Page 52 of The Alpha: Part Three
Mallory didn't remember very many details, but she did remember many, many blood draws. She remembered how they were always on the lookout for twin omegas or other multiples. And she told me some horrific accounts of what happened to the few male omegas that were at the facilities she was held at. She was okay with me recording the conversation and I'm glad. I don't think I could have looked into the faces of Jasper's alphas and told them the things that happened to those male omegas.
Seth almost couldn't stay with me while I listened to her talk. I've got him in the bathtub now. He hasn't said a word since we got back home. The original plan was for us to have dinner at Talia's house. It was going to be such a fun night. There was even going to be a movie or three. But then Nathan got that call and everything changed.
I like knowing that my pack will have a part in saving the omegas and dismantling the rogue organization. I do. But sometimes, like right now, I think the cost is too much. Ben and Michael are so angry. They have accepted that the best thing they can do right now is to make sure the omegas will be safe and okay once they get here, but there is a deep rage constantly simmering in the background of my bonds with them. I can feel it and it makes me want to grind my own teeth.
Desolation and regret have taken over Seth's bond. He hasn't really been okay since Nathan pulled up the surveillance footage. The twins and I have been trying to pull him out of it all night. The tub is an unexpected solution that I'm grateful for. Our tub back home was just a basic, small tub. The tub in the upstairs bathroom is big enough for at least two people comfortably.
“I'm okay,” Seth says quietly, almost whispering. His knees aren't drawn up as tightly as they were when I first urged him into the water but he's far from relaxed.
“Lean your head back,” I tell him. “Close your eyes.”
He tips his head back and I pour more water over his hair. He seems to relax more with every pitcher of water. I grab my shampoo and start massaging it into his scalp and he relaxes even more. By the time I finish rinsing out his hair his knees are resting against the sides of the tub. He keeps his eyes closed when I start gently scrubbing his chest. I didn't intend to give him a full bath, but he's enjoying it so much that I'm going to finish it.
He apologizes again when I'm finishing up with his feet. “I'm sorry that I'm so... broken. I don't mean to be. I'm okay most of the time, but it was really hard to hear about the male omegas. I kept thinking about Jasper and then Talia. The loop started and I was trying so hard to shut it down. You shouldn't have done all this. It's too hard on you. You should be the one in the tub.”
“I don't think I'd enjoy hauling myself up and out of it. Maybe we can have a bath together after I have this baby. Are you feeling better now?”
He nods and sits up to give me a damp kiss. “Thank you for taking care of me.”
“I like taking care of you. We take care of each other.”
Chapter twenty-one
Ben
We are going on a date tonight. Our first one in this territory. We're taking Desie to a very fancy restaurant on the upside of town. Jasper called it elite. Talia discreetly mouthed the word fancy and Devon looked away with his eyebrows raised into his hairline. Desie likes fancy, though, and we wanted to take her out somewhere good before the baby comes.
“I can't wear this,” she moans from behind the open closet door. “It's ridiculous.”
“Show me.”
“You're going to laugh.”
Not likely. The past six dresses she's put on have had one common problem according to her. They're “obscenely” tight across her stomach. She has been very clear that they aren't uncomfortable, she just thinks they look bad. They definitely don't think they look bad and I've got the semi to prove it. “Show me.”
“Don't laugh.”
“I'd never laugh at you.”
She snorts. “Yes, you would. But don't this time, okay?”
“I promise I won't laugh.”
She sighs heavily and steps around the door in a black dress that ends just above her knees. It's strapless and skin-tight across her stomach. We might not get out of the house, especially after Seth sees her. “That's an immediate yes. Holy shit. Which shoes?”
She looks around her stomach at her feet. “Not the heels I wore with it last year, that's for sure. Flip flops?”
“Baby, I'd love to okay the flip flops. But I don't think you can wear them to the place we're going.”
She goes back into the closet and starts digging through shoes. “I'll never survive wearing heels, not even small ones. And this isn't a flats kind of dress. I'll have to pick a different outfit.”
“Don't you dare change out of that dress. Seth's eyes are going to bug out. Boots? I know it's getting warmer, but what about some ankle boots? You have some of those don't you?”
“I'll die if I try to wear boots, Ben. I'm too hot for that.”
“Do you have fancy flip flops?”
“Maybe.” More aggressive rummaging sounds come from inside the closet. “What about these?”
