Chapter 27 Ben #2
Elliott studied me with his large green eyes. “I also heard something else about you. That you healed Jeremiah and Ollie. Is that true?”
I sighed and shook my head. “I didn’t heal them. I wouldn’t know how to heal someone.” I told him about how Angus thought he’d heard his late wife telling him to get me.
“Wow. The thing about his late wife is weird,” Elliott said when I’d finished. “But, I kind of do that…the healing thing.”
“You can heal people?” I asked loudly, and Elliott quickly put his hand over my mouth.
“Shh. No one knows.”
“Why not?” I asked more quietly.
“Because…I can’t really explain, but I think it’s dangerous.”
I frowned. “How could it be?”
Elliott shook his head. “It’s just a feeling.
You know how I was separated from the others when we were kidnapped.
I got the feeling there was a reason for it.
They seemed really interested in what I could do.
I had no idea what they meant when they asked me if I had any weird talents.
I thought they were being crude, but I heard them saying something about my omega father.
They took him, too, only I never saw him.
Leaning toward me, he whispered, “They called him an omega x.”
“Omega x? What’s that?”
Elliott shrugged. “I don’t know, except it’s something they want.”
I didn’t think I’d heard the term before, but I remembered the dream about my fathers and how one had said, “He’s not like you.”
“When I couldn’t wake up that time, I had two very vivid dreams,” I told Elliott.
Elliott leaned closer. “What did you dream?”
I told him every detail about them that I could remember.
“I know the first one was about my parents because the SOS found me in a dumpster when I was a baby. In the dream, he told my omega dad that killing me would be better than letting me live because I wasn’t like my omega father was. Do you think he meant omega x?”
“Maybe,” Elliott said “The only thing I really know about my father’s past is that he'd been orphaned and my alpha father’s family took him in and raised him. They didn’t know he was omega until he suddenly went into heat and my alpha father mated with him.”
“Wow. Could he heal or anything? And why haven’t you told the others?”
A troubled look settled over Elliott’s face. “What if it puts them in danger? I’m only telling you because I think you’re like me.” He lowered his voice even more. “I think we’re omega x.”
“There you guys are!” David said, making both me and Elliott jump. I hadn’t heard him walk up to the door. “Come out here with us.”
Elliott and I followed David into the living room, but I couldn’t stop thinking about what he’d said. We were omega x? And did we really have to keep it a secret? I needed more time to talk to him, but that was nearly impossible with the crowd we had.
“Carter told me Jackson hasn’t stopped crying since he told him about the fire,” Maddox was telling Laura when we re-entered the living room.
“Their bonding is truly extraordinary,” Laura said. Her eyes landed on me and Elliott. “Where did you two run off to?”
“I was just showing him my pillows,” I said, unable to think of anything else. “You know, how I nest with them.”
Laura nodded. “I really want to talk to the two of you about your experiences last night. How you knew about Trey.”
“I think omegas just have a heightened sense about each other,” Elliott told her.
I nodded. “Probably the bonding thing.”
“Then why didn’t I have a weird feeling about Trey?” David asked.
“Why didn’t any of us?” Ren wondered.
“Ben, how did you know something was wrong?” Laura asked.
“I just woke up and knew,” I said. “I didn’t dream about it. I just suddenly opened my eyes and knew Trey was in trouble.” I was getting tired of explaining it.
“So, it wasn’t like what happened when you dreamed about your parents,” she clarified.
I shook my head. “Not at all.”
“You guys should stay the night,” David said.
“Yeah, like a slumber party!” Trey said excitedly.
“We can do that, can’t we, Laura?” Zeke asked.
“Of course. I’m not your keeper. As long as you aren’t in public, you’re good.”
David and I started hunting up blankets and pillows.
“Well, okay. Call me tomorrow and I’ll come and get you,” Laura said, slipping into her coat.
We all told her goodnight, and she left.
“I’m going to go check the livestock. Are you really going to sleep in here?” Maddox asked the group.
Nods all around. After Maddox left and I had the chance, I whispered to Elliott, “We need to tell them. We’re all brothers. We don’t have to tell anyone else.”
“Won’t you feel bad keeping it from your alphas?” Elliott asked.
