Page 10 of Loving My Omega (The Perfect Designation Trilogy #2)

Chapter

Ten

P icking Colton up into my arms, I carried him back across the street and to the car. He was so light but for the first time, his face finally seemed at peace. The only thing that he looked now was exhausted. Mike got out of the car, shaking his head.

“He probably hasn’t eaten this whole time. I doubt he would have made it a mile without Alpha Genesis on his ass. It’s not like he can shift either.”

I didn’t want to let him go. My dragon and I agreed that all we wanted to do was take him home. Feed him and keep him safe from the world. After a slow, deep breath, I let the thought go. Colton shouldn’t be caged. At least, not in the way my dragon wanted. He had dreams and a life outside that we had to respect.

“Put him in the passenger seat. He’ll be more comfortable sitting up. If he lays down, Colt just gets nauseous.”

I nodded, walking around the Jeep. Mike opened the door for me and I step Colton down gently into the seat. Reaching over him, I locked the seatbelt into place and made sure to move the back down a little so at least he wouldn’t fall forward. Reaching out, I tucked a hair behind his ear.

Closing the door, I walked around the car and go back into the driver’s seat. Mike had buckled up in the middle like before but he was leaning back. His eyes were glued to his phone.

“We need to go. Otherwise, it’s going to get messy.”

Flipping around, I headed back toward the city. After about five minutes, three large green Hummers passed us. I looked at the rearview mirror at them before looking at Mike. He was looking back at them as well, frowning.

“Was that…?”

“Yup. We barely made it.” He let out a deep sigh before sitting back. “You can drop me off at the college before you take him home.”

My head cocked to the side. “You don’t want to be with him? I figured you want to keep an eye on him.”

“I can. But he has you. I don’t need to be there right now.”

His answer surprised me. Maybe because my own jealousy made Mike out to be the bad guy. His friend that wanted to keep him all to himself. Mike, in person, was far more quirky than the villain I’d made him out to be.

“Do you know why Alpha Genesis wants Colton so bad?” I asked, glancing in the mirror.

“I don’t. From what Colt has said over the years, Alpha Genesis has had a very…unhealthy obsession with him. He bullied Colt when he was younger, but as he grew older…well…it got more sexual.”

My grip tightened on the steering wheel. “He didn’t know that Colton was an Omega?”

“No. Otherwise it would be a much harder push to keep him reigned in. Hell, we probably would have never met. He’d never been allowed to leave the pack.” Mike tapped his screen, frowning again. “There is something else though. Something we are missing. Obsession is one thing, but to go as far as Alpha Genesis has…there has to be some other reason. I hate not having all the information.”

I didn’t doubt that. Mike was the type to steep himself in information. Reading every detail to extract the necessary information that he needed. It seemed like Colton and him were similar, both quiet and introverted but I could see the differences now. Mike was much stronger, much more confident than Colton was. He also was willing to go to great lengths to keep Colton safe. That was enough for me to trust him.

“What do you normally do if you need a car? I know Colton takes the bus a lot, but that can’t be every time. What happened if I wasn’t here?”

“Usually my mate is in town. She has a car, but she’s back at her pack right now. I think for a baby shower for her sister.”

My eyebrows rose. “You have a mate?”

Mike scoffed. “Yes, I do. Well…almost. I haven’t asked her yet.”

“So, Sabrina Hunt is your girlfriend ?”

“Yes. Same difference.”

Chuckling, I shook my head. It always seemed suspicious that Colton said that Sabrina was Mike’s girlfriend. She was the complete opposite of these two. Maybe that’s why it worked well, but it still surprised me. Looking at how he smirked when he spoke of her though, I had to admit that maybe I was wrong to be suspicious.

I took my usual way back to the school, hitting a little traffic but there was far more trying to get out than in. Driving past the front gate, I pulled over to allow Mike out. He looked out the door for a moment before he turned back to me.

“Colt needs you. I’m sure he said he doesn’t but he does. He’s smart with facts and school and…probably reading people. It’s real world experiences that he needs help with. He’s never truly loved. He doesn’t know how to grieve. He’s been on his own and had to be for so long…this pup has forced him to change everything.”

