8. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

Shay

The hands tightened around my throat, cutting off my air. Couldn't breathe. I couldn't breathe. I fought against the hands, trying to break their hold on my throat. Trying to draw precious air into my oxygen starved lungs. My body felt weak–so fucking weak–and I couldn't fight against them. Exhaustion pulled at me from every angle, and for a second I thought about just giving into it. To the exhaustion and the lack of oxygen. What would it feel like to sink into the blackness and let everything just go?

Lucas! Some deep part of me that I hadn't heard or felt in too long tugged at me, making me focus. I could never leave Lucas. I would never leave Lucas. Not with Edward. I had to fight. Had to breathe .

Cool hands caressed the hot skin of my forehead, then skimmed lightly to cup my cheek. "Shh, you're okay. Try to take a breath. I know it's hard, but try. Shh, it was just a dream."

My eyes flew open, and instead of being met with Edward's leering face, light green eyes stared down at me. They were filled with concern, as the omega continued to whisper soothing, nonsense words to me, one hand resting on my chest while the other still cupped my cheek. His touch was so gentle–so very gentle–but I felt it to the depth of my soul. It had been too many years since anyone besides Lucas had touched me with gentleness.

Heat burned beneath his palm where it rested against the skin of my chest–my bare skin–and a tingling sensation radiated downward, towards my stomach. His touch did something more than spark electricity across my skin. His touch calmed me, soothed me, in a way nothing had in longer than I could remember. Looking into his gorgeous eyes, feeling his hand resting over my racing heart and fluttering chest, his touch made me feel…safe.

For one moment I was lost in it all and time seemed to stop moving around us. There was nothing but his light-colored eyes, his touch, the safety of just him. Sniffing, I tried to catch his scent, but my nose was too stuffed up and clogged for me to smell much of anything.

What would he smell like?

Edward smelled of lavender, a scent I'd grown to hate. Would this omega smell flowery, or sweet like so many omegas did? Would his scent make me want him? Make me want to taste him?

Reality crashed around me, breaking the spell his green eyes had caught me in. Gasping, my chest burned. My lungs felt like they weren't working, and I couldn't manage a normal, full breath. The cough was upon me before I could try to stop it, stealing what little air I had managed to suck in. Trying to pull in oxygen through the coughing fit, I struggled to sit up, then gagged from the force of the coughs.

Rolling towards the edge of the bed, a wastebasket was shoved under my face. I continued to cough and gag, but thankfully the contents of my stomach remained inside me. Tears streamed from my eyes with the brunt of it all, and finally, when it was over, I collapsed back onto the soft pillows of the strange bed I found myself in.

Well…that was fucking embarrassing.

A soft tissue wiped at the tears the coughing fit had caused, being extra careful around my still slightly swollen eye and the bruises on my face. Tossing the tissue in the trash, the man glanced at the clock on the nightstand. "It's time for your nebulizer."

My eyes tracked him as he quickly got up from the bed and disappeared out the open doorway.

Where the fuck am I? Who the fuck is he? What the fuck just happened?

By the darkness spilling through a small gap in the eggplant-colored curtains over the window, and a beam of moonlight cascading across the carpeted floor, I knew it was night. Soft, yellow light from a small lamp on the nightstand revealed a bedroom with heavy, dark cherry furniture and walls painted a lovely shade of lilac. The duvet that covered me from the waist down was gray, lilac, and eggplant striped.

There was nothing masculine about the room, but I found it soothing. Peaceful .

My chest still ached, and my breathing sounded raspy to my ears, a little wheeze at the tail end of each huff. My head ached, along with every single muscle and joint in my body. If someone had told me I'd been hit by a truck, I would believe them. I felt like absolute shit, and not all of it was because of the fight with Edward.

Beating, I told myself. That wasn't a fight, Shay. You didn't participate. At least be honest with yourself and call it what it was.

The small omega returned, and I studied him while he fussed with some kind of contraption. He looked familiar, with his messy dark brown hair, and those startling light green eyes. He was really fucking cute, and if I didn't feel like dog shit and my life wasn't an absolute shit show at the moment, I might have given him more than a passing glance. Especially considering the way our skin tingled each time we touched.

"Ugh, this thing is giving me fits," he muttered, pushing a button on the hand-held machine. It glowed blue and what looked like a whiff of smoke puffed out from the plastic face mask attached to it, before the light turned red and then nothing. He did it two more times, shaking it, then resorting to the age-old method of fixing just about anything. He smacked it with the palm of his hand. It was cute and made me want to smile, but I just didn't have the energy.

