Kieran wasn't very happy with how I smelled, so before letting me enter his bed, he made me go take a shower. I was happy to follow his orders. I really didn't want to smell like death anymore. I feared the awful smell of our home was so deeply burned into my sense of smell that I'd have to live with it forever, but once I'd scrubbed myself clean and washed my hair, the smell was thankfully gone.
Kieran had left me a clean set of clothes in the bathroom. They seemed to be the same ones I'd worn when I was tied to his basement. For some reason, I was happy to put them back on. The sweatpants and the T-shirt were comfortable, and... they were from Kieran. My own clothes were gone, and I had the feeling Kieran had simply burned them because of the smell. Probably. Hopefully.
I just didn't want to have anything to do with anything I was before I got shot.
I stepped out of the bathroom, enjoying the faint scent of vanilla and flowers in the tiny house. I'd not noticed them before... I took a deep breath, feeling even calmer.
"Feeling better?" A soft voice came from the kitchen.
I turned to face Kieran, who gave me a small smile. I stopped to stare at him. Both my alpha and I were happy to rest our eyes on him. I couldn't believe he'd let me stay... More than that... It didn't... quite fit in my head... that this little one...
Could be mine.
"Yeah, yeah... Better for sure..." I mumbled once I'd recovered my brain and took a few steps toward him.
"Good..." he said, taking a step toward me in return. "I uh... I'm trying to save your clothes, but the smell... Did you stay in the sewers while you were gone?"
I let out a small laugh, feeling a bit miserable. "Not sewers, no... Glen and I have a place, but... I think one of the neighbors must've..."
"Must have what...?" Kieran asked.
Died...
"Maybe an animal broke in and died in one of the apartments," I said. "Or could be a busted toilet or something. The house is falling apart. Half of it collapsed a while back."
"And you... Live there?" Kieran asked with wide eyes.
"I mean, it's fine. Our end is still fine. Only a few... few cracks..."
While jomicas had their luxury offices they barely used...
"I'm really starting to understand the whole busboy thing..." I mumbled.
He gave me a soft smile and stepped in front of me. "You're not a busboy anymore. You are not a terrorist. You're not brainwashed anymore, and you're not a kidnapper," he said gently.
"Then what am I?" I whispered.
He raised his brows, returned to the kitchen counter. When he turned back to me, he was holding a plate full of sandwiches.
"Maybe you are hungry?" he asked.
The smell of food... Real, tasty food... I suddenly had tears in my eyes again.
"Oh, baby boy..." Kieran murmured, put the plate down, and returned to me.
And he hugged me...
I wrapped my arms around his smaller frame, buried my face against his shoulder, and cried. Kieran held me gently and whispered soothing things to me... I wasn't even sure why I broke down again, but I guess... I guess the past few days had been shitty enough for that.
"Yeah... Yeah... I think I'm hungry," I finally said, sniffing.
"Did you have anything to eat while you were gone?" he asked gently.
"Kind of... But I missed your cooking..." I admitted.
"Well... You know... I'm always happy to cook for you," he said carefully.
Forever?
No... That thought was too scary to think about right now. Maybe once the omegas were saved, it would stop being scary.
"Come..." Kieran said when I stayed silent. "Let's eat in bed, okay?"
I nodded and reluctantly let go of him. There it was again... a hint of pain in his eyes. He turned his back to me and grabbed the plate.
I couldn't let that pain stay a second longer.
"I really do love your cooking..." I said, stepping behind him.
He carefully peered up at me, so I gave him a small smile. The pain vanished, and he smiled back, so I found the courage to rest my hand on his back. Maybe it was wrong... But I couldn't stand seeing him sad, and especially in pain.
We entered his bedroom, but I didn't head to the bed. Ares' crib was in the corner, and I heard the baby's quiet snores. My alpha immediately demanded me to go check up on him, so I did. I stopped next to the crib to watch the tiny little omega deep in his peaceful sleep.
I did the math, and frowned, my chest growing tighter again.
"Trouble?"
I didn't look at Kieran. I still stared at Ares when I replied to him.
