Getting Close to the Omega (31 page)

parents. I was abused in this pack. I was left to rot in this cell

in this pack. I owe you and your pack nothing,” Dean snapped

back.

“Fine,” Ron snarled. “Then you will stay in here until you

change your mind. I have you, I have your powers. Where you

are means nothing so long as you are under my control.”

“Wrong again,” Dean said, and despite the whole suckiness of

the situation, he was feeling pretty good. It was clear that Ron

had no idea what the power of the Omega was, or how it was

used. That was a good thing for Dean, and he planned on

keeping Ron in the dark about the peaceful element of his

power as long as possible. Maybe Ron thought the Omega

power was simply a boost to his Alpha power or something.

“My power will only work for you if I am in the same room as

you and those you interact with. Keeping me locked up down

here, does nothing for you, or your Alpha power. But hey, I’ll

stay down here till my mate comes. It’s not like I haven’t spent

years in this situation anyway. I can handle it a lot better now,

than I could then, especially knowing your dick is wrapped up

in your mate. It certainly didn’t do anything for me.”

Ron growled then, a fierce low angry growl designed to

intimidate and cower any lesser wolves. Dean didn’t feel a

thing, and just kept a bland look on his face as he stared Ron

in the eyes. In any wolf shifter, unless you were mates, that

was a direct challenge, and although Dean knew he couldn’t

fight Ron, Ron couldn’t kill him either. The stupid man just

didn’t know it yet.

Snarling, Ron held his stare for a long minute and then actually

dropped his eyes. Grabbing Gretchen, they both stormed out

of the room, the door being slammed and locked behind them.

Dean rolled over onto his front and tried to get comfortable –

not an easy thing to do with a thick chain around his neck.

Dean’s hand moved around the chain until he found the large

padlock securing two solid links. Idly, he rubbed over the solid

metal padlock.
If I had real power, this thing would just

disappear.

Need some help little one.

Matthew.
Dean couldn’t help but be thrilled to hear his mate’s

calming voice in his head. He didn’t mean to project anything,

but he couldn’t deny how happy he was that his mate was

keeping tabs on him.

Just bemoaning the fact that my power doesn’t allow me to

remove this fucking heavy padlock and chain around my neck.

No biggie.
Dean tried to keep his missive upbeat. He didn’t

want Matthew to worry about him anymore than necessary.

Give me a minute,
Matthew asked. Dean waited, lazily counting

the cracks in the wall – there were more than he remembered.

Shawn asked if you could tip your head back, and try not to

move.

Dean did as Matthew said, although he felt a bit stupid. If Ron

walked in right now, he would look like a right idiot. Less than

a minute later, Dean felt some warmth around his neck and

then the chain fell to the floor.

That is awesome, please thank Shawn for me. I don’t suppose

he could rustle me up some clothes too? Being naked when

you’re not here seems a bit unnecessary.

Dean lay quietly while it seemed that Matthew and Shawn were

trying to work out if Shawn could remotely send Dean some

clothes. Five minutes later a neatly folded pile of clothes,

including a huge denim shirt that smelled deliciously of his

mate, appeared at the foot of the bed.

Thank you guys so much.
Dean projected as he quickly put on

a pair of his own jeans, Matthew’s shirt, and his favorite boots.

Dressed, he felt a lot better, even if Matthew’s shirt reached to

his knees and fell off his shoulders like a blanket.

Shawn said that he could transport you out of there, if you

wanted him too, but that wouldn’t keep you safe over the long

term. Both he and Kane were hoping you could stay where you

are just a little while longer, so we can resolve this once and

for all.

Dean thought about it. He knew that Shawn could do it. One

little wiggle of his fingers, and Dean would be back in

Matthew’s arms. But then that would just bring Ron, Gretchen

and those freaking Brennus straight back onto Cloverleah pack

land, and Dean didn’t want that. As much as every drop of his

blood longed to see Matthew again, he knew it was better to let

his Alpha, his mate, and all of his friends, work this out so that

everyone would be safe. Hugging himself tight, Matthew’s smell

seeping up from the shirt he was wearing, he sent back.

I’ll stay. I know you guys have a plan, right? And I know it’s

for the best if this is handled away from Cloverleah.

It is for the best, little one. Doesn’t mean I have to like it, but I

want you safe for all time, not just until the next attack.

By the way, I don’t know if it will mean anything, or if it helps

at all, but Gretchen, the redheaded witch. She’s mated to Ron.

She wasn’t happy about it when I told her she would die if she

tried to leave him. I don’t think she ever intended to stick

around with him for the long term. I think she just likes shit

stirring wolf packs.

Actually, little one, that does help. Anything else you can find

out about her, please let me know. She is the wildcard in all of

this at the moment. Now, what’s your favorite movie?

What?

Hey, you’ve got a bit of time. We’re travelling. I can’t do what

I’d really like to do with you, remote like, so let’s get to know

each other. What’s your favorite movie?

Pirates of the Caribbean.

Really?
Matthew sounded surprised through the mind link and

Dean grinned in the darkness. None of the pack understood his

love for Johnny Depp, but he adored the man and loved his

attitude as Jack Sparrow.

