Page 15 of Taming The Omega

The alpha stood. “Okay, well it looks like he’s on the mend. I want Andrea to look him over, of course. And, he’s way too thin.” He scratched his chin and looked around. “The thing is, I can’t take chances with Joey newly whelped, Will far into his pregnancy and the other pups still so young and vulnerable.”

Feeling Seth shiver under his hand, Caleb nodded. “I understand, sir. I can take him back to the cave we’ve been laying low in. I’ll need more supplies.”

Lorcan shook his head. “No, that’s not a good place for Seth to recover in. I’m thinking maybe I’ll have a couple of sigmas clean out one of the storing sheds and dress it up as a kind of bedroom. The weather is warm and meals can be brought out, and you can use the male communal bathroom as needed.”

He looked at Caleb, not Seth when he said, “How does that sound?”

Caleb patted Seth in reassurance. “That sounds great, Alpha. I’ll help get that done.”

Lorcan waved the idea away. “No, you stay here with Seth. I’ll see it sorted it out right now.” He nodded once emphatically. “You did well, Caleb. Thanks.”

With that, the alpha hurried away, his long legs eating up the distance to the longhouse in no time at all. Caleb turned and knelt beside Seth, who was staring at the ground.

“Hey, how are you doing? What do you think of the plan?”

Seth shrugged. “Whatever you and the alpha say. It’s not for me to decide, only…” He raised moist brown eyes finally to look at Caleb. “Will you stay with me?”

Caleb’s heart did a funny little flip at the question. “Of course I will.” Gathering the boy in his arms, he placed a quick kiss on the top of his head. “I’ll be with you every minute. I promise.”

Even as he made the vow, he wondered what he was doing. He was hardly in a position to ensure that he could stay by Seth’s side. Not his call. Yet, he knew with a sudden fierceness that he would do just that no matter what.

Chapter Seven

“Your wounds are healing nicely, no need for any more salve or bandages, I’d say.”

Andrea picked herself up from the fluffy pallet that dominated the shed’s floor and started putting her medical equipment away. She’d come out to give Seth his check-up once the sigmas had converted the space into a cozy bedroom. Sigmas being quick and efficient by nature, it had taken two of them no time to put Lorcan’s plan into action.

Seth had docilely allowed Caleb to lead him into his temporary home and had submitted quietly to Andrea’s examination. He sat with his knee tucked up under his chin, not appearing to even listen to what was being said about him. His quiet worried Caleb.

The healer straightened with her bag held in front of her. “You did an excellent job, Gamma.”

Caleb hunched his shoulders, uncomfortable with the compliment. “Thank you, ma’am, but I didn’t do much.”

“I beg to differ. Even with a shifter’s metabolism and the medicinals that I’d given you, I’d say those wounds are further along than I’d expect them to be.”

Caleb felt heat creeping up his neck as he remembered the extra effort he’d put forth. He wrinkled his nose, debating how much to say. He didn’t want to embarrass Seth in particular, yet figured the healer needed all the facts.

“Um, I did do something kind of unusual. I mean, it came to me as maybe helpful.” The healer stood staring at him, waiting for him to spit it out. “I licked him,” he finally blurted.

“Indeed? You used your saliva on the wounds?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He looked away, unable to meet her gaze.

“Interesting.”

“I thought maybe it would help. I know that when our kind mate, the male can heal the bite by lapping the marks.” He shrugged. “Figured it was worth a try.”

Andrea’s expression showed how perplexed she was. “Yes, but it’s not because shifters in general can heal with their saliva.” She chuckled. “If only it were that simple. No, the reason it works with the mating bite is that somehow the mating process itself triggers a little used part of the salivary glands to excrete an enzyme that has healing powers.”

She blinked up at him. “Do you understand?”

Caleb scratched the back of his hot neck and shook his head. “Sorry, you kind of lost me with ‘glands’ to be frank.”

Andrea smiled in response. “What I mean is, it’s somehow tied to the unique intensity of the mating process. Some interaction perhaps with the male’s hormones as he claims and marks his mate.”

“Except that didn’t happen in this case. I didn’t mate with Seth.” Although simply saying Seth’s name in the context of mating gave his dick bad ideas. Thank the Gods, the sigmas had brought his stuff out so that he had jeans on. No sense startling the healer or Seth by letting his cock spring up.

“Hmm. That is puzzling. Unfortunately,” she added with a sigh, “I have no way of testing any theories. We don’t have access to the kind of experimental equipment that humans use. And, I wouldn’t know what to do with it anyway. Your idea worked, though, and that’s all that matters.”

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