"Those omegas I kidnapped..." I muttered. "If they got pregnant after that, none of them have given birth yet."
"Right... So...?"
I turned to him. "If we save them now, no one gets to steal their babies from them."
He gave me a smile, but it was a pained one.
"That is true," he said, and stepped next to me to watch his child. "But... Not all of them may want to keep those babies."
That pain in him... I turned to look at Ares. I understood. It sickened me. This baby's sire... Kieran was raped. That was how he got pregnant with Ares. And I had this feeling... This disgusting feeling...
It happened while he was still in the army.
My alpha agreed with me... If we ever found out who hurt this omega... They had better be dead.
"At least once we save them, they get to decide if they want to keep them," Kieran added. "You will give them that option."
Yes... And the babies that were not wanted would get adopted through official routes, not sold like cattle. Those children would still have a chance to have good lives.
"We have to make our move fast," I said, trying not to show Kieran my anger. "I don't want to rest until they're saved. I don't deserve rest while they have to suffer."
Kieran turned to give me a happier smile. "We will work swiftly. The Special Operations Unit is always ready to strike. They will not waste a day."
"Good," I said, and watched him closely.
How did he still want to keep me here with him? After I had threatened to... Fuck... I was so disgusted, but with myself now. I'd threatened to let my buddies... to...
Kieran touched my face gently. I stayed still for him.
"You were brainwashed," he repeated, like he could somehow hear my thoughts. "You know what? I'll have you meet others like you once the omegas are safe. I think it would do you good to speak with others who have been brainwashed as well. Maybe it'll help you understand yourself and what happened better."
"I guess," I muttered. "Let's just focus on the omegas first."
"No..." Kieran said, took my hand in his, and pulled me to his bed. "First, we focus on food, then sleep, and then we save the omegas."
My stomach growled at the thought.
"Fine... But you'll contact your captain first thing tomorrow morning, right?"
"Yes," he promised.
I nodded and went to sit down next to the wall on his bed. Kieran joined me and took his seat right next to me, his body so close I could feel his warmth.
"Here," he muttered and gave me a sandwich.
"Thanks," I said and took it. I stared at it for a brief moment, but my hunger won, and I took a big bite of it. I groaned when the flavors hit my senses. "This is so fucking good..."
"What did you eat during the past few days?"
"Moldy bread..." I muttered. "And vodka."
"I see," he murmured, resting against my side.
I turned to watch him while he ate. He was very pretty... His long hair suited his delicate features. His eyes were big and bright. And his body... With all those nice curves...
I breathed in his scent... And goddamnit, I still couldn't put my finger on it. It was so damn close, too. But no. I still couldn't figure it out.
Kieran noticed me watching him, and he smiled at me again, looking happy to see me there, for some reason. I smiled back at him, and slowly put my arm around his shoulders. He snuggled closer to me, making himself comfortable under my arm. My alpha was happy. It was so mesmerized by this little one it even forgot to hate me.
I wished... I wished this could be my new reality, but I was still afraid. Too afraid to let myself think about it. But I couldn't deny how I felt about Kieran.
All I could do was hold on to hope.
*****
If I'd known what it was like to wake up like this...
I watched Kieran as he slept in my arms, his head on my shoulder, his hand resting on my chest. His body was so soft... I carefully caressed his shoulder, back, and side, and everywhere I touched, he felt soft and warm. His skin was like silk against my fingers. His hair was everywhere, tangled around his arm and hiding parts of his face. He really was gorgeous...
How was I ever able to hate his kind?
It was really early in the morning, but I couldn't sleep any longer. I was slowly growing anxious and restless, but I tried to be patient while waiting for Kieran to wake up. It felt so wrong to just stay in bed while the omegas were being forced to wake up to serve more alphas or get harvested for slick at that very moment.
I wished so hard they had all shut down ages ago, that they didn't even know what was happening to them... If they knew about the pain and fear... How could they ever have normal lives again?
And here I was, under warm covers with a hot omega in my arms... Fuck, I hated myself so much... But today was the day I'd fix my mistakes.
