Page 35 of Reclaiming Quinn
“And the people?” Quinn asked, not sure why there was a hollow pit forming in his stomach.
Gareth sighed. “When Mother Moon tasked us to go out and heal the wolves, I didn’t know there was so much damage. By and large, the wolves of the packs we’ve encountered have been decent people. Their Alphas? No so much. One of Klein’s buyers told us that he kept lists of the people Klein sold and how they were…graded. He said Klein had boxes for various professions, but there were also things like their status as virgins and, in some cases, whether they were….” He choked. “Whether they were fit for consumption.”
He couldn’t mean…. “No, wolves wouldn’t do that,” Quinn insisted.
“Ryker did it to our parents,” Sean said, his voice barely rising above a whisper. “When he kidnapped me, he said he’d turned them into stew.”
There wasn’t even a hope of getting to the bathroom. Quinn dropped to his knees and vomited on the floor. A moment later, Sean was there, putting an arm around Quinn.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I was afraid….”
He knew what Sean had been afraid of. “We never ate stew. That was saved for those in Ryker’s inner circle.” He swallowed hard. “I hated our parents for what they did, but I never wanted that for them.”
Sean stroked a hand over Quinn’s head. “We think that’s what happened to people Ryker wanted to disappear. Margaret’s parents tried to sneak out of the compound one night. According to neighbors, Ryker had Margaret taken to his quarters. Her parents were never seen again.”
Oh, poor Margaret. She would be devastated if she found out. At that moment, Quinn understood fully why no one had told him about their parents.
“Thank you for not telling me. I wouldn’t have been able to handle it then. Thanks to Deke, I’m stronger now.”
It was only partially true. Deep down, Quinn was still a mess, and he knew it. He was holding it together by sheer force of will, and he felt certain that as soon as everything was done, he would need Deke in ways he’d never known.
Lyram came forward and knelt down next to Quinn. “I know you are. I can see it. Sense it. I know you’re scared, but we’re all here with you, and I swear to you we will get Deke back for you. I won’t rest until he’s home with us where he belongs.”
Rupert came from the bathroom and handed Sean a washcloth. “Put it on the back of his neck. It should help him.”
The cloth was cool, and Rupert was right. It did help. He looked up, ready to thank Rupert, and found him on his knees with an ice bucket filled with water, cleaning up Quinn’s mess.
“I can do that,” Quinn insisted.
Rupert gave him a smile. “Hush. Let your family take care of you. I’ve got this.” He went back to work, but said, “I’m jealous, you know? Our pack was never anything like this. There wasn’t any kindness or consideration. You did as you were told, and you kept your head down. It’s nice to see not everyone is like that.”
As much as Quinn didn’t want to leave the comforting embrace, he knew Rupert needed him too. He pulled loose from the hug and went to kneel beside Rupert.
“Lydon is like nothing you’ve ever experienced,” he promised. “After what Ryker did to me, I thought I was too broken, and that I could never heal. Hell, I thought it was normal, and I was expecting it to continue at Lydon. But Deke…. He took me and held me. He gave me purpose until I found myself again. Somehow he became my everything, and I didn’t recognize it until he was gone.”
Quinn would give anything to have those days back so he could make it right. He wanted to take those feelings he didn’t understand and be open with Deke about them. To let him know how he was feeling.
“Lydon sounds like a magical place.”
“It’s blessed by Mother Moon,” Quinn said, his voice stronger than he thought it could be. He pointed to Sean. “My brother is the only adult Omega in the world, and with Gareth being the Alpha Supreme….”
Rupert put the rag into the ice bucket. “Marissa is my wife, but not my mate. Ours was an arranged marriage, and we both hated it, but we had no choice but to stick together. It was required that we bear children, and fortunately we were able to conceive Judah. A friend of Marissa’s knew of our plight and told us how to conceive without needing to consummate the marriage. Marissa and I love each other in our own way, and we did have Judah, so that makes it worthwhile, but I yearn for what I heard the Supreme Alpha and the Omega have.”
“We have names,” Sean assured him. “He’s Gareth, I’m Sean. I hate titles.”
Rupert smiled and inclined his head. “It’s an honor to serve you and your family.”
“When we get back to Lydon, maybe you and I can work together to find a purpose,” Quinn said. “Something that would help us both.”
“I’d like that. And maybe Marissa and I could find that person who really completes each of us.”
Rupert sounded wistful, but Quinn found himself wanting the same thing for his new friend.
