Page 6

6

CAMERON

“Up you go.” Jamie felt feather-light in my arms when I finally put us both out of misery and decided to carry him.

“I can walk.” He was a stubborn one, that’s for sure. He tried to hobble beside me for almost a mile, but we needed to move faster. It was cold, and although he’d slipped on a pair of sweatpants from his pack, he was barefoot and still bleeding.

“No, you can’t.” I held him close and started the long climb back, careful not to jar his ankle too much.

He dozed off after a few minutes of rocking against me, and when a group of squawking birds startled him away, he immediately panicked and tried to climb out of my arms. “Stop. No!”

“It’s me, Jamie.” I spoke softly, doing my best to remind him that he was safe with me. “I’ve got you.”

The fight went out of him and he relaxed into me. For a second there, I thought he might leap out of my arms and bolt on me, but he just sagged and held on tighter. “Cameron?”

“That’s right.” Hearing him say my name like it was the answer to his prayers filled me with an inappropriate amount of joy and relief. “You’re safe now.”

I kept moving, my legs finding their own rhythm as the path twisted ahead of us through the thickening trees.

My phone had been utterly useless in my pocket for miles, but as soon as we hit the ridge, a familiar beep confirmed I had a signal. Careful not to jostle Jamie too much, I fumbled in my pocket and nearly dropped the damn thing over the cliff.

Please work. Please work. Please work.

With a deep breath, I hit the power button and didn’t exhale until the screen flared to life and two bars glowed in the connection light.

Jamie shifted in my arms and whimpered. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, kid. My phone’s working, so I’m gonna call roadside service.”

He stiffened in my arms and then cocked his head back to look at me. “What?”

I chuckled as I showed him the screen to my warranty service provider. “A tow truck. My car took a shit on the way to see you. We need help getting out of here.”

The dispatcher who took the call sounded cheery and nice as I did my best to explain where we were and what we needed.

“Got a car stuck on the side of the road.” I rattled off the details while the signal held and did my best to explain where I’d left my car. They were at least an hour out, so I hoped we wouldn’t have to wait too long after getting there since Jamie needed food and shelter.

He squirmed against me as I finished the call. Poor kid probably didn’t know if he could fully trust me, but I was the only option he had. “The longer we’re out here, the worse it’s gonna get.”

“Yeah, I know.” He sighed as I tucked the phone back into my pocket and scooped him up again.

I was drenched with sweat, but there was no way I was stopping now.

We were almost there.

The tow truck was already putting my car on the hooks when we broke through the tree line. Jamie was still curled up in my arms as I closed the distance to the back of the vehicle where I’d stashed all my stuff.

“Hey there. I’m Cameron Windridge. This is my car.”

The driver nodded, but his eyes were glued to the omega in my arms. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, little hiking accident. We just need a ride into town so we can rest up while the car gets fixed.”

He stared at me for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, hop in the cab. I’m almost done here.”

“Just need to get my bag.” I popped the trunk open with one hand, still balancing Jamie against me. The bags were a little awkward to hold, but as soon as I had what we needed, we went straight to the cab of the tow truck and climbed inside. Jamie scooted to the middle and shivered as I stripped off his wet clothes and put him in clean clothes.

Exhausted in every sense of the word, Jamie was limp and pliant as I maneuvered around him, keeping this as professional as possible while tamping down my extremely interested wolf. Not now, boy. He’s not ours. This is a temporary setback.

Ours.

I scoffed and shook my head at the insistent voice in my head. We’ll figure it out later. Just need to get his wounds cleaned and his body warm .

The peroxide I poured over his leg made him gasp, but he didn’t flinch away from me.

I put a hand on his cheek, wiped a smear of dirt from under his eye. “Almost done.” Those words were meant more as comfort than truth, but I truly hated causing even more pain to the sweet omega. “You’re doing great. These butterfly stitches will keep the wound closed for now.”

Jamie watched with curious eyes as I secured the adhesive strips to his skin and then ripped open a pack of gauze to keep them clean and dry. “Are you a doctor too?”

“Nah, just picked up a few things over the years.” I was happy with the results then put a sock over his foot and climbed into the truck beside him. “We’ll get rooms for tonight and I can take you to the city tomorrow, if that’s where you want to go.”

He nodded his head, too weary to do much more than blink at me.

I wanted to hold him until he understood that he didn’t have to run or fight or disappear anymore. He could be safe with someone like me. Or…me. But I knew better than to think it would be that easy.

“Warm enough?” There was air blowing through the heater vents, but it was on low. “I can turn it up.”

“I’m fine.” A shiver ran through him, and then he drifted off again.

I cranked up the heat as the truck thudded beneath us. My car was fully attached, so I quickly got into my own clothes and settled Jamie against my side. There was more space in the cab than I expected, but when the driver climbed into his side, I was grateful to have Jamie so close to me.

The driver kept sniffing the air like he was more interested in Jamie’s scent than he should have been.

While he drove us over the mountain pass, I watched the trees flash by and blur together in a way that was oddly settling. I’d always felt safe in the woods, and despite the day I’d had, that was as true as ever.

Jamie slept until a roadside motel came into view. As soon as I saw the flickering vacancy sign, I pointed to the window. “You can drop us off right there.”

“I’m gonna.” He hit his turn signal and slowed down. “The garage is about three blocks down on your right. I’ll leave your car there, but you’ll need to go in tomorrow to authorize whatever work they need to do.”

The driver left us in the motel parking lot with a business card and a charge slip and then took off down the road.

Jamie was able to hobble against me as we went toward the office, but I kept one arm around his waist and the other holding all our bags.

