Page 17 of Worth Fighting For

“You did.”

He hadn’t known what, if anything, Renzo would respond to his argument, but it hadn’t been that. “What?”

Golden brown eyes met his for a moment when Renzo said, “You did.” His gaze once more returned to the road, but the Alpha kept talking. “You were determined to make a better life for you and your friends and any other Omega who needed help, and you did. You found that place. You got them there. You made Sanctuary livable. And you arranged for everyone to contribute their talents to building a town where they feel happy and safe. That is no small feat.”

Coleson just knew his mouth hung open and his eyes were practically bugging out of his face as he stared in astonishment at Renzo. He’d just been one of the group who’d done that, yet this Alpha seemed to think he’d done it on his own.

“I already know what you’re thinking,” Renzo said before Coleson could refute what he’d said. “Did your friends help? Yes. But from everything they’ve said, it was you who got them there. If you hadn’t pushed, none of it would have happened. You are a leader and that is something no school could teach. So, degree or not, you should be proud of everything you’ve accomplished. That includes studying law and realizing Omegas need not just a few laws changed but a place they can live their lives the way they want, not as an Alpha dictates.”

“But I only…”

“Got you and your friends out of a bad situation,” Renzo said, cutting him off. “Led them to a place they were free from being forced to marry, procreate, or told they weren’t good enough to do what they wanted with their lives. Turned an abandoned town that wasn’t in terrible shape but needed a lot of work into a place where others could come and live free from being abused and sold like they weren’t even human beings.”

Renzo smiled at Coleson brightly enough that it made his golden brown eyes even brighter. “You don’t give yourself enough credit for all you’ve done.”

He didn’t? Coleson hadn’t really considered it before. He’d always just done what needed to be done. Wasn’t that how life worked?

“But I…”

Renzo chuckled, cutting him off. “There’s no but, love. You are an amazing person. That you do it when our world is built to try to tear you down makes you even more remarkable. I just wish you could see that.”

Huh.

He honestly wasn’t certain what to say. Except… “Then why don’t I feel I do much? I mean, yeah, I admit I was the one to find Sanctuary, but that was a fluke when I’d met Damon, who had known the place existed from his days on his Alpha father’s riverboat. But I didn’t actually do anything. It wasn’t me who went out and searched for a town that we could use.”

“But you did.” Renzo seemed so certain, but he just couldn’t understand how. When he opened his mouth to explain again it hadn’t been him, the Alpha stopped him by saying, “That you know of, had any of your friends asked around about a town that would work considering it needed to run with green energy?”

Coleson frowned. They hadn’t, but that was more because they hadn’t believed that, even if they found it, they could travel there without being caught. “No, but…”

Once again, he was cut off. “Again, there are no buts. You never gave up searching not only for a place like Sanctuary but a way to get there without involving any Alphas who might either stop you or take advantage of you trying to disappear.”

Coleson was still having a hard time digesting what Renzo was saying, but the Alpha did have him thinking about each time he’d tried to find someone who would be able to get them across the Mississippi until he’d found Damon.

“You not only found Sanctuary, but you found an Omega who had refurbished an old boat to get you across Lake Michigan, as well as another one who had a tractor trailer in order to bring supplies to where another Omega waited for you with a riverboat no one knew he had, who also knew the Mississippi well enough to take you to an abandoned town that was off the beaten path enough no one would look for you there.” The way Renzo said it, he made Coleson sound like some sort of superhero.

Even better, Coleson was starting to believe what he was saying.

“I know your parents didn’t encourage you to believe you could do anything you set your mind to, but they were wrong.” Renzo’s words had his heart beating faster with sheer pleasure. “You are a testament to why Omegas shouldn’t be diminished just because of their designation. You are a human being and deserved to be treated with respect and dignity.”

Damn. If he kept talking like that, Coleson was going to fall in love with the man.

CHAPTER 12

Nothing. They’d been gone for a week and they had a few medical supplies, but in all reality they had nothing. They hadn’t even gotten very far as it had taken three full days to search Des Moines, where they probably could have spent a week, but since they had found little of anything, they’d decided it was time better spent trying to find a town that hadn’t already been overrun.

“Maybe we should go to the next town,” Wilder suggested when it was obvious there wasn’t any store, medical clinic, or pharmacy that hadn’t been picked clean.

“Have you heard from Westland, Anise, or Oxley?” Raman asked Coleson, who was in charge of their walkie talkie.

They had found them in Des Moines, but there had only been two. So they split up into two main teams. Each of those teams would split up, but search in the same general area in case help was needed. But the two main teams would only check in if necessary, which so far they hadn’t.

“No,” Coleson said.

In the town they were in, it had been decided Coleson would lead the team that would search businesses, while Westland’s would check homes. Renzo doubted they’d found much, although they were discovering it was homes where they tended to have more luck. Not much, as it would only be a prescription–at most–worth of medications, or possibly a couple packages of bandages, but otherwise it was limited.

“Why don’t you see if they’ve had any luck,” Renzo suggested to Coleson. Then he pointed at a vet clinic. “While you’re doing that, Wilder and I can see if there’s anything in there we can use.”

“Animal medicine?” Oxley asked, with his eyebrows rising nearly to his hairline.

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