Page 52 of Reclaiming Quinn
Quinn couldn’t look at Sean, so instead he strode over to the window and stared down at the street below.
“There’s something weird going on in my head. So much anger and pain. It’s like a jackhammer in my brain.”
“Mhm.” Sean sighed, then moved to where Quinn was and slid an arm around his waist. “I think I understand.”
How could he when Quinn didn’t?
“You said you and Deke never consummated your relationship. From what I understand, you shouldn’t be able to touch minds yet, but it seems your bond is so strong, you can. The problem? Without actually being near Deke, you’re not able to complete your bond with him, and your mind is getting desperate. In fact, that might be why you can communicate with him in the first place, because your head is working overtime, trying to cling to him.”
But that didn’t make sense. He never felt like this when Deke was off at work. “I don’t understand. This never happened in Lydon.”
“Because you always knew where Deke was, and now you don’t. Think of it like this; a man is trapped underwater. His mind is demanding air, it needs to breathe, but the guy is struggling to get to the surface. In a panic, his mind, certain they’ll die without taking a breath, overrides the man’s self-preservation and forces him to take a breath.”
“And I’m the drowning man.”
It wasn’t a question, because Quinn knew it was true. The analogy was perfect.
“And Deke is your oxygen.”
That led to another path of thought. “What happens if we don’t get him back?”
Sean looked away, and Quinn knew the answer.
“I’ll drown.”
A quick shake of the head. “I’m going to be honest with you. All the years I spent as the Mother’s vessel and I never once had her tell me things like this could happen. She made it all sunshine and roses and—”
“It probably was before, but after the slaughter?”
When every known Omega was killed because the Alphas wanted war. When Mother’s most loved creations were wiped out.
“So I could die.”
It didn’t matter. Without Deke, Quinn didn’t want to live. He knew that now, and he was okay with it. The prospect of living without Deke left him feeling cold and hollow.
“Stop that,” Sean snapped. When Quinn looked at him, he got a chill from the frigid glare. “We’re going to get him back, and you’re going to live a long life with Deke. No other answer is acceptable.”
“But what if—”
“No!The Mother has a plan for you. I don’t know what it is, but I know she does. The trials you lived through tell me there’s something in store for you, and it’s going to be incredible.”
Quinn snorted. “She’s a mean old bitch.”
Sean’s jaw dropped open. “You did not just say that.”
A quick step to the side and Quinn leveled a harsh glare at Sean. “Why not? She let me be raped! She let Ryker take Margaret and hold her. I don’t even know if he did to her what he did to me. You know, if it’s within her power to stop something bad and she doesn’t, wouldn’t that make her just as responsible for it happening? I mean, I get it. She was in mourning for what she lost, but what about everything the rest of us did while she was off having a pity party? Our parents were killed and eaten. Klein’s wolves have been selling humans for slaves or food. What other atrocities happened while she was off licking her wounds?”
Deep down, Quinn didn’t mean any of it. He knew his words had to be hurting Sean, but that anger needed an outlet.
“Licking her wounds?” Sean’s voice went dark and cold. “You don’t know a fucking thing about it. Her wolves weren’t just slaughtered—she had to watch as it happened. She tried to appeal to the Alphas, but they rejected her. The only thing that sustains Mother is our belief in her. When most of her people stopped holding her in regard, her powers waned, until she had nothing left to stop anything that happened. Believe me when I tell you, if she could have, not one Omega would have died. Everything that happened, every drop of blood that was shed, every innocent life that was destroyed, they all took their toll on her too. I’m not saying she suffered like you, but when it happened, she was there with you, doing what little she could to comfort you. Right now, with Gareth’s help, my wolves are starting to believe again, and I’m getting stronger.” A deep sigh. “I’m sorry we weren’t there when you were hurt, and we wish things could—”
“We?”
It was then Quinn noticed Sean’s eyes, normally an iridescent violet, had gone pitch-black, and his voice took on a sharp edge.
“Yes, we. Do you know how Sean came to be my Omega? It was you, Quinn. Sean was hurting over leaving you, and his pain called to me because it was the first spark I’d seen in so long. It seemed most others had given up, and I couldn’t do anything to help you. Sean? I realized as soon as we met, he was an Omega. At least he was meant to be. But there was no Alpha to nurture that spark within him. I knew if given the chance, Sean could be the one to save my children, so I went to him and gave him almost everything I had left. I planted the seeds, but Sean needed an Alpha to unleash his buried potential. When Sean claimed Gareth, a surge of strength went through me, because my Omega was fully born.”
Holy shit. “Mother?” Quinn wasn’t sure if he should drop to his knees or what. “I thought you’d left.”
