Page 53 of Ascendant Moon (Gladstone Shifters #6)

Melva and Ginny were offered refreshments and then escorted to the conference room for their conversation with Ben, Evan, and Jonah.

Jack and his family agreed to come over and watch the kids, since Evan wasn’t sure how disturbing Lincoln’s story might be.

Shifter children could handle a lot more than humans their age, but there was still a limit as to what Ben and Evan allowed them to experience.

Evie, especially, would surely ask later, and they would give her a factual but edited explanation.

Lincoln sat between Jonah on one side and Melva and Ginny on the other. Ben and Evan faced them, ready to hear the sad tale. Melva started at the beginning with some basic information.

“Lincoln and I came from the Eagle River pack in Wisconsin. It’s run by Alpha Stu Richmond and his Second, Bruce Ballard.

Somehow, they found out that male Omegas could carry pups, and Bruce got permission to try it with Lincoln.

When Alpha Richmond left for the national conference in August, Bruce got ahold of him before we could escape. ”

Melva told the story as she knew it, including her efforts to help Lincoln escape from Ballard’s clutches.

The poor Omega whined pitifully, even as Jonah growled and gnashed his teeth, enraged on Lincoln’s behalf.

Ben and Evan were hard pressed to keep their tempers, and the room filled with a barely suppressed tension that put everyone on edge.

Melva finished with the cougar attack, breaking into Ballard’s house, and their hurried escape.

“I don’t know what happened after we left, but we had planned to meet up here at Gladstone. I figured it was the safest place to go, but somebody’s got to do something about Eagle River. No Omega should ever be treated this way, and in my opinion, both Ballard and Richmond need to be dealt with.”

Though the others didn’t know it, Evan had been struggling all along to throttle Ben’s seething outrage while holding back his own.

Eyes aglow and hands fisted on the table, Ben’s rumbling growl raised goosebumps, and their guests waited until he had control of himself. He looked directly at Lincoln.

“Let me be very clear—you have nothing to fear from us and we will take care of you and your pup. Gladstone doesn’t tolerate abuse of any kind, and I’ll contact Alpha Sheppard to see what can be done about your former pack.

One way or another, you have my word that Bruce Ballard and Stu Richmond will answer for their crimes.

Meanwhile, you’re free to choose, but I invite you and Melva to make this your new home. ”

As Lincoln yipped softly, Melva gave Ben a teary-eyed response.

“Thank you, Alpha Blair. I think we’ll take you up on that offer.”

############

Later, Ben’s office

“… and reassure Lincoln and his friend that my office will be responding as soon I can put together the proper team. I’ll need a True Elder for this mission if we’re going to get truthful answers from the pack and its leadership.

Most likely, there’s more going on than Melva Winchell was aware of.

Ask Evan if he thinks Colton Ramsey is up to the task.

If not, perhaps Jack could be persuaded to help us sort out this mess. ”

Knowing the man as well as he did, Ben had fully expected Sheppard to take immediate action. Lincoln’s case was exactly what they’d always feared could happen to male Omegas in the hands of abusers.

“I’ll talk to Evan and Jack and get back to you, Sir. This Ballard character is a sick SOB that needs to be taken down. Lincoln will never feel safe as long as he’s out there.”

Sheppard’s growl could be clearly heard over the line.

“I understand and agree. Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help you get Hart and Winchell settled.”

Ben ended the call and sat back in his padded office chair.

This entire situation was more complicated than it seemed on the surface, involving more than one innocent Omega and his pup.

It now encompassed Gladstone, Sheppard’s office, the Eagle River pack, and every individual touched by this scandalous case.

Ben would do whatever he could to ensure that Ballard and Richmond paid the ultimate price for their treachery, but his immediate concern was caring for a traumatized Omega and preparing for what could be a complicated mating.

Ben returned to the house to find Cody leaving for the day and supper ready to be served.

Apparently, Jonah was staying until RJ came to pick him up after work, helping Evie keep Lincoln calm.

He didn’t seem to be bothered by the kids or their noise, and Ben wondered if that was because he’d been isolated and lonely for so long.

Since he’d be a father himself in another six weeks, it was a good sign that he enjoyed children.

Melva and Ginny were smiling and engaged as they finished up reading a book to their young audience. That gave Ben an idea for employment that would benefit both her and the pack. He’d have to check with Lance and Linda Kilburn later on to see what they thought of the idea before saying anything.

As they sat down at the table, Ben opened the mind-link with Evan.

“How did it go with Jack, William, and the twins?”

“Lincoln was wary of meeting more new people, but the twins couldn’t keep their hands off of him! Kids don’t seem to scare him as much as adults do, and he doesn’t like to be confined or restrained—not that I blame him. What did Alpha Sheppard have to say?”

“He’s putting a team together and wants to know if he should ask Colton to come along when they question the pack. If not, he’d like Jack to be there. Did you ask Lincoln if he wanted to stay in our spare bedroom for now?”

“He agreed, but only if we keep the door open. We already carried in the boxes that Ginny brought with them, though Melva said she’d had to abandon her car and home at Eagle River when they escaped. We’ll have to figure that out after Alpha Sheppard’s team deals with Ballard and Richmond.”

After supper, Melva, Ginny, and the Blair family took Lincoln for a run, showing him around Schaawe Lake and then heading south along some of the well-used trails.

