Page 11 of Sanctuary
Holland frowned and bent to pick something up from the ground at his feet, this time a thin straight stick of some sort, so dry the end had splintered. “I don’t know what they teach you here in Perseguir, but in Buffalo Gap, it was important to conduct yourself properly, because it reflected on your family.” The corners of his mouth curled up as if he was reliving some pleasant memory, and he cast a glance Ori’s way from under lowered eyelids. “Not that we didn’t get up to mischief ourselves, but there were limits, and we were careful to stay within them.”
“He didn’t mean anything by it.”
“I know. But things are different now. Have you had a heat yet?”
Ori’s face went so hot he thought he’d burst into flames. “One,” he choked out, his voice strangled. No one talked about heats like that, just plain old out in the open. Heats were whispered about, even between omegas.
Holland nodded. “See, that’s the problem. You stayed inside while you were having it?”
Ori nodded.
“When you’re older, you’ll have more at a time. Most only have two, with about a week between them. Some have three.”
Really? No one had ever mentioned that. He eyed Holland sidelong and wondered if Holland would tell him how many he had at a time. Would his Maw or Sierra talk about theirs?
Holland was watching him with those blue eyes that seemed to see all the ignorance Ori was trying so hard to hide. “You can ask. I might not answer, but you can ask.” His eyes danced and he jerked his head upstream. “Come on, let’s find someplace to sit.”
“There’s a dead tree up a ways, but there might be someone there.”
“I think I can get rid of them,” Holland said calmly. He turned upstream and strolled off with that graceful walk that Ori so desperately wished he could get the knack of. He followed Holland, watching the swing of Holland’s legs, trying to copy the shift of weight and the placement of his feet, and darn near dumped himself in the creek doing it. He thought he heard Holland snicker softly, but he couldn’t be sure, and when he caught up to the other omega, Holland was still wearing that same warm and slightly grave expression that he’d shown Ori since the start.
Ask a question. “So,” Ori started, his voice squeaking a little because of how tight his throat had gone. “You said I could ask.”
“You can.”
“Can I ask…? No one really talks about this stuff here,” Ori began apologetically.
“No? Then I guess I’d better answer.”
Funny how much older Holland seemed in that moment, when really, he was only three years older than Ori. But right now, sixteen and mated put Holland on the same rung of the ladder as Ori’s parents. “Do you have more than one heat?”
Holland nodded and his mouth tightened. “I have three usually. They aren’t strong—sometimes I don’t notice until I’m well into it.”
“Oh.” That didn’t sound like the one Ori’d had at all. But still… Holland was the first one to talk openly to Ori about this very secret topic. “What’s it like? Being mated?”
Holland chuckled at that. “Scary, a little. I thought I was going to faint going into the ceremony, in case I messed it up. And then—” His voice cracked and when Ori looked at him, Holland had gone as red as Ori had earlier. “Well, your alpha takes you away during part of it, or at least they do in Buffalo Gap. Do they do that here?”
Did they? “I think so. Maw said it was a little time for the couple to get to know each other before they came back and had to act as hosts again.”
Holland rubbed a hand over his mouth, but his lips were twitching and Ori could see the laughter in his eyes. “Something like that. It’s when you really become mates, physically. It was kind of scary and I was afraid he’d be unhappy after because I didn’t know much. Just some kissing.” A ghost of some unpleasant emotion flitted across his face, and he shook his head and smiled at Ori. “You’re not getting any more detail than that from me. At least, not until you’re spoken for by an alpha.”
The downed tree came into view, mercifully unoccupied at the moment, and they headed toward it. “And after?” Ori showed Holland the spots where the trunk was more comfortable, and settled himself beside him.
“It’s strange for a bit, but it only takes a couple of days and you get used to it.”
“Do you love him?” Where had that question come from? It certainly wasn’t polite.
Holland’s eyes widened for a moment, then he looked away, out over the creek again. “It comes. I want this to work, and he’s not unkind.” A twig snapped under the pressure of Holland’s fingers. “We didn’t really meet until we were betrothed, but a real mating is about compromise, and it’s the omega’s duty to make sure that it works. To adapt and learn and stay one step ahead so that their mate is always happy and well-fed and knows they have a place to come home to where they can be a little less alpha if they want. That’s what we do. We give the alphas a way to remember that they don’t have to be fighting and killing all the time, and remind them of the side of them that’s made to care for and protect the pack and their family.”
“Huh.” Ori hadn’t thought about it that way. The way Holland put it, it made an omega’s mating to an alpha sound important, like if they didn’t the pack would dissolve into anarchy. “What’s…it like, once you’re mated?” Might as well be shot for the dog’s crimes as well as your own, right?
“It?” Ori could hear the amusement in Holland’s voice. “It’s a lot like being in heat normally is. But that’s not what you’re asking, is it?” He nudged Ori’s foot with his own. “It’s okay. I can’t believe you guys here don’t talk about this. It’s not shameful. Not within a mating.” He took a deep breath and broke another twig off the tree, twisting it into a spiral. “It’s…like being hungry, I guess, or not exactly, but just knowing you need something, and then your mate is there and you know he can give it to you. Like going all day without food on Birth Moon or Harvest Moon, and then you’re standing in line with your plate, starving but knowing that soon you’ll have something to make the starving go away.” He smiled fondly and added, “The best part, though, is after, when your mate holds you and you’re all tired and relaxed and so’s he, and you know he’s happy. Like you know you’ve done your job and done it right. It’s a good feeling.”
Ori chewed on the inside of his cheek and thought about that for a moment, but he was interrupted when Holland said, “I have to get back to make lunch and I didn’t even talk to you about Patton yet.”
“It’s okay.” Ori stood up and brushed the scraps of bark off his jeans. “I get it. Omegas for alphas, and betas for betas.” He sighed. “I miss him.”
Holland pulled him into a careful hug, like he wasn’t sure Ori would even let him. “Yeah, I know.” His arms tightened briefly, then he let go. “I’ll walk you home.” Then, as they left the creek and the tree behind, Holland added, "You can always come talk to me if you have any questions. I don't mind, as long as Hunter doesn't need me for anything."
