14. CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 14
It had taken a week for them to meet up with the other team. They had found a lot of parts that Ford needed, as well as some tools and building supplies that were still in good shape. Not that it was that difficult to get building materials when they just had to find a home or two in good enough shape to tear down, but there were some things like nails, screws, and bags of concrete that had also been needed.
During that time, Leandro had stuck to Weston’s side like glue, and he admitted to himself just how much he craved the way his Omega seemed to gravitate toward him constantly. The only time that wasn’t the case was when Leandro checked on the Omegas they rescued.
It hadn’t been surprising that they were skittish of the Alphas after all they’d been through. Hell, Weston was surprised they had willingly come with them after being treated as nothing more than slaves to be used and abused however the Alphas had wanted.
Then again, considering how weak and malnourished they were, striking out on their own would only get them recaptured or possibly killed. It was by silent agreement that none of the Alphas would go near them. Basel had taken over driving the wagon to keep them as calm as possible. Oxley made certain to keep as close to them as possible without scaring them, but he was in charge of protecting the wagon in case of an attack.
The two groups pushed as hard as they could to get back to Sanctuary as quickly as they could. They were relatively certain they were safe from the Alphas at Sandpoint, but that didn’t mean there weren’t others that might find them. It meant long days of driving. They started each morning just as dawn lit the sky and usually kept going until it became impossible to see the road without their lights on.
Exhaustion was a living, breathing thing for all of them, and they were almost giddy when they spotted the signs for home. Weston could finally take a real breath as a group of riders rode out from town to greet them. The escort was an added relief, especially since it would still take several more hours to arrive.
“Do you think we really got away from those Alphas at Sandpoint?” Leandro asked, tension still straining his voice as he glanced behind them.
As much as Weston would like to reassure him, the fact was, with two loaded-down trucks and a wagon, there was no way for them to hide their tracks, especially since most of the roadways were more dirt than asphalt. And once the two groups had met up, there was zero doubt they would have been easy to follow.
“I hope so.” Weston reached over and entwined their fingers reassuringly. “Based on what the Alpha we had captured told us, there hadn’t been that many who’d left. Even if they tracked us, there’s no way they could ever hope to attack us and win.”
That much, at least, was the truth.
“What if they gather more Alphas?” Leandro had a good point. Even though it was more often than not a world where it was every man for himself, Sanctuary had a lot of Omegas. Just like they had once before, Alphas would be tempted to band together to capture as many who lived there as possible.
“I honestly don’t know,” Weston admitted. “We’ve already been through it once and came out the other side. Yes, we lost people, and that sucked, but I believe we will make it through again if they come after us.”
Leandro gave a nod but then stared out the window for a while. It wasn’t hard to tell his mind was working on the problem of another battle and how to keep everyone safe. It was why Weston wasn’t surprised that after thirty minutes, Leandro turned to him again.
“We need a better alarm and defenses. Let’s face it, we were lucky last time.” His Omega wasn’t wrong. They’d been damned lucky.
The fact was, the Alphas had thought they’d stream roll over a town that was mostly made up of Omegas. That had been their biggest downfall because most of the Omegas who lived in Sanctuary had spent their whole lives west of the Mississippi River and knew how to survive. That also meant they knew how to shoot a gun, use a knife, and come up with a strategy for the best way to defeat the enemy.
“How, exactly, are we supposed to do that?” Weston asked. “As far as an alarm to give us warning, the only way to accomplish that would be to send people several miles out to scout the area, but that would put them at risk.”
Leandro let out a little huff of frustration. “I know that, but without some sort of warning, we might not see them coming until it’s too late.”
He had a point, but Weston didn’t have a solution. “We need to set up a meeting to come up with some way of not putting people at risk by sending them out to scout, yet watch for anyone planning on doing the town harm.”
That said, he didn’t think any of them would be any good without some much needed rest. “But first, we need a couple of days to recover. You might be mending quickly, but I would feel better if Renzo or Maxon looked at your leg. And let’s face it, we’re tired and drained. We need a few good meals, some sleep, and hopefully an actual bed to sleep in.”
