Page 63 of The Alpha: Part Three
Nathan spins toward her, rubbing his palms together. “Thaddeus already has another surveillance team in the air. As soon as they confirm what we're seeing here, we're going to send in nine COTs and three specialist units for the omega. Jamison has already vetoed Obi going, so Obi's putting together some packets and supply lists so the omegas will be alright until we get them back here.”
“What if they don't want to come here?” Talia asks.
Nathan looks back at the screen, then at Trent. “If they want to go back to their homes, we'll make sure they get there. But most of them are likely going to need some intense medical attention. Ideally, the surveillance team will get us a better idea of what shape they're in and what we need to have in place for them.” Then he looks at Ben and Michael. “Do you think The Omega House will be ready in the next week?”
“Yes,” they answer together.
Michael looks from Nathan to me. “It will be ready for them. And your mom will come to us.”
I give him the smile and nod he needs to see from me, but I’m still worried. I can’t imagine my mother wanting to go to The Omega House when she could be at home with me.
I think I might be in shock about my mother. Maybe not shock exactly, but something similar. I've lived the majority of my life thinking she was gone. What if she's not the same person I remember? Obviously there will be differences. She's been through so much, she couldn't possibly be the same. What if she doesn't want to stay with me once the COTs get her here? What if she doesn't want anything to do with me? I've read about people in similar situations who can't bear to be near the people they once called family. What if being taken has broken her mind and she can't remember any of us?
“Desir'ee.” Seth's smooth, calm voice cuts through my racing thoughts. “It will be alright.”
I close my eyes and draw in his scent as he reaches over to run his fingers through my hair. “I'm afraid that she won't be the same. Or that she won't want me.”
He gently tugs on the ends of my hair. “I know.” He doesn't tell me that it will be okay again, he just stays with me in my worry. Sharing it.
Chapter twenty-six
Ben
I'm still not happy about not going on the retrieval mission. I know having a good place for the omegas to be once they get here is important, and I know that I can't leave Desie to go on any kind of mission right now, but it still bothers me. I feel like I'm just sitting here while other people do the hard work. Desie is my omega, I should be the one going to save her mom. I trust what Devon and Nathan are saying, that the COTs who are about to be on the ground are some of the best the East Coast Council has and that the omegas will be here by the time the sun comes up. I do. But I still feel like I should be there.
“The second floor is finished,” Michael says, stepping off the stairs. “All the rooms are set. How many are left to check down here?”
I sigh and look down the hall at the open doors of the rooms I just checked for the third time. It's busywork. Regardless of anything anyone says, they asked me and Michael to do this to make us feel like we were actually doing something. Anyone could have done what we've been doing. “They're done. Everything's good.”
“What's the matter with you?”
I sigh again, deeper than the last. “Don't you think they asked us to do this to keep us out of the way? Like to make us feel useful while everyone else does the hard work?”
“No.”
“No?”
He crosses his arms and raises a brow. “No. Think about it.”
“I have been,” I say, throwing my hands out to the side. “I've been thinking about it since we started. We could be doing so much more, Michael.”
“We're doing something important, Ben. This is important.”
Maybe I'm an idiot. Or an asshole. But I don't see how interior decorating is as important as going on rescue missions. “Please explain it to me then, because I feel like I've been running around with paintbrushes and throw pillows when I should be up there with guns in my hands on a rescue mission.”
Michael tilts his head. “What have you been thinking about this whole time? Not the major threats to your masculinity, but about the rooms? About the colors and the lights and the furniture and the blankets?”
I shrug. “Soothing colors. Calm scents. Soft textures. Whatever would make them feel comfortable. And safe. I want them to feel safe.”
“Right. Have you been angry this whole time? Other than right now.”
I shake my head. “Of course not. You can't fix up a room for an omega if you’re walking around pissed off. It lingers and they feel it.”
“Exactly.”
“Exactly what?”
Michael rolls his eyes. “You were concentrating on creating a good space for omegas. We've been doing that since we were kids. We touched every single thing in this place thinking about how comfortable it would make an omega feel. Close your eyes and try to feel the energy of this place.”
