Page 15 of Unable Omega
Chapter Thirteen
Rob
I woke in the dark. Alone.
My mate was probably in the bathroom, so I just snuggled under the covers and waited for him to get back. We’d made love a few times, maybe more than that over the course of the day and into the night, pausing only long enough for naps and to devour the breakfast that had been left on our doorstep. Fortunately, the smart-asses had left enough for four bears, so it had sustained us for a while.
After a while, I sat up, thinking that I should go find us something else to eat. My mate had been out in the woods starving for so long, it had affected both of his forms. Maybe we shouldn’t have engaged in all the bedroom gymnastics so soon. If I had caused him harm, I’d never forgive myself. He’d seemed fine, cuddled in my arms, as we talked about things mostly unimportant and shared some bits of our pasts. Not the lab…just things we liked and disliked. Seasons and weather. Favorite foods. First-date stuff shifter style.
But the fact was, he’d been very close to death and only a day or so ago. I didn’t worry about the others eating. Even if nobody cooked, there were plenty of leftovers and sandwich makings and such in the fridge. Freezer meals I’d made up one day last winter that we hadn’t touched. They’d figure it out or go hungry. But not my mate. He needed nourishment. Rising to my feet, I found shorts and a T-shirt then, with nature calling, went to knock on the bathroom door to find out if Sage was coming out soon.
Except the door was open. Taking just long enough to eliminate the bladder pressure, I went outside to look for him. Where could he have gone? Last I knew, we were sleeping in apuppy pile. Maybe cub pile was a better name for it. And now he’d wandered off?
Was he feeling ill again? I raced toward the infirmary, fearing he really had overdone and I’d find him there, but after knocking, I went inside to find it empty, nobody there at all. My second thought was more logical. I was hungry, and I had not missed all the meals he had. He’d be in the kitchen, finding a snack. It was where I had planned to go, after all. Sweet omega would probably bring back a tray for the two of us to enjoy, but even if he didn’t, I’d just be glad he was eating.
The kitchen was not empty. It rarely was, and there were a number of people eating sandwiches and some leftover pasta as well as all the taco stuff from the last dinner I cooked before everything went crazy.
“Hey, anyone seen Sage?” I asked. “I can’t find him anywhere.”
“Rumor has it he was locked up in your cabin with you since breakfast,” Sam said, wiping some pudding off baby Cody’s chin. “Where would he have gone? Maybe for a walk? Did you try the infirmary?”
“I tried that first.” I was not getting into what we’d been getting into, not even with Sam. “I’m going out to look for him. He doesn’t know the area, and he might be feeling sick or something.” We probably had overdone it and his memory…he’d already had issues with that. “What if he’s lost?”
“I’m sure he’s not.” Locke came in just then. “He’s around here somewhere. No panicking until we need to. The perimeter is secure, and we’ve had no—”
A blast of the alarm denied what he’d just said. Someone or something had breached the perimeter, and that meant either Sage left for some reason or someone else came in. Maybe whoever he’d been running from. The lab people did not likelosing any of us, and we all knew it was only a matter of time before one of them showed up here.
Zenith appeared in the doorway behind Locke. “He’s out there!”
“Who?” But I already knew before he replied.
“Sage. He’s left sanctuary. He’s outside where we can’t protect him.”
And the time for panic had arrived.
Chapter Fourteen
Sage
In the few miles since I left the sleuth’s lands, my bear had taken over, with my permission. I had to mourn while moving, not an easy feat by any stretch of the imagination.
My bear’s endurance was much better after a few days of being fed and hydrated and while before, every step felt like trudging through mud, each of my steps now were lighter. My bear wasn’t so out of breath.
We could make sure Rob and his sleuth were safe from us in no time.
I’d crossed over a bubbling stream and stopped for a drink when a noise resounded behind me. The earth rumbled beneath me with the power of something huge.
The fur around my neck raised on end as I heard a voice call out my name. “Sage!”
My bear was torn. He had the capacity to override my hold on our consciousness and right now, he was debating taking over again. He didn’t understand why leaving my mate made him safe. He didn’t see himself as a threat. What he’d done at the lab was to protect me. That was his argument.
But my human side? I only saw myself as a killer.
My bear turned and for a few minutes, we had a war. I wanted to keep Rob safe.
My beast knew Rob would always keep us safe. He would accept us.
“Sage, please!” I heard again. He was getting closer but my bear was winning this fight.
