Page 9 of The Runaway

“Which is why I’m not making any hasty decisions. We should look at this from all angles and see what the best option is.”

A moment later, Niles came rushing into the room. “Cirroc said there’s a runaway omega in the stables!”

“Well, he’s in the omegas’ quarters now,” Antoine said. “Though there’s no guarantee how long he’s going to stay there.”

“You think he’s going to run away again?” Gabriel asked.

“It’s entirely possible.”

“Shouldn’t we stop him?” Niles said.

Antoine let out a slow breath. “One way of looking at this is that it would be better for us if he did go. That way, it’s not up to us to make any tough decisions about him.”

“We should be helping him,” Gabriel said.

“I don’t disagree. But the fact remains, he’s legally owned by someone else. If we keep him, we could be accused of theft.”

“If we let him go, he’s going to end up dead in a ditch somewhere.”

“Was he injured?” Niles asked.

“He cut himself in the stable. And he has bruises on his face and neck.”

“Then if we send him back, he’ll probably end up dead anyway,” Niles said. “Even if his master doesn’t kill him deliberately, if he’s beating him, he might kill him accidentally.”

“I’m not saying we should send him back,” Antoine said again. “Just because I’m aware of the complications doesn’t mean I’m completely heartless. Not to mention the fact that I’d never hear the end of it from Dante if I did,” he added in a mutter.

“I don’t think we should send him back,” Niles said. “If he ran away, he probably had a good reason for it. And I can’t help thinking what Adalene would think of that. She’d never bond with me if she thought I’d just tossed a runaway omega out without even trying to help.”

“For God’s sake, could we go five minutes without hearing about your bloody bonding with Adalene?” Antoine snapped. “If you don’t shut up about it, I’ll demote her to house mate, and then you’ll have no chance of bonding with her.” As house mate, Adalene would be available for any alpha or beta to mate with, nullifying any chemical tie that might have been developing between her and Niles.

For a moment, Niles went still, his face turning a shade or two paler. Then his lips curved in a slight pout. “No, you wouldn’t,” he said belligerently.

Antoine sighed. “No, I probably wouldn’t. But that doesn’t mean I want to keep hearing about it all the time.”

“But you just said you were worried about what Dante would think of sending the omega back. Why do you get to care what he thinks, but I can’t care what Adalene thinks?”

“His name is Connor,” Gabriel said. Connor had a name. He was a person, not just some random omega. Both men ignored him.

“Every single decision you’ve made lately has been against the backdrop of what Adalene is going to think of it,” Antoine said, sounding profoundly tired. “You need to realise that there are more important things in life than your relationship with your omega.” Niles scowled, but let the topic drop.

“So getting back to Connor,” Antoine said. “He’s injured, he looks malnourished, and he’s terrified. That’s a fairly clear indication that his master is abusing him.”

“Shouldn’t Lucas be here for this?” Niles said, once again changing the topic. “He’s an alpha now.”

“Lucas is young,” Antoine said. “Too young to be making life and death decisions about other people’s lives. Once he’s finished his education, he can start having a say in how we run this estate, but not before.”

“Christophe let me sit in on discussions,” Niles protested. “I didn’t always get to participate, but he at least let me listen.”

Antoine let his head fall forward, resting his forehead against his hand and closing his eyes. Gabriel thought he heard him mutter a curse. His patience was monumental, but it was clear it was wearing thin.

“Maybe it’s not my place to say so,” Gabriel said, “but Niles has a point. If you want Lucas to learn the same morals that you and Niles share, the earlier he starts to learn, the better. I’ve seen too many alphas turn out mean and selfish because they weren’t given enough guidance early on.”

“Fine.” Antoine waved a hand dismissively, without opening his eyes. “Call Lucas down. He can sit and listen.” Niles scurried off, returning a few minutes later with Lucas in tow. “I don’t want to hear a word out of you,” Antoine said, as the young man took a seat. “You can listen, but you do not get a say in the final decision. Is that clear?”

“Yes, sir,” Lucas said.

“Has Niles filled you in on what’s happened?”