Page 64 of Reclaiming Quinn

Deke turned his head toward Zach, surprised to see him with open eyes staring at him.

I have to go. Be careful, Quinn. I need you there when I get home.

You’re the one who needs to be careful. You’ve got enemies all around you.

As much as Deke wanted to like Zach, if Quinn told him there was something off, then he believed him without hesitation.

Love you.

Deke couldn’t help but grin.Love you too.

“I didn’t know you were awake,” Deke said, staring into Zach’s eyes.

“I don’t sleep much. Never have. It’s… not in my nature.”

Deke sat up, wishing he had his damn chair. He pulled himself across the floor until he made it to the makeshift table.

“Need help?”

“Nope. Thank you for asking, though.”

With his hands on the seat of the chair, Deke hauled himself up, turned, and sat down.

“How is it you’re not able to walk? I thought you healed injuries.”

A slip of the tongue? “What do you mean, you thought?”

Zach’s eyes widened. “I mean, you know, in books your kind has remarkable healing abilities.”

“I’m going to ignore the ‘your kind’ remark. I was in an accident when I was a kid. Severed my spine. When I had my first shift at eighteen, it fixed some of the damage, but not all of it. My wolf can run. I can’t.”

“Oh.” He turned away and stared at the wall for a minute. “Ask you a question?”

Zach’s voice was hoarse and scratchy.

“Sure, ask me anything.”

“Do you trust your Alpha?”

It seemed like such an odd question. “Yes. I trust Lyram. Before him, I trusted Gareth. It was he who invited me to Lydon in the first place. It’s an almost magical place.” Deke chuckled as he explained to Zach where Lydon was and a bit about some of the more… colorful residents. It felt good to talk about his… home. “When I got word that Gareth wanted me, I hurried as fast as I could. Life there has been anything but dull. That’s a story in and of itself. When they met, Gareth’s mate, Sean, was a skittish little thing. Only it turned out he had good reason. When you’re the only living Omega, you tend to—”

Zach bolted off the mattress and glared down at Deke. “Omega?”

For a second, Deke would have sworn Zach’s eyes flashed in the dark. “Yes, Sean is the only living… well, no, I guess he isn’t. See, he got pregnant—don’t ask me how that worked, because biology and all… yeah—and he and Gareth had twins. Sean says they’re both Omegas too.”

Faster than Deke could react, Zach reached out and grabbed him by the throat, then thrust him against the wall.

“You’re lying! The Omegas are dead.”

Deke’s mind reeled. “What do you… how did you know that?”

“Tell me the truth! The Omegas are dead. They have to be.”

Deke tried to swallow, but it was useless. Zach’s grip was like iron. He wasn’t exactly choking Deke, but he wasn’t letting him move. “Mother Moon was surprised when she found Sean and helped him to find his mate so Sean could become a full Omega.” Deke clutched Zach’s wrist, wanting to release the grip, but he was powerless to move it. “You’re not human,” he said with finality.

“No, I’m not.” Zach set Deke on the chair. “I’m sorry I lied to you. It’s just… I thought all the Omegas were dead. We’ve been doing our best to stay hidden and live our lives. Many of us have made a place for ourselves in this world.”

“What are you?” Deke asked, his voice breaking.