It’s a Johnny Depp thing. What about you?

Dean and Matthew chatted for what seemed like hours. Dean

learned that Matthew liked most types of music, except for

Country and Heavy Metal, that his favorite book was Wind in

the Willows, which Dean thought was adorable, and that he

was a huge fan of Bruce Willis’s Die Hard movies. Matthew was

telling Dean about some of the places he had been in his long

life, when Dean heard the lock in his cell door rattle again.

Gotta go, big guy. Know that I love you, okay.

Love you too. Be there soon.

Ron literally stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Dean

sitting on the bed, fully dressed, the chain that had been

binding him, in a heap on the floor. His eyes narrowed and he

tightened his lips.

“I see Gretchen seeks to undermine me,” he said, and Dean

decided not to disabuse Ron of his assumption. He didn’t know

how Ron would feel if he knew for certain that Dean had a bond

with his mate, or that a Shifter Guardian was traveling with his

pack to come and rescue him. Or was he? Dean did a mental

shrug. It didn’t matter who was coming – he knew Matthew

was. If Ron thought he was going to take Matthew’s shirt away

from him, then he would have a fight on his hands. Dean

needed Matthew’s scent to keep him grounded.

“No matter,” Ron said after a long moment of just staring at

Dean. “I had planned to offer you clothes, and a meal, if you

are inclined. I think it would do the pack morale some good to

see we have our Omega back.”

Dean thought it was a really dumb idea himself, because he

had no intention of staying with this pack, and hiding down in a

cell was actually preferable to him, than eating with a bunch of

strangers. He hadn’t been allowed to socialize with anyone in

his home pack since he was twelve, and right now he didn’t

care if things stayed exactly the same way now. But, if he

could get some intel that would help Matthew and the others,

then he would have to overcome his social anxiety, and see

who was in the pack these days. So instead of refusing, Dean

simply smiled and stood up, indicating that he would follow his

ex-Alpha.

As they headed up a heap of stairs, Dean tried to contact

Matthew.

He’s taking me up for a meal with the pack. Really not sure

about this.

It’s okay, little one, I will keep my ears on for you, no matter

what happens. Be careful with the food. Remember Kyron

was drugged with something he drank or ate, and there is no

way of knowing if anything you might be offered is tainted.

Fuck, you’re right. Damn, and I’m hungry, but I won’t eat or

drink anything I’m not sure about. Thanks for the reminder.

I’ll get Shawn to send you a burger when you are on your own

again.

That’s why I love you so much,
Dean thought back, being truly

honest.
You are always thinking of my welfare and ways of

making my life better.

Thank you, little one. Although in the interest of honesty, I

don’t want you to get weak and malnourished because I have

hot plans for you when I get you back, and that is a purely

selfish motive, I promise you.

Dean shivered a little at the heat that Matthew managed to

send via his mind link. It had only been a matter of hours,

maybe a day, because he really wasn’t sure how long he had

been away from his mate, but god he missed Matthew with

every single cell in his body and he wanted to tell him so. But

he was stopped from replying as Ron led him into a large

dining hall.

Oh fuck.
Dean tried to hide his nervousness, but he hadn’t

been comfortable around people he didn’t know basically his

whole life. Seeing fifty odd people sitting around three long

tables, who all looked up and stared at him, as he followed Ron

to the main table, was more than his nerves could stand. Dean

felt sweat run down his back and he did his best to keep his

head up, when every instinct in his body screamed at him to

drop his eyes and run from the room. His wolf scented danger,

and now he was fighting the need to shift.

Calm little mate. Remember Kyron. No one can hurt you. They

might want to. They might think it. But they can’t do anything

to you.

Kyron wanted to kill me. I don’t know if I can stop someone

hitting me or anything. It never worked before.

You weren’t mated to me before. Think of your Omega power,

like my own Alpha power. A presence you always have, that

you can fling from your body like a giant mist, when you have

too. Don’t try…

“Dean, you look a little distracted. Come and sit by me, and I

will arrange some food and drink for you.” Ron broke into

Matthew’s explanation on how to use his power and Dean

wasn’t happy about that. But at this point, Ron had done

nothing wrong, aside from kidnapping him, and he was in a

room full of strange wolves, so he needed to be pleasant. He

also needed to keep his wits about him.

“I prefer to prepare my own food, Alpha, if that’s acceptable.

Perhaps you could point me towards the kitchen?”

“Nonsense. I realize it’s an Omega thing, wanting to serve, but

just this one time let my mate get your food for you.” Okay,

well his freaking ex-Alpha wasn’t going to make this easy, and

there was no way in hell that Dean was going to eat anything

that came from a plate of food given to him by Gretchen.

“Thank you,” he said keeping his thoughts to himself. “May I be

excused, so that I can use a bathroom? I haven’t had a chance

to wash up since I arrived,” he added as though he was a

guest, instead of a prisoner.

And what could Ron say, in front of his pack, but “Of course,”

and direct him to a bathroom off of the main hall. Thank

goodness he didn’t actually expect to be in the bathroom with

Dean – that would have been too much. Dean quickly used the

toilet, and then scrubbed his hands and face. His hands were

trembling badly, a result of being in an unfamiliar situation.