Suddenly, he snapped his fingers, like a light bulb went off. "Fucking batteries."

Reaching into the nightstand drawer, he rummaged around, tossing the contents inside every which way. Watching him silently, my eyes grew round when I saw a flash of pink. Was that a pink silicone…penis? Yep, there was a dick in his drawer. And it was a hefty one from what I could see. Girth and length. Running my eyes over the omega's petite form, I was impressed. He was tiny, and that dildo was…not.

With a flourish of triumph, he pulled his hand from the back of the drawer, holding two batteries up high. "Thank you, Amazon bulk pack. You'd think respiratory could have made sure the damn thing had fresh batteries in it."

He slid the drawer shut with a thud, quickly replacing the batteries on the breathing machine thingy. My memories were vague and hazy, but bits and pieces were starting to come back to me.

Including ones of this man.

"Ben?" I rasped, not at all sure that was his name, but the name seemed to be floating in the back of my brain, flashing like a neon sign. He stopped fiddling with the machine and turned to stare at me with those large eyes of his. His eyes were truly gorgeous, the color so light, surrounded by thick, dark lashes. The name though…it wasn't quite right. "Bennett?"

He nodded slowly, shooting me a shy smile that hit me straight in my gut. What the fuck was that? I hadn't felt–whatever that was–for a very long time. Not since a gorgeous omega had strutted into my dad's shop like he owned the world, and then turned my entire life upside down.

Holding the oxygen face mask up to me, he pushed the button and the medicine smoked out. "Hold that over your nose and mouth. Breathe in through your mouth," he instructed, and I took ahold of the contraption from him, doing as he ordered. "It will help your breathing. I'll…uh, go get your other medicine. It's time for them."

Before he could scurry away like a scared rabbit, I wheezed, "Lucas? "

Where was my son? Fear rushed up like a live wire to the back of my throat and I felt sick to my stomach. What if someone had taken him? What if Edward had somehow found us? What if he had taken Lucas?

He–Bennett–gently pushed the oxygen mask back over my face, with a stern look that said I'd better leave it there. "No talking until this is done. Lucas is asleep across the hall in my guest bedroom." As if he could read my eyes, or my body language, or just had some kind of glimpse into my very soul, Bennett assured me, "He's safe, I promise you."

I wasn't stupid enough to think me declaring Alpha Law would stop Edward. Edward was used to doing and getting what he wanted, no matter the cost to anyone else. He cared not one bit about collateral damage. All he cared about was getting his way, no matter who he hurt in the process. It wasn't even about Lucas–Edward didn't want him–but taking Lucas would hurt me. And that's what Edward thrived on the most.

"You just went a million miles away," Bennett whispered, raising his voice slightly to be heard over the hum of the machine. The medicine it pumped out tasted weird; not bad exactly, but not great either, and my face felt slick with wetness from the spray. But the tightness of my chest was easing, and it did feel like I could take deeper breaths. The motion tugged at my bruised ribs, but I ignored them, the need for air outweighing the sharp pain they gave me.

My eyes held about a million questions, and I tilted my head, hoping I was conveying my need to ask them. Even though talking was about as difficult as breathing was right now. It felt like there was an elephant that had taken permanent residence on my chest .

Since he had ordered me to keep the mask on and not speak, I gave a tiny shrug of my shoulders in answer to his statement. There were about ten thousand things running through my brain right now, along with fragmented memories from our drive to Sweet Alps. I remembered getting Lucas food from a cute diner with 1950's vibes, and going to the hospital to try to get in contact with Asher.

Things got really hazy after that.

I remembered being in and out of wakefulness, a female doctor with kind eyes and hands. A nurse who had looked at me with sympathy shining in her tired eyes.

And Bennett.

He had been there. He had brought Lucas to me. Had helped him up onto the bed. Had touched me. Had rocked my entire world with his touch.

It wasn't that I was unaware of what was happening between us each time he touched me. I had read books, seen movies. I knew the lore of fated mates. I just never expected to stumble across my fated mate, at the worst possible time in my life.

With everything I was dealing with, that I was going to have to deal with, I didn't have the energy to even address it with Bennett. I would just ignore it for now. Which was unfair to him and was the coward's way out, but I just couldn't . Not now. Not yet.