Turning, I caught Mike looking sadly at Colton. He reached out and adjusted Colton’s jacket. My dragon wanted to growl but I knew better. Mike was a true friend. He loved Colton, but not in the same way we did. The stray thought made me inhale sharply.

“Help him. Push him. I’ll do what I can from my side, but take care of him. Even if he doesn’t want you to. He’d try and push you away, but you can’t let him.” Mike turned to me. “But if you hurt him, I will not only destroy you, but your family too. I will also make sure you never even catch a whiff of Colton ever again.”

I nodded, smiling. “As what I would expect of a best friend. I have no intention of hurting him, Mike. If anything, all I want is to make sure I can take care of him for the rest of our lives.”

Mike narrowed his eyes for a moment before he nodded as well. Scooting out of the back seat, he threw open the door. Stepping out, Mike popped his head back in.

“Colt keeps his apartment key in the front pocket of his backpack. You also might want to grab him something to eat. I think last time I checked there was only yogurt and chicken.”

The door shut without a goodbye and I watched him jog back to campus. Mike was definitely an odd one. A good one, but still an odd one. That was saying something considering the amount of awkward teenagers I had dealt with over the years.

Pulling up my phone, I called my sister. The phone ran a few times before she answered. It sounded like she was outside, but there were quite a few people I could hear in the background.

“Hey! Everything okay?”

“Yes? Maybe? I don’t know. Colton’s neighbor, Bridgett, passed away.”

She sucked in a breath. “Oh no. Poor Colt. They were so close.”

“He was trying to leave the city. I don’t quite understand his goal, but there was one. He was beside himself though. Mike was livid because he was opening himself up to get captured.”

Beau huffed. “Colt does not respond well to anger. I’m sure Mike knows that. Is Colt okay now?”

“He ended up passing out. Beau…he’s so weak and thin. I’m worried.”

I tried to say something else but I felt like my breath disappeared. My heart was beating erratically and I tried to take a breath. This was all the signs of a panic attack. Looking over at Colton in my passenger seat, he was still laying back, his chest rising and falling rhythmically.

Part of me thought that Mike was blowing it out of proportion. How much danger Colton was in. Colton was weak and tired and he wouldn’t have made it just simply walking. At some point, I’m sure he would have called someone. Asked for help knowing he had been stupid and given the time to think about it.

It was the fact that not ten minutes later, we could have lost him. His Alpha could have snagged him and my options would be completely limited on saving him. The worse part is that they would have found out Colton was pregnant. There was no hiding it now if they stripped him down. I would have lost my new family in one entire swoop.

The sheer fear of being that close to losing him was immeasurable. Reaching out, I cupped his cheek and brushed my thumb across him skin. He was safe now though. He were here next to me. Mike had asked me to help protect him and we succeeded.

“Mar? You there?”

“Sorry, what did you say?”

Beau chuckled. “What did you need? Do you need me to pick up something? Or did you want me to head home?”

“If you don’t mind picking up something to eat. I’m going to head over to his apartment. Maybe something mild? He hasn’t been eating on top of not being able to keep much down.”

“Got it. I’ll grab something and head over. Send me his address. I don’t think I have it saved.”

She hung up and I pulled back out onto the road. I got caught in a little more traffic before I pulled up to the Sunset Apartment complex that Colton lived in. This place needed to be torn down and rebuilt. The thought was fleeting but I wondered if the owner had insurance for unauthorized shifting in the middle of the terrace. If it would be worth paying the damages just to level this place.

I let the thought go as I got up and walked around the car. Rummaging through Colton’s backpack, I let out a quiet apology for going through his stuff. Once I found his keys, I put them in my pocket before slinging the backpack onto my shoulder.

Reaching in, I got my arms under him and lifted him up gently. It really was staggering how light he was. It was like I was lifting up Mason, Keith’s eldest hatching. Carrying him up the stairs, I was surprised to find the second to top stair also hanging on by a thread. Frowning, I stepped over it and walked down the hallway to his door.