Leandro smiled at him and nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. But I will talk to Coleson and Ford about setting something up in a couple of days.”
Weston brought Leandro’s hand to his mouth and kissed the back of it. “Sounds like a plan, my love.”
A soft blush crept up Leandro’s neck and into his cheeks at the endearment. Weston would never tire of telling his Omega how much he loved him. Nor would he tire of seeing that sweet pink stain suffice his face.
They arrived just as darkness fell, but the lights from several street lamps helped them to see without issue. Plus, they had fixed their roads, so there were no deep ruts they had to avoid.
“Leandro. Weston, good to see you,” Coleson called out when they stopped before the medical clinic. The other team had gone to Ford’s shop to unload.
“Hey, Coleson.” Leandro might be on the mend, but he was still having difficulty moving around, especially when he’d been sitting for a long period, so Weston quickly got out and went around to help him out.
“What happened?” Coleson exclaimed. “Are you hurt?”
“Shot, actually,” Leandro deadpanned.
The moment Maxon and Renzo heard that, they switched from grabbing boxes from the back of the truck to ushering Leandro into the hospital and putting him on a gurney.
“Guys, I appreciate the concern, but there are a bunch of Omegas we rescued that need medical attention too. We did our best to get them enough food and water, but they were severely malnourished.”
“I’ve got Leandro,” Renzo told Maxon. “Since they are probably traumatized, why don’t you head up and set them up for triage? We’ll see what we can do to help them.”
Maxon turned on his heel and headed back outside while Weston helped Renzo push the gurney into an exam room. When Renzo got out a pair of scissors after hearing Leandro had been shot in the leg, he was stopped when the Omega put a hand on his arm. “Look, Doc, I appreciate you wanting to get to the injury, but it happened two weeks ago, and I already lost one pair of pants to it. I would prefer we not cut up another pair.”
Weston, who was used to helping Leandro undress to check the wound and change the dressing, automatically started taking off his pants. He hadn’t missed the way Renzo’s eyebrows practically rose high enough to touch his hairline at the move, but he wasn’t about to apologize for helping his Omega.
“How is he?” Ford raced into the room, clearly having heard from one of the others and ran all the way from his workshop.
Leandro rolled his eyes, but it was Weston who answered since he’d noticed his Omega got a bit snarky when he was fussed over too much. “He’s fine. I promise. It happened two weeks ago, and Basel stitched him up. He’s doing better walking, but after sitting in the truck all day, he’s a bit stiff, which makes it more difficult to get around until things loosen up.”
“Thank fuck,” Ford breathed out as he practically sagged against the gurney in relief. “What happened and where did all those Omegas come from?”
“Fucking Alphas were basically starving them to keep them from being able to run and then selling them,” Leandro spat out in disgust. “Which is another problem. There is a chance the remaining Alphas might follow us. We’re going to need to come up with a plan in case they do.”
“How many?” Coleson asked as he walked in at that moment.
“We can’t be certain,” Weston admitted. “We captured an Alpha, who told us a group went down the river to sell off some of their Omegas. He told us ten Alphas went but we do not know if he was telling the truth. Plus, if they are like the last group of Alphas that came after us, once they see how big our town is, they most likely would try to find reinforcements.”
“Which will give us time to come up with a strategy.” Coleson headed back out the door, but not before calling over his shoulder at them. “You all look like shit. I want everyone who went to rest for a few days, and then we’ll regroup and figure out how to handle whatever is headed our way.”
“Your wound looks fine, but I need to remove the stitches,” Renzo told Leandro. “Then you and Weston can get a hot meal and sleep.” Renzo pointed at both of them. “Coleson’s right. You are to relax and do nothing for forty-eight hours, got it?”
When Leandro opened his mouth to clearly argue, Weston clamped a hand over it and said, “We’ll do as recommended.”
There was no way he was going to give up the chance to hold Leandro on a nice, soft bed for the next two days. He just hoped his Omega agreed to continue sleeping with him.