“We can’t wake him up!”
“Who, Ben?”
“Yes! He fell asleep on the couch, and we can’t wake him up!”
“We’ll be right there.”
I took off toward the truck, Colt at my heels.
“What’s going on?”
I told him what David had said, and he ran ahead of me, fishing his keys from his pocket. He had the engine running by the time I got there, and I’d barely hopped in before he took off down the driveway for the road. Three minutes later, we were pulling into the driveway of the Borders’ ranch.
Nova met us out front.
“They’re in the omega’s bunkhouse. Laura’s with him,” she said as we got out of the truck. We didn’t waste time talking, just ran toward the larger building in the distance. When we got in the door, a small crowd was standing around Ben, who lay on a long L-shaped couch with Laura sitting beside him. She had her stethoscope in her ears, listening to his heart.
“What the hell’s going on here?” I demanded, adrenaline coursing through me. Ben looked so pale and still lying there on the couch, my heart couldn’t take it.
Every omega in the room except for David took several steps back, and I would’ve felt bad for scaring them like that if I wasn’t worried sick for Ben.
Maddox came in the front door, Ollie in his arms looking like he’d just woken up from a nap. When our eyes met, he said, “David called me after he called you.”
Nodding, I approached the couch where Colt was already kneeling by Ben’s