It was Ares who woke up first. He babbled something quietly as he moved around a little. My alpha immediately had its attention on the baby, its concern growing. Only seconds later, Kieran reacted to his baby's sounds by shifting a little, and soon he opened his eyes.
His eyes immediately landed on me and shot wide open.
"Morning," I said tentatively.
He sat up to stare at me, pushing his hair out of his face, like he'd forgotten I was in the bed with him. My hand was now resting on his lower back, and I tried to decide if it was all right to leave it there.
"Morning," Kieran murmured, his expression softening when he remembered last night, and he smiled.
"Ares is awake," I told him, choosing to leave my hand where it was.
"Oh..." he breathed out, turning his attention to his child. "Did he cry?"
"No. He's just talking," I told him.
"He's such a happy little baby," Kieran said, his voice soft and low. "Never really cries."
"I've noticed, yeah," I said, unable to stop myself from taking a good look at his body.
I mean, he was wearing a white tank top and black undies on him. I had a lot to look at. So many curves and soft flesh to admire... And I had to agree with my alpha. This was a very, very nice omega...
I scolded myself. I had no right to admire him yet. I first had to fix my mistakes.
"So... Your captain?" I spoke.
"Right, yeah. I'll call him right away," he said, and got out of the bed.
I sat up to watch him when he grabbed his phone. He stood next to Ares' crib and smiled at the baby while waiting for his former captain to reply. It only took a small moment.
"Morning, sir. It's me," Kieran said, his expression turning serious. "I need you to come see me as soon as possible."
I listened carefully, but couldn't hear what his captain said. Kieran turned to look at me.
"It's very urgent, sir. I may have found a nest of cockroaches," he said. "And it's big."
The man said something very sharp and short.
"Yes, sir. Standing by. Bye." Kieran ended the call, then let out a deep breath. "He's coming."
I nodded, feeling incredibly nervous all of a sudden. "And you are sure he will listen to me?"
"He will. There are lives on the line," Kieran said.
I nodded, hoping he was right. "How long will it take before he arrives?"
"He said he'll be here in an hour," he said, picking Ares from the crib. "I think we should get dressed. I'll make us breakfast while we wait."
I watched the baby, who was already smiling widely at his daddy. He really was a happy little kid... While I watched the baby, Kieran was watching me, and his smile was slowly returning.
"Want to hold him?" he asked me. "I mean, while I get dressed."
"Sure..." I said slowly, and he came to put the baby in my lap.
Ares giggled at me.
"Yeah, yeah... You're so rude..." I muttered to him jokingly.
"He likes you," Kieran said carefully while pulling his pants on.
"He seems like he likes everybody," I noted.
"Eh... Kind of..."
I chuckled and helped the baby sit more comfortably on my leg. "How can you be so small...?"
"He's seven months old," Kieran said, quickly brushing his hair. "Soon, he'll learn how to walk. I have the feeling he's going to be a handful when that happens."
"Hmmh..."
I knew nothing about kids. I never thought I'd care about kids, but this little guy was all right. And since my alpha was already getting attached to both of them, I... Well... The kid was all right.
"I'm ready," Kieran said, and leaned in to take his son. "I'll go make us breakfast."
He was wearing tight jeans and a dark-purple shirt with buttons. He looked good. He left the bedroom, leaving me to get changed as well. And fuck, that moment alone did bad things to my nerves.
I was going to attack Jomica today...
Fuck...
I got dressed in a record time so I didn't have to be alone with my thoughts a second too long, then exited the bedroom. Kieran was pulling stuff out of the fridge, while Ares was in a small playpen next to the table. The baby was still babbling and giggling, especially when Kieran said something.
Kieran sensed me and turned around. "Take a seat. This won't take long."
"Do you need... help?" I asked.
He smiled at me. "I'll manage, don't worry. If you want to help, you can keep an eye on Ares."
"Sure."
There wasn't much to keep an eye on. Ares was just kicking himself forward until he reached a corner, then wiggled around to continue on with his important journey. While he was at it, he reached a small stuffed animal and promptly put it in his mouth.