“Yes, but I won’t tell them if you don’t want me to. But we need to discuss this with the group.”
David went to check on Ollie, and Trey did the same with Bertie. I excused myself and went to find Angus and Colt. They were in the kitchen.
“We’re going to have a slumber party in the living room. Can you guys keep each other company tonight?” I asked.
“We’ll manage,” Angus said, giving Colt a wink. I smiled. I hoped the two of them would find something interesting to do together.
When I returned to the living room, the furniture had been pushed back, and Camp and Zeke were laying out blankets. David brought three sleeping bags from the hall closet.
“I forgot about these,” he said, unzipping them, and I helped him spread them out.
When everyone was comfortable, Camp asked, “Did we tell you that we found out the alpha guy Laura interviewed is part of the SOS ops team? There are going to be five of them guarding us.”
“Are they all alphas?” David asked. “And how does that work?”
“They’re on rut suppressants. They hardly come around us anyway. They’re just here to protect us in case the government swoops in,” Keane said.
“They’re hot. One in particular,” Riku said.
“Don’t get any ideas,” Ren warned him.
“What can they even do if the government guys come?” I asked. “They can’t kill them.”
“I guess chase them off and give us a chance to run,” Camp said.
“This is all getting too weird.” I scooted down a little more in my blankets and rearranged my nest of pillows I’d made. My belly had doubled in size in the past week and my back hurt. I looked at Elliott for permission to bring up what we were talking about and was surprised when he spoke up.
“You guys, I have something to say.”
At his serious tone, everyone grew quiet.
Keane, who was positioned closest to Elliott, put his hand on Elliott’s arm. “What is it, El?”
“You guys all think I’m withholding something from you about the kidnapping. Well, you’re right.” He swallowed thickly. Rising up on my elbow and propping my head on my hand, I sent him an encouraging look.
“I’m pretty sure I was separated from you guys because of my omega dad.
He was different. He had second-sight. He once got the whole family out of the house before a semi veered off the nearby highway and slammed into it.
There were other things, but that’s the story I remember.
He also used to lay his hands on me whenever I was sick. I would be fine hours later.”
Camp sat up and leaned his back against the couch. “Are you saying your birth dad had special powers, the kidnappers found out about them, and they thought you had them too?” He paused. “Do you? You knew about Trey’s family last night.”
Solomon spoke up. “You’re also the one who took care of Keane a year ago when he was really sick. We all were afraid he was going to die, but then he was suddenly well again.”
“Yes, that’s what I’m saying. I heard them call my birth father an omega x.”
“If they took you because of that, why did they want us?” Zeke said? “We can’t do those things.”
“I think they kidnapped you guys to traffic you. I think they kidnapped my dad because they somehow knew about him, and because I was his kid, they wanted to know if I was like him. Only, they didn’t know how to tell.
I acted like I didn’t know what they were talking about.
They got nasty about it.” He looked down. “But I don’t want to talk about that.”
Riku had been staring at Elliott throughout this. “Why didn’t you tell us all this before? I sure asked enough times.”
Ren put his hand on his brother’s shoulder, but Riku shrugged it off.
“I was afraid,” Elliott whispered.
“Of us?” Ren asked.
Elliott shook his head. “Of course not. I was afraid you’d be hurt somehow. I was afraid if I talked about it, they would find out somehow. I was rescued before they could figure out if I was the same as my dad.”
“How come you’re telling us now?” Zeke asked quietly.
Elliott’s gaze met mine.
Before I could say anything, Trey sat up. “Oh gods, because you’re the same, Ben! Aren’t you?”
Shrugging, I said, “I guess so?”
Everyone began talking at once.
“Shh! Keep it down. We don’t want anyone to hear!” Elliott said.
“You’re not going to tell your alphas?” Keane whispered.
“Elliott only agreed we could tell you,” I said, locking eyes with Elliott.
Camp looked back and forth between us. “Okay, call me crazy, but I think you should for sure tell the guys who are here to protect you.”
After a few seconds, Elliott deflated. “Fine. Might as well. It’s all out now.”
“Don’t worry, El,” Keane said, putting his arm around the smaller omega. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“None of us will,” Riku said.