I felt like if one more thing came my way, I would shatter into a million pieces. And I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, the worst hadn't even happened yet. Edward would come after me. And he would try to do the one thing that would hurt me the most. He would try to take Lucas. Declaring Alpha Law only protected us so much. But it wouldn't be enough, not when dealing with the Clark family and all their money. My main focus had to be Lucas right now. Nothing else mattered. Nothing. Not even possibly meeting my fated mate.

No ‘possibly' about it , that voice that had been silent for years whispered, he's our mate. Our real mate. Not like that…other one.

I didn't acknowledge my tiger. I wasn't ready to hear what he had to say, now that he had finally decided to show back up. Having Lucas was the one thing that had kept me going, kept me from giving up. I would protect him with everything I had inside me.

There were more things I remembered after that, but it was all just weird pieces to a jigsaw puzzle, and nothing seemed to fit together correctly.

There had been three large alphas, who had managed to get me into a tin-can sized car. I distinctly remembered being almost too tall, sitting in the cramped passenger seat. I guessed those same big alphas had followed us here and gotten me into the bed, because there was no way Bennett would have been able to manage it on his own. But I remembered nothing until I was being stripped down to my boxer briefs and tucked into a soft, warm bed.

Remembering that made me realize that my boxer briefs seemed to have vanished from my body. I was as naked as the day I was born under the duvet. Had Bennett done that? If he was going to strip me, he could at least wait until I was awake and not feeling like death warmed over.

Where were all these sexual thoughts coming from? It was nice to know I wasn't completely dead inside, but having these feelings for Bennett–a complete stranger–seemed wrong. Edward and I hadn't been intimate since the night we had conceived Lucas. My desire, even for getting myself off, had vanished about the time my tiger had gone into hiding. Suddenly finding myself attracted to Bennett was…somewhat of a relief, but startling.

Looking around the room, I saw my underwear folded neatly on a dresser, resting on top of the pile of clothes I had been wearing. Waving a hand, indicating the room as a whole, I implored Bennett with my eyes. They said fated mates developed a bond, and that they were able to feel their mate's emotions, even communicate with just their minds. I didn't know if that was true, but it was worth a shot.

Bennett looked around his bedroom, a soft smile curving his lips upwards, drawing all my attention to them. They were petal pink, and the most perfect bow shape I had ever seen. His bottom lip was fuller than the top and just a smidge shy of being pouty. He had kissable lips and I wondered if they were as soft as they looked. Sadly, there were only parts of me that seemed interested in Bennett's lips or kissing them. My cock didn't even twitch. Not surprising considering the sorry state I was in.

You have no business even thinking about kissing him. Or thinking about what his hands would feel like trailing across your skin, undressing you. Remember what happened the last time you were instantly captivated by a beautiful omega? Nothing good.

You do not need this in your life right now, Shay. Stop thinking about pouty lips and soft kisses. You already have one mess of trouble you're mated to, and a bond you need to break.

Though in truth, our bond had been broken years before. Getting rid of my mate bond mark would be more of a formality at this point. And something I wanted to do. They might not be able to make the mark disappear completely, but they could scrape the last traces of Edward from my body.

"I'm sure you have some questions," Bennett started, his hands hovering like he didn't know exactly where he should touch, or what he should do with them. Finally, he let them rest in his lap, and my eyes were drawn to where they were folded over his crotch.

He was dressed in pale pink sleep shorts, and they had ridden up a little, high on his slender, toned thighs. The matching pink shirt was cropped, showing off a slender band of bare skin just above his hands. Black letters declared, "Napping Vibes" across his chest.

He was sexy and adorable, all wrapped up in a compact, petite body, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't find him incredibly attractive. But I absolutely could not let myself focus on anything other than the mess my life was. And the last thing I needed to do was drag another person into my mess.

Nodding my head slightly at his statement, I waited for him to say more.

Instead, his hand gently pushed mine out of the way of the little machine–whatever he had called it–and pulled it away from my face. Holding it up to the light to peer at the contents, I used the reprieve from the medicine to wipe the wetness it left off my face. My hand rubbed over my rough stubble that was quickly becoming a thin beard.

I hadn't bothered with shaving on the trip here. Maybe I wouldn't shave. Maybe I would keep the beard. Edward always hated it, even when I had so much as morning stubble. He complained it was too rough on his skin and he despised facial hair.

So many things I had done because they were what Edward wanted or liked or disliked. I barely knew what I actually liked and what was Edward's influence. It was time I figured out what I wanted. Shay, not Edward .