How peaceful... But my anxiety was still growing. It got so bad that by the time Kieran had finished making us a huge breakfast, I wasn't sure if I could take a single bite. My stomach was twisting and turning too much. I did my best, even though I was getting so fucking nervous... I kept peering at the clock on the wall, counting the seconds.
When we had about thirty minutes left before the captain's arrival, I started to feel like I was about to panic. Kieran noticed it, reached over the table, and took my hand in his.
"Deep breaths. Everything is all right, baby boy," he murmured gently.
I did as he asked. "I'm so fucking nervous..."
"I know, but it's all right. Everything will be all right, I promise. You have Morgan's whole army by your side. You'll be fine. We'll be fine. And most importantly, the omegas will be all right."
"I'm not sure which side I'm more afraid of..." I muttered. "Jomica or the army..."
"You don't have to worry about the army at all," he said soothingly. "I'll deal with them. You just tell them everything you know, okay?"
I nodded, trying to focus on taking deep breaths. It was working. At least a little. I kept forcing food down my throat while Kieran kept telling soothing things to me. I tried to remember this was an actual elite soldier who had fought terrorists for a living. I just needed to trust him and his captain, and everything would be all right.
Fuck me, Glen and I were going to do this alone... I wanted to laugh at that thought. What the hell had I been thinking? I could barely keep myself together even now, for fuck's sake. I would've broken down and died from nervous vomiting if we'd tried to do this alone.
And then, way too soon, my alpha alerted me. It sensed people approaching the house.
"They're here," I muttered just before someone knocked on the door.
"It will be all right," Kieran told me with a smile, then went to let his captain in.
I took deep breaths as I counted three sets of footsteps entering the house.
"Kieran," a familiar voice spoke politely. "You all right?"
"I'm good, sir," Kieran said, and closed the door once they were all in.
I took one last breath, stood up, and faced the three army men in their regular clothes. Fuck, they were big... I recognized the captain in the middle of them. He had a stern expression when he studied me.
"I remember you. Samuel," the captain spoke with a nod.
"Captain..."
Fuck... I'd forgotten his name already...
"Garcia," the man said, clearly sensing my distress. "So... What's going on, son?"
"I have information," I said. "About Jomica."
He raised his eyebrow. He'd clearly not expected to hear that name.
"Jomica?" he repeated.
"Yes. They are keeping omegas as slaves up north," I told him. "Thirty, maybe more. My plan is to save them, but I can't do it alone."
"How do you know about the omegas?" Captain Garcia asked.
"Because I helped to kidnap them," I said, keeping my posture straight. "I'm... was... one of them."
"You were one of them?" the captain asked, eyeing me closely.
"He was brainwashed to work as their busboy," Kieran stepped in. "He's turned his back on True Order and Jomica, and wants to help bring down the organization."
The captain frowned, shook his head, then took a deep breath. My nervousness skyrocketed. This was going horribly wrong, I just knew it.
"I think I'm going to need a cup of coffee," he then said.
"Yes, sir," Kieran said, and hurried to pour a cup for him.
The Captain came to sit down opposite of me at the table and gestured for me to return to my seat, while Kieran put the cup in front of him. I watched as the large alpha added sugar into the coffee, then took a careful sip.
"Still the best damn coffee I've ever had," he muttered, then turned his stare to me. "Now... I'm giving you one chance to explain everything to me."
I let out a breath, calming down. "Yes, sir."
And I realized something... I didn't have to stop at helping the omegas. I could do so, so much more than that. I had so much more information to give them than just the location of the omegas.
"Until a few weeks ago, I was part of their organization as a helper," I began. "But then I got shot when my group was tasked to take down Michael Mercer. I made a narrow escape and ran into Kieran."
The captain listened carefully. He didn't interrupt me. He didn't call me a liar. He let me talk in peace while he drank his coffee. So I talked. I talked for a very long time. I spilled every little secret I knew. And I had to say...
It was fucking therapeutic.