Page 16 of An Alpha's Commitment

Isca nodded. "Yes. I... I never stayed in Zarbius' room, even when we'd..." he shrugged, a red stain flushing his cheeks, and didn't finish his sentence. I couldn't blame him for not wanting to say the words. He'd probably tried to blank those memories out; the pain, the shame, and the sense of helplessness. I felt the rage bubbling inside me at the thought of this poor defenceless omega, cast out of bed after his sadistic alpha had taken what he wanted from him. How sad Isca's life must have been back then. I gritted my teeth. There was nothing we could do about his past, but his future was with us and I was determined it would be nothing like his previous life. Nothing was too good or too much for my omegas, either of them.

"Can you describe where the room was... ah, in relation to the kitchen?"

"Um, yeah. Down the hallway, first door on the left. Why?"

It was going to be hurtful to hear this but it couldn't be avoided. Despite everything that had happened to him, or maybe because of it, Isca was a strong omega. He would be hurt, but he would be able to deal with those feelings. And we were here to help him with that.

"Is there anything you'd like to have from your room? Any possessions that you want? I can send someone to pick them up for you."

Isca stayed quiet, blinking softly. I saw the moment he came to the inevitable conclusion. His face fell, the corners of his eyes and mouth turning down, and his shoulders curled inwards.

"They left all my stuff behind, didn't they?" he said numbly. It shouldn't have come as a surprise, but it was another slap in the face for him, another sign of how little they valued him.

I tossed the phone on the bench and took the two steps I needed to reach him, wrapping him up against my body and tucking his head against my chest. I felt a patch of wet seep through my shirt, felt the tremors ripple through his body. I rubbed my hands soothingly up and down his back, buried my lips in his hair and as I kissed him, murmured, "We're your family now. We love and appreciate you. No-one's going to hurt you anymore."

He pushed his nose between the buttons of my shirt onto myskin and inhaled a deep shuddering breath. The shaking eased and he sagged in my embrace. He took another deep sniff against my chest and when he looked up at me, although his cheeks glistened, there were no more tears falling, and his eyes had the slightly dopey expression that a good dose of alpha pheromones could give an omega.

A pair of arms slid around my back and Isca was squashed harder into me as Irian came up behind him and wrapped his arms around both of us, making an Isca sandwich.

"You have us," I heard Irian murmur into Isca's ear.

"I know. It's just hard knowing how little I meant to them. I did everything for them... I fed them, cleaned up after them..."

"Hush," I breathed against the soft strands of hair. "Some people don't know a good thing when they see it. It doesn't make you less valuable, it just makes them stupid."

Isca made a little choking sound that was half laugh, half sniffle.

"And their stupidity is our gain," added Irian. "And we get to love you forever!"

Isca sniffed and wriggled in our arms. Irian released his grip allowing Isca to stand freely, though we were all standing so close that our scents mingled. The smell of us combined was intoxicating. It was tempting to scoop them both up and take them to bed, but we weren't done here.

"So, Isca," I used my gentlest tone, but my voice had dropped to a husky growl despite myself. He shivered. "Is there anything you want from there?"

Isca's eyes blanked over as he contemplated the question, maybe running through his possessions in his mind.

A sudden gasp burst from him and his eyes refocused.

"Yes! It's been so long since I even thought about it, but I had something hidden away. There's a small wooden box, with a lock on it. It's on the bookcase, behind the books. If I could havethat... and the recipe book sitting in front of it..."

"Anything else? Clothes, maybe?"

"No. That's all. I... I didn't have much and anyway I want to leave that part of my life in the past where it belongs."

"Very well. Let's get those things for you." I picked up the phone again.

"Oscar? Still there?" I asked after unmuting the call.

"Yes, Alpha, I'm still here," the beta replied.

"That room you described is Isca's. There are a couple of things I want you to bring back for him."

"Yes, Alpha. I can go up again in the morning or I can go now if you'd rather."

"Tomorrow is fine. In the bookshelf in his room you'll find a cooking book - a recipe book - and hidden behind that is a wooden box. He wants the box and the book."

"Nothing else, Alpha? While we're there, we can bring back as much as he wants."

"That's all he wants. Thanks Oscar. We'll see you tomorrow then."

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