Page 96 of Omega's Flight

C H A P T E R 6 8

I rubbed my palms down the front of my thighs for probably the twentieth time since I'd arrived at the Alpha's office. Quin was conferring quietly in a corner with Cas while Bax and Holland sat with me. To keep me from losing my courage and agreeing to go home again, I thought. I'd hardly slept the night before and my stomach churned with acid.

"You'll be fine," Holland whispered. "We're been through this before." He took my hand and squeezed it. "Just watch Cas in action. And Quin."

I nodded and swallowed against a sudden surge of nausea. My palm was sweating against Holland's hand and I wanted to rub it dry against my jeans again. I hoped they wouldn't need me once I'd said my one practiced line, but both Cas and Quin had been doubtful. Though, as Cas had pointed out, if they wanted to play dirty, we could to and we had a lot more resources than Jackson-Jellystone. Quin had just shrugged and reminded him that that it wasn't Jackson-Jellystone but the Bureau they'd be dealing with.

I'd watched them anxiously without much understanding of what was going on. But Bax and Holland trusted these two, so I couldn't do anything but trust them too.

Finally, Quin came over to us, frighteningly quiet for being so tall and broad. "Are you ready? It's almost time."

I nodded. Beside me, Holland said, "He'll be fine. It's just nerves."

Just nerves. I almost laughed—this would be my first time facing Degan since the day he hit me and I'd made the decision to take the pups and leave.

Quin smiled down at his mate. "I have plenty of practice recognizing nerves," he said, making Holland laugh.

"I don't get nervous anymore." Holland squeezed my hand again, then let go of it and stood up. I took the opportunity to wipe my hand off on my jeans again and watched jealously as the tall, slender Holland teased his giant of a mate, stepping much farther over the line of appropriate omega behavior than I would have ever dared. There was something joyful about it, like the aftermath of an argument successfully resolved and I wondered if they'd solved the financial problems of the day that Ori had come to Mercy Hills. I'd like to think that their good deeds would be rewarded, not punished.

"It's time," Cas said quietly. Quin took his seat behind his desk, Cas behind and just to the right. We stayed where we were, close but out of sight of the camera in the Alpha's laptop. Close enough to hear whatever was said, and refute it if necessary, Cas had explained. Bax handed me a notebook and a wide marker so I could write notes to the Alpha and Cas if I needed to.

I winced when Roland's voice boomed out of the speakers. "Well, Quin. Stealing another omega from another pack? Is this one a True Omega too?" I glanced over at Holland, who raised a hand and waited tensely.

"Would I know?" Quin asked him.

"You can ask one of those magic omegas you've got there. That's two now, right? Three if Raleigh's worth anything. I'm surprised Buffalo Gap didn't make you give him back."

"He's mated here, and here he'll stay. We're not talking about Bax today, unless you want to renegotiate the deal for the solar panels. But since possession is nine-tenths of the law, and my lawyer is sitting right here beside me, I wouldn't recommend it."

"You're treading a dangerous path, Mercy Hills."

Quin shrugged. "You wanted to talk. Let's talk."

"He needs to come home. The pups belong to Jackson-Jellystone and their sire. Degan's willing to take him back if he apologizes properly."

I shook my head frantically at the Alpha, then froze when Cas made a shushing motion with his hand. Bax reached over and patted my arm. I settled down again on the chair and chewed the inside of my cheek as I watched my future being decided.

Quin glanced briefly at Cas after Roland stopped talking.

"What, exactly are you proposing?" Cas asked smoothly.

I wished I could see Roland's face, because his voice when he spoke again sounded baffled. "I don't know what you mean. Put him and the pups on a bus, or drive them here. They belong to Jackson-Jellystone."

"Well, I'm sure that would solve a lot of problems for you, but it does raise some issues. Let me go through them, if you don't mind, and then we can discuss each one individually." Cas’s smile was pleasant, but I had a feeling that he wasn't going to be a push-over. Not that I had really expected it.

"Seriously, Mercy Hills? You're going to bore me into submission?" Roland sounded incredulous, and I almost giggled. I had no doubt, from the look Cas gave the computer, that he was considering doing that right now, whether that was the intention before or not.

"No, Alpha Jackson-Jellystone," Cas said mildly. "Simply that the situation has become considerably more complex since Bax's second mating." He shuffled some papers and raised his eyebrows at the computer. "First of all, I doubt that the packs would condone violence against a pregnant omega, particularly a male with their well-known fragile nature. But if you're willing to bring the complaint, I am absolutely willing to argue it."

Roland was quiet for a moment. "I'm not saying what he did was right. He and I have talked about that night and he regrets his actions. It's still wasn't right for Raleigh to take the pups and run off, leaving everyone around worrying for their safety."

"We aren't talking about Raleigh here, but Degan. It's easy to say you're sorry and that events won't happen again, but we have no reassurance that his words have any merit and that he won't return to his previous behavior pattern once he has Raleigh in his power again. There is the additional matter of his having initiated this attack in front of one of the pups, the aftermath of which Mercy Hills is still dealing with. His lack of judgment in choosing to do so is another matter of concern for us and would, we suspect, also be a matter of concern to the council."

Cas's voice was so bland, so monotone, that even I found myself wishing he'd just stop. But he didn't, and I realized that he was treating this like a courtroom, slowly setting the pieces together until he had Roland just where he wanted him.

"Are you mated?" Roland asked him suddenly.

"No," Cas replied, and I could hear the surprise in his voice.