I fumbled a bit with his keys while holding him but eventually, I got the door opened. Stepping in, I made sure to not hit Colton’s head on the fridge. This entry was so small. Stepping up into what should have been the living room, I placed him on the bed that was rotated to fit the space.

Standing up, I glanced around the room. Nothing had changed. There was the bare essentials and you would never think that someone actually lived here. The only tell was that there was specific places to put his coat, backpack, and keys. There was also two boxes of opened tea sitting on the kitchen counter.

Standing here, I didn’t know what to do. Going into the kitchen, I opened up the fridge to see exactly what Mike had said was there. Yogurt cups, a bag of uncooked chicken, a container with rice with Monday’s date, and some grapes that were too old to be good. Taking them and throwing them in the trash, I moved to his cabinets.

Again, there was barely anything. There were more assortments of tea than there was food in the whole kitchen. My scales were starting to show under my skin and I tried to breathe through my anger. However, my dragon was not having it.

I pulled off my jacket and hung up up before unbuttoning my vest. After tossing it on one of the stool at the bar, I unbuttoned my cuffs and rolled them up a little. Filling the kettle with water, I turned on the stove before I filled a glass with cold water and walked over to the bed. Squatting down next to it, I brushed the back of my fingers against Colton’s cheek.

“Colt, can you wake up for me?”

I waited a couple of breaths before I tried again, this time cupping his cheek and brushing my thumb over his skin. It was so soft and I hated that I needed to wake him up, but I was worried that he would get sick.

Something must have got through because he started to shift before blinking and jolting up. My arm reached out and stopped him from falling back, his eyes scrunched up in pain from getting up too quickly.

“Hey, hey. It’s okay. You’re okay.”

Colton blinked a few times before finally looking at me. It was so sad how deep the darkness was under his eyes. He looked so tired and the grief rushed back, snuffing any light out.

“Marcus?”

I smiled softly. “Can you drink some water?”

He reached out and took the glass from my hand. Cupping it in both his hands, Colton took a sip and then another. His eyes fell before filling with tears.

“I don’t know what I was thinking. I am so stupid.”

His sobs broke my heart and I pulled his head down to rest against my shoulder. My knees dropped to the floor so I could move closer and hold him.

“I’m sorry for your loss, Colt. The world is a little dimmer now.”

“It feels so dark, Marcus. It feels like I can’t see what’s ahead anymore.” His voice sounded so small as it shook.

I rubbed his back. “I know it seems like that. It’s always hard, losing people that we love. It never gets any easier either. There is light though. You’re not alone.”

“She was my momma bear, Marcus. She helped me…I would have been so scared without her guidance. She helped me with the pregnancy and she did her best to watch out for me. The moment I moved in, she was there giving me an entire pie and telling me I was worth something to someone. And now…now…”

Holding him tighter, I nuzzled the side of his head. “I’m sorry, Colt.”

Colton only replied by nuzzling me back. He continued to cry and I made sure to hold him as close as I could. While I didn’t let out too much, my pheromones wrapped around him and I could feel them forcing the tension from his body.

He sat up after a few minutes and wiped his eyes on his sleeve. I looked up at him over my glasses, waiting to make sure he was going to be okay. Bringing the glass in his hands back up, he took another couple of sips.

“I’m sorry…”

Shaking my head, I placed my hands on his knees. “Don’t apologize, Colt. Never. Not for this. I know how hard it is.”

Colton looked down and nodded. “All I wanted…was to…just…see her again. Tell her goodbye. I would have asked so much more. Told her than I loved her.”

“She knows. I promise you, she knew. You will always carry her with you. You can spread her light. Teach our little one about her.”

I gently placed my hand on his bump. It was nice that he didn’t feel the need to cover up anymore around me. However, Colton struggled with letting himself accept our hatching. While I understood why, it was only going to stress him out more.

His hand covered mine and I saw a little smile finally grace his face. He nodded and I pulled back, not wanting to make him too uncomfortable. Reaching up again, I cupped his cheek. Pulling him to me, I kissed his lips.

“You are not alone, little wolf. We will get through this together.”

There was a knock on the door and I pulled back. Sighing, I shook my head. Colton looked confused at his door before looking back at me.

“Don’t worry. It’s just Beau.”