“It was that team that got us out of there,” Solomon said. “They got a tip on where we could be, and the next thing we knew, pandemonium. One minute we were talking quietly in the room they kept us in, and the next minute, shouting, sounds of things breaking, and a weird smell in the air. We all woke up in the hospital. Well, all but one.” His gaze went to the top of Elliott’s bowed head.
“They saved Elliott a few days later,” Keane told us. “He—”
Camp put his hand on Keane’s arm, stopping him. “Then we were all together again,” he told us. “And we’ve been together ever since. Brothers.”
“That’s the way we are,” I said. “Brothers. Jackson, too. Hopefully, you’ll get to meet him soon. He lives in Hudson City, in the Catskill Region.”
“What’s your story?” Keane asked.
I told them about how Jackson, David, and I met and how we got with our mates.
“As soon as we met Trey, we felt close to him,” I added, watching the red-headed omega breaking the piece of straw he’d been chewing on earlier into tiny pieces.
“And your story?” Solomon asked Trey.
“There isn’t much of one. I was secluded at home. I only knew I didn’t have to go live with the other omegas in the omega house because my dad was a senator. But now…” he left off.
“Now what?” David prompted, eyes meeting mine.
Trey looked up from the tiny pile of hay pieces on the ground that he’d made. “Now I’m wondering if they kept me at home so I wouldn’t know what was going on.”
“I’m sure that was part of it,” Camp said confidently. “And the other part was they just wanted to protect you. They did get you a good alpha, right?”
Trey nodded. “I love Bertram. And our baby.”
“Then, that’s good.” Camp smiled brightly.
Trey looked a little happier after that, and I felt grateful to Camp.
“Must’ve been lonely being the only omega around,” Elliott said so low, I could barely hear him, but as his words were directed at Trey, and Elliott was sitting between Trey and Ren, Trey heard him fine.
“It was.”
“I’m sorry,” Elliott said, slowly reaching for Trey’s hand and clasping it in his own.
My heart swelled. He was so little, and it sounded like he’d gone through a lot. I wondered about his story, but I wouldn’t hurt him by asking for it for the world.
Riku had wandered back to us and was standing nearby, listening. Suddenly, he said, “Tell them what happened to you, Elliott. They must be wondering, and it’s your story to tell.”
I bit my bottom lip hard, keeping back the anger I wanted to direct at Riku for being so mean. Instead, I said softly, “You don’t have to, Elliott. It’s none of our business.”
Elliott raised his eyes to meet Riku’s, and time seemed suspended for a moment before Elliott straightened his back and looked our way. He was still holding Trey’s hand.
“They separated me from the others. I was the last one taken, so I only spent three days with them, I think. I don’t know where they took me or if it was far from where I’d been because they drugged me. I—think they examined me or something during that time.” He looked at the ground again.
“Why do you think that?” Riku asked.
Elliott only shrugged.
When David, Trey, and I didn’t ask any questions, Riku said, “I’ll bet you all are wondering why they singled Elliott out. I sure am. But, in all this time, Elliott’s never said why.”
“I’ve told you I don’t know why!” Elliott snapped. When he looked up, tears were streaming down his face.
“Leave him alone,” Solomon said softly.
“Why don’t we compare what we know?” Ren suggested, looking around the group on the blanket. “I’ll start. Omegas are the only males who can get pregnant. Beta females can get pregnant, and so can alpha females, but the males can’t. And there are no female omegas.”
“There was an omega on one of the first ships to this country,” David said, then nudged me, wanting me to tell the rest.