“I think I can walk on my own.” His voice was hoarse but steady and that was a relief.

“I know.” I gave him a little squeeze and steered him toward the glass door. “Humor me.”

He rolled his eyes, but let me steer him through the door without another word. The office smelled like stale smoke and lemon cleaner, and the guy behind the counter barely looked up when we went in. “What can I do for you?”

“We need a room.” I kept Jamie close, almost shielding him from the man’s hungry leer.

“Single or double?” He snapped his gum and squinted at a stack of papers like they were a mile away.

“Double.” I didn’t bother checking with Jamie. Even though he was leaning into me and his breath felt like a warm puff against my shoulder, that didn’t mean he wanted to share a bed with me.

He sighed and hit a few buttons on his ancient computer. “Only got a king left.”

“Yeah, fine.” I pulled a credit card out of my wallet and tossed it on the counter with my driver’s license. “Might be a couple days.”

He shook his head and pushed the key across the counter without taking his hand off it. “Cash only.”

I forked over enough to get us through the night, but I’d need to hit an ATM if my car needed longer than that.

As soon as I signed what I needed to sign, I grabbed the key in one hand and wrapped my arm behind Jamie then we made our way to room 5.

“Did you hear what he said about the room?” I tried to sound casual, but I was having mixed feelings about the close quarters for the night.

“Yeah.” He stopped at the bottom of the stairs and looked at me. “It’s fine.”

“We’ll see if you’re still saying that tonight.” I winked and lifted him into my arms to carry him up the stairs to our room.

He didn’t argue, but there was new tension in his body. He was too still. Too quiet.

The room was on the second floor, and Jamie winced with every step I took. As soon as we got to the door, I quickly opened it and helped him limp inside. I looked around while he went straight to the bed.

“Not bad.” Jamie sat down and gave the mattress a test bounce. “Better than the ground.” His voice was strained, but he was projecting optimism, which was better than I could muster.

“Yeah. It’s fine.” I locked the door and sat in the chair to take off my boots. “A shower might be tough, but I can run a shallow bath and you can sit in with your ankle on the ledge.”

“Yeah, that sounds good. I ran through a river yesterday…or maybe the day before. Not sure anymore, but hot water sounds amazing.”

“I’m gonna rinse off while the water heats up and then I’ll fill the tub.” I reached for the remote and held it up. “Wanna watch TV?”

Jamie shrugged and nodded. “Yeah, I guess. Whatever’s on is fine.”

I flipped through the channels until I found some silly sitcom and then excused myself to the bathroom. I turned on the water and was glad I didn’t mind a cold shower because it took a full five minutes to heat up. That was more than enough time for me to wash off and get the tub cleaned so I could start filling it for Jamie.

Despite only being gone a few minutes, when I went back into the room wearing just a pair of boxers, Jamie was passed out on the bed. I considered letting him sleep, but he was coated in dirt and blood, and I knew the bath would do him some good.

“Hey, there.” I sat beside him and gave his right calf a shake. “The bath is ready for you.”

He inhaled and opened his eyes. “Yeah, okay.”

I nodded and reached for his shoes. “Let me help you.” I expected him to tense up or maybe even push me away, but he didn’t resist at all. Maybe I was starting to grow on him. He was certainly having some kind of effect on me.

“Thanks.” He stretched out his arms and then sat up. “I’m so tired, but I also feel chilled, so I’ll just soak for a minute to warm up and then be right out.”

“Take your time.” I stood and helped him pull his shirt over his head. “I’ll help you inside and then be right out here if you need anything.”

A minute later, I was steadying Jamie against the bathroom wall and helping him out of his pants. I kept my eyes up as I lowered him into the hot water and put a towel under his calf so he could fully recline.

“This is so nice.” He closed his eyes and didn’t seem to have any qualms about his nudity. That wasn’t uncommon for those who grew up in packs and were used to seeing naked people every day, but as an unmated omega, he needed to be more aware of the dangers around him.

I wasn’t a danger, per se, but I was an unfamiliar alpha who had needs. And by the state of his thickened cock pointing right out of the water, he had needs too. “I’ll leave the door open. Just call me when you’re ready to get out.”

“Mm.” He sighed and then sat up. “I’m gonna fall asleep if I don’t hurry.” He reached for a wash cloth and lathered it up with the small bar of soap I’d just used.

I took a step out but could see him through the reflection of the mirror as he quickly ran the towel over his body and then dunked his head to wet his hair. With exhaustion quickly setting in, I brushed my teeth until I heard the water drain from the tub. “You done?”

“Yeah.” He pulled himself out by his arms and was about to hop up on one foot before I stepped in and grabbed him.

“I told you I’d help you get out.” I held him up with one arm and shook out the towel I’d left on the hook. “Don’t try to move until I get you dried off.”

He smelled good as I rubbed the towel across his clean skin. Without the layers of nature coating his body, his natural scents came through, and they were fucking enticing. Not just the steam wafting off his skin but the distinct scent of arousal I knew was coating his backside.

Fuck. He was going to be the death of me.

“I’m sleepy.”

“Me too.” And horny. And weak. And fucking hungry for you, omega .

He slipped on some shorts but wouldn’t let me put any other clothes on him because he said he was too hot. There wasn’t any heat blowing into the room, but his skin was still warm to the touch from his bath, so I tucked him into one side of the bed and stretched out on top of the covers beside him.

My plan had been to sleep in the chair or on the floor, but I couldn’t bring myself to be that far away from him, and I figured a few layers of fabric between us would be enough to keep me from taking advantage of the boy.

I was wrong.