didn’t like. Maybe they had cells like in his pack. Maybe they had posts and chains, for when people needed to be made an example of. Or maybe this place wasn’t too good to be true. Maybe the magic was real.