When he set the bottle on the table, Chase cleared his throat.“What are we going to do?”
He smiled at the ‘we’, glad Chase was coming to terms with what had to be done.“Tonight?Nothing.”He looked up at this alpha, one of his two mates.After what he’d seen?the gun jamming only when pointed at Lucky, the phone call coming in the nick of time, the crew being distracted just when they needed to escape?he was willing to trust Omha more than he ever had.“Tonight, we sleep off the adrenaline and make sure we’re well rested.Once we’ve signed the consent forms, you can call your friends, maybe visit your mam, while we wait for the medical team to do their thing.Me?I’m taking a nap, since I’ll be driving to the Lodge later.”
Chase had been through a hell of a day—finding out Lucky was his mate, registering the bond, doing the right thing for a college kid his age.Not many people had the balls to register a bond on the same day they discovered it, but Chase had.That, and how he’d been there when Lucky needed him most, showed Ford that he had a sensible head on his shoulders.After some sleep, maybe time to talk, he was sure they could get along.
Like Jesi said, bonding would be enough.After that, they’d find their way through the bond and decide what came next.That meant sticking together and finding an emotional connection or going their separate ways.Only time would tell what was ahead.
Ford hoped Azrah could give him a break.He didn’t know much about them, but Lucky and Chase were exactly what he wanted and needed as mates.Regardless of whatever else Omha had planned, he was certain of that much.He just had to convince Chase.
Chapter Nine
Twelve hours later
The Lodge
Chase
He slept in, which he never did.Not being in a familiar bed or even room, he’d expected to have trouble sleeping, but maybe Ford had been right that the rush of emotions, the stress and chaos of everything that had happened with Lucky, had been enough to knock him out.
He checked on Lucky after he dressed, not long before ten in the morning, but he was sleeping soundly.
“His pulse is normal.”
Chase almost jumped at the soft nearness of Ford’s voice behind him.“I wasn’t checking his pulse.I want to make sure he’s sleeping without pain or nightmares.”
They were looking for different indicators, which just showcased how different they were.Ford was an ORTa who thought about the basic, obvious signs of discomfort, but Chase was more worried about Lucky’s mind.This whole thing had probably fucked him up and Lucky would be the last person to admit it, because he hated being considered a burden.Despite his propensity for becoming the centre of attention, it was never something he actively sought out.
The last thing Chase wanted was for Lucky to sleep fitfully, sweating and shaking from nightmares or bad memories, just because nobody had taken his mental well-being into account.
Ford eased a hand onto Chase’s waist, which was such an unfamiliar contact that he instinctively stepped aside.Ford tucked the hand into his pocket instead.“Trust me.I’ve been on enough rescue teams to recognise the signs.”
He walked away before Chase could ask more.Guessing he was right, having rescued more omegas than Chase had met, he followed Ford into the living room and quietly shut the double doors to the main suite.
Sinking onto the sofa, Chase grabbed his phone from the coffee table to check for messages.There was nothing, but enough time had passed that he should contact Grant.
Long story.I’m @ theLodge.Lucky is sick; safe, but will be NC for a few days.Can u tell his friends?
Will do.Sm guy, Sykes, said he’d cleared U& Lucky time off campus, told L’s parents and asked me 2 keep my mouth shut.
Typical.Will call when it’s ovr.
Good luck.
He huffed a laugh he didn’t have the energy for.“Who is Sykes?”
Ford looked up from where he was lighting a cigarette, dumping the lighter onto the coffee table to sit back and peruse the hotel menu.“ORT.Why?”
“He’s taken care of things with Lucky’s friends and family,” he explained, surprised the ORT dealt with those things.He’d always expected there to be an administrator who intervened whenever the ORT needed to get involved with a business or the college.
Ford took a deep drag and picked at a nail.“Jesi or your mam arranged it last night.”
“My mother.”Chase had almost forgotten that his mother was involved.“Why didn’t she tell me she runs the entire ORT?”Of all the secrets she’d kept, this was the most devastating.Chase had applied to the ORT under an assumed name, because he didn’t want anyone accepting or rejecting him just because he was part of the infamous Walker clan.Surely she’d recognised the details.Yet she still hadn’t told him?
“Don’t ask me.I’m just a lowly gopher at her beck and call.”Ford winked, which he did a lot, even when the timing wasn’t at all appropriate.
Chase didn’t ask if it was an unconscious tic or if he used the act to disguise his discomfort.It wasn’t worth the risk of whatever answer he’d give to deflect the question.“Since we’re stuck here until Lucky wakes up, can you tell me what OX is?”
Ford tapped the ash from his cigarette into the ashtray on the coffee table.“The Omega Market took Euphoria and combined it with other drugs.For years, they tested on the omegas they trafficked until they created what is known as OX, or Omega Xposure.”
