Chapter Fourteen
Ben sat in the living room watching Xander play with some toys and listening to the muted sound of voices from upstairs. Adam and Ro had taken Casey up to the bathroom to wash up and to take a look at his injuries. They’d already called Alicia, and she promised to be over as soon as she could.
They had opted to stay in the Pack house for now. There were more people around and it seemed safer for all concerned
“Papa, where’s Noah?”
Ben blinked and found Xander watching him.
“We… we don’t know Xan. We’re looking for him.”
Xander got up and crossed the room towards him, stopping beside his chair. He held his hands up and Ben reached for him, lifting him onto his lap.
“I want Noah back,” Xander whispered.
“Me, too,” Ben whispered back. “We’ll find him and bring him home. I promise.”
“Will the bad men take me too?”
“No. Never. I won’t let that happen.” Not again.
Xander rested his head against Ben’s chest. “It hurts.”
“What hurts? Show me,” he coaxed.
“Here, in my tummy,” his son replied, poking one finger towards his belly.
Ro had told them Xander had been anxious and clingy since they’d left, refusing to eat, telling them his stomach hurt. Alicia had seen him but said it was normal after what had happened. He needed lots of reassurance.
“How about I rub it better?” Ben said. Xander nodded and Ben placed a hand on his belly and rubbed slowly.
“It’s okay, Xander. You’re safe here, with me and your Dada, and Uncle Ro and Seb.”
“And Martin and Uncle Sam,” Xander added with a yawn. “And Alicia and Joel.”
“That’s right. Lots and lots of people here to keep you safe. And we’ll get Noah back and everything will be okay.”
Xander nodded against him, his eyes drooping closed.
Ben cradled him in his arms until well after he’d fallen asleep, before lifting him and carrying him to the room they were staying in. He didn’t stir as Ben settled him on the bed and covered him in blankets. Then he sat by the side of the bed and just watched him sleep. He couldn’t keep the images of Noah from his mind. Sleeping on a hard floor, cold, with no blankets. Being shouted at, being hurt. Without food or water or the comfort of his parent’s touch.
When the thoughts got too much, he stood and left the room, intending on going outside to vent his frustration away from those he loved.
There was a shout of alarm from down the corridor then a figure raced towards him. Ben caught them easily, finding himself with an armful of a struggling Casey. The Omega froze when he realized who had caught him, before sinking to kneel on the floor. Ben knelt with him, keeping him upright.
“Casey, what’s wrong, what is it?”
Adam and Ro arrived a moment later.
“We were trying to get him into the bath,” Adam explained. “Out of nowhere, he just ran. Come on, Casey, let’s go back to the bathroom—” Adam reached for the Omega. No one was more surprised than Ben when Casey dived forward and grabbed hold of him.
“Whoa, hey,” he said, unsure how to handle the Omega who had latched on to him. “It’s okay, Casey.” He slowly settled a hand on the Omega’s back, feeling Casey flinch at his touch. “Easy, kiddo. No one’s going to hurt you.”
He looked to Adam and Ro for guidance but they both seemed equally lost.
“What are you scared of, Casey?” he asked.
“Don’t want to go under,” the Omega whispered.
“Under… under the water?”
Casey shuddered and nodded.
“That’s not how a bath works, Casey. Your body goes in the water and your head stay above it.” His reassurances didn’t do anything to lessen the Omega’s grip.
Adam knelt next to them. “How about, instead of a bath, we try some warm water and a nice, soft cloth? We can do that in the bedroom instead of the bathroom.”
Casey looked from Adam back to Ben and it took him a moment to realize Casey was waiting for his say-so.
“I think that sounds like a really good idea. What do you think, Casey?” he said.
“No bath?”
“No bath,” Adam agreed.
“Here, let’s get you up,” Ben said and Adam leaned in to help. Between them, they got Casey back to his feet though the Omega wavered, his hands latching on to Ben again to keep his balance.
“Sorry, Alpha,” the young Omega said.
“That’s okay, Casey. And you should call me Ben, remember?”
“I remember, Ben.”
Casey turned and Ben’s hand brushed off the bare skin of his arm. The sense of Casey’s wolf beneath the surface was very strong.
“Casey, when was the last time you changed form?”
The Omega seemed stumped at the question. “A while. I… I’m not sure.”
“As soon as Alicia gives the okay, you should change and spend some time as a wolf. It’ll help you recover faster,” Adam explained.
“Recover from what?” Casey asked, and it was a struggle for both of them to school their expressions at Casey’s complete lack of awareness at the level of mistreatment he’d been subjected to. To him, how he felt was normal.
“From your injuries,” Adam said smoothly. “And from not having had enough food and not spending enough time as a wolf. Trust me, in a few weeks, you’re going to feel so much better.”
“Better?” Casey echoed. “But what if I don’t deserve to?”
“Every child, every person, Omega, Alpha or Beta, deserves to be looked after and not to be mistreated. In Glenoak Pack, everyone, no matter who they are, is taken care of.”
He could see his words only served to puzzle Casey but Adam interrupted, gently urging Casey back towards the guest room. “Let’s get you cleaned up before Alicia gets here.”
Casey let go of Ben with reluctance and let Adam guide him down the corridor and into the room while Ro went back to the bathroom.
A moment later, Seb stuck his head out of the room next to them. “I didn’t think a fourth pair of hands would be much help. And another Alpha in the mix to confuse the situation.”
“I thought he wouldn’t want anything to do with me after Tobias,” Ben said.
“I think you might have it the wrong way around. Tobias is everything to him. Provider of food, shelter. He’s the closest thing to a father that boy has ever known. When he looks for guidance, he looks to an Alpha, because he’s been taught to heed them just as much as fear them.”
“What are we going to do with him?”
“The same thing we’ve done with any young wolf we’ve taken in. Welcome him with open arms and teach him what it is to be part of a Pack.”