"Not quite finished yet," Bennet declared, placing the mask back over my face. "Just a few more minutes."

Tilting my head at him like I was a damn dog, I tried to implore him with my eyes to read my mind, and answer some of the questions I had.

It must have worked because Bennett settled into the same spot on the bed by my hip, sitting cross legged this time. I tried to keep my eyes averted from what that position was doing to those very skimpy sleep shorts, because I was sure if I looked just right, I might be able to get a glimpse of his little omega cock.

Stop looking, Shay. Keep your eyes above the waist at all times.

"It's Sunday morning, technically," Bennett told me, and I tried to remember what day we had finally arrived in Sweet Alps. "You collapsed at the hospital on Friday night."

I'd lost an entire day that I could barely remember. My heart started pounding thinking of all the things that could have happened to Lucas.

Bennett's hand flattened on my chest, his touch searing, and he calmly ordered, "Slow your breathing down, Shay. Nothing bad happened. It was probably the best place for your body to give out."

It was startling how he seemed to know me so well, was able to pick up on changes in my body. I tried to do what he instructed, tried to calm my racing heart, tried to not think about the what if's and concentrate on the now.

"I'm going to give you a quick rundown of the most important things, because you need the rest of your meds, and sleep. And so do I. Three a.m. isn't the best time to talk about anything."

"You have bronchitis, borderline pneumonia. You're very sick, and this isn't something you're going to shake right away. Lots of bedrest. The sheriff is aware you declared Alpha Law. He'll need to talk to you when you're up to it."

He pulled the face mask away, checked the medicine level, and nodded, satisfied it was empty. Placing the machine beside him on the bed, he uncapped a brown medicine bottle and shook a large white pill into his hand. Handing it to me along with a glass of water, I swallowed it dutifully, without even asking what it was.

"Antibiotic," he told me, handing me three small, brown pills I recognized as ibuprofen. "For your fever and body aches."

Pouring red liquid in a medicine cup, he handed it to me. Grimacing at the taste, I swallowed it down. "Prescription strength cough suppressant to help you sleep."

Handing him the cup back, I saw my hands were shaking. "I feel weird," I rasped, because I did. Everything felt shaky, but kind of wired, at the same time.

He nodded, "That's the albuterol. It will make you a bit wired. Hopefully the cough syrup and your body's need for rest will counteract it. Because it will keep you up, and that's not what you need."

"Are you a doctor?" He'd been at the hospital, but for some reason I didn't think he was one of the doctors.

He smiled, shaking his head. "No, I'm in administration. I have a big long fancy title, but basically I help patients with services they might need. That's the quick version, anyway."

"You always take patients home with you?"

He barked out a laugh, then slammed his hand over his mouth, his eyes straying to the open doorway. "You're the first. I spoke with Asher. He's on his way home. They should be here later today. "

The mention of my brother made my chest tighten again. Would Asher help us? He had no reason to. I had cut my family off without so much as an explanation. Asher owed me nothing, and I owed him a hell of a lot of explanations. We had been close, once upon a time, before I had fucked everything up. He had been the best older brother, and I had looked up to him for so many years. I was hoping for his forgiveness, but I wasn't counting on it.

If he turned his back on us–which he had every right to do–what would we do? I was out of money, and I was not going to be able to even look for a job until I was healthy. And that seemed like it wasn't going to be in the next day or two. Not to mention I would rather not go job hunting with bruises all over my face and neck. And would I even be able to get a job without so much as a high school diploma? Who the fuck was going to hire me, and to do what? I was good with cars–anything with an engine, honestly–but I had no credentials. I hadn't even finished my senior year. I had met Edward and he had been all I was able to see.

My hand came up to touch the bruises I knew were still visible on my throat. Asher couldn't see them. It was too embarrassing. What would I even say to him? How would I even explain any of what had happened?

Hey, I know I fucked up, but Edward was so pretty and full of life, and he took me into this crazy world that I got sucked into. And before I even knew what was really happening, or how it even happened, I had alienated everyone in my life. Sorry. By the way, I have no money or anyplace to stay, and a six-year-old, but would you mind helping us out? Oh, and I declared Alpha Law, but Edward and his family are going to fight me, and it's probably going to get ugly, and do you maybe have money to pay for a lawyer?

It all sounded so bad in my head, and my heart sank. My brother owed me nothing, but if I had to beg for his help, I would.