They crossed paths with a number of packmates who were naturally curious about the newcomers, though Lincoln took refuge behind Melva and Ginny.

No one except Donna knew anything about the Omega, though it took little imagination to figure out why he might have shown up pregnant, alone, and afraid of his own shadow.

Word would spread anyway, and Ben trusted his people to be friendly and cautious until Lincoln learned to trust them.

When they returned, Ben led them into the packhouse—now basically deserted, but with tasty snacks waiting for them.

Afterward, Melva smothered Lincoln with hugs and kisses before she and Ginny went to their assigned rooms in Quad three to get some sleep.

Meanwhile, Ben supervised bath time for the kids while Evan got Lincoln settled in the spare bedroom.

The ensuite bathroom now contained a large bowl of fresh water and a sandbox for doing his business.

Having spent weeks in a cramped and uncomfortable crate, Lincoln chose to sleep on the bed—open, comfy, and with plenty of space to roll or stretch if desired.

Still, his scent revealed a mix of confusion and angst that Evan could only guess at.

He wasn’t hungry, or afraid, or nervous about his surroundings.

“Do you want some company, Lincoln?”

The Omega’s wagging tail provided the answer, and soon the kids had shifted and reported for duty.

Evie lay down close to Lincoln’s head so he could enjoy her scent, and the boys curled up all around him, sharing body heat.

Now safe, comfortable, and surrounded by little ones, Lincoln slept peacefully.

############

Sault Ste. Marie, MI

Scooter’s day had been an interesting one, though it hadn’t ended the way he expected.

Following the afternoon session, he and Tripp had shared a supper table with several other attendees in the hotel’s restaurant.

Though Scooter’s order of two large, rare steaks had raised a few eyebrows, no one said anything.

Thankfully, the conversation centered mostly around today’s seminar topic—the use of new technology in law enforcement.

Scooter listened politely, allowing the others to speak freely and share their views.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t help but notice Tripp’s scent of arousal whenever the waiter, Austin, came around.

He was a handsome man; dark-haired, muscular, and had a great smile.

He seemed just as interested in Tripp, based on his own scent and the fact that he doted on the man a bit more than the others.

Scooter didn’t care if Tripp was gay or hot for their waiter.

What confused and bothered him was his reaction to their silent exchange of pheromones.

It was a good thing they were still eating because the table hid his erection.

Why was he turned on by the thought of two guys being intimate?

He’d seen and scented a lot more than that back home and it hadn’t affected him this way.

It had been the same for women, too, so why the sudden change?

Sex among shifters was simply a fact of life and openly embraced.

Most couldn’t care less who you got frisky with, and Scooter had always ignored the amorous activities around packlands.

By the time the meal ended, it was clear that his roommate wanted Austin, but would never say anything in front of his peers.

Fine. Scooter decided to do something about it so Tripp could get his itch scratched instead of beating off under the covers tonight.

He grabbed his bill and turned to Tripp.

“I’m gonna take care of this and go back to the room. See you later, okay?”

Distracted, Tripp simply nodded as he watched the object of his interest across the room. Scooter settled his bill at the cashier station and then lingered long enough near the kitchen to catch Austin for a word.

“Oh, hello. Is there something I can do for you, Sir?”

“Not for me, but maybe for my roommate. He’s the tall redhead at our table, and he, uhhh, likes you. His name is Tripp, and he’s not out around the other officers here. Be nice to him, but do me a favor—take him back to your place.”

Austin was so surprised he stumbled over his words.

“I, um…thanks?”

Scooter saved the laughter until he was out of earshot. Humans made the whole romance thing so difficult that they wasted a lot of time wondering what the other person was thinking. If things went the way he hoped, he and Tripp might both get what they wanted tonight.

############

Scooter finished reading over the materials from today’s session, noting items that he wanted to discuss with Lou when he got home.

Law enforcement was a complicated subject, constantly changing and adapting to the populace they served.

A glance at the clock told him it was getting late, and he wondered why Tripp wasn’t back yet.

If he and Austin had hooked up, how could it take this long?

Either they were having a really good time, or Tripp had decided to stay the night.

Either way, Scooter needed a decent night’s sleep and slipped into the bathroom to get ready for bed.

He left a small light on for his roomie, set the alarm, and zonked out.

Around midnight, he awoke to the sound of the hall door opening.

Tripp’s scent preceded him into the room, along with Austin’s.

In fact, Tripp was saturated with the guy’s scent, including his cum, and Scooter got an instant boner.

There was no way he’d be able to sleep with the smell of their coupling in the room, and he rolled over to find Tripp getting undressed.

“I guess you had a good time then?”

Tripp jumped at the sound of Scooter’s deep voice.

“Yeah, we did. He told me you said something to him, so I owe you one for being my wingman.”

Scooter couldn’t withhold a chuckle.

“Well, since you owe me one, how about you take a shower before bed? I have a really sensitive nose.”

It was too dark to be sure, but Scooter was positive Tripp had turned beet red. He grabbed a pair of clean underwear and apologized on the way to the bathroom.

“Sorry! I’ll make it quick.”

As soon as the door closed, Scooter swiped a wad of tissues from the nightstand and stroked out a load. He just hoped it was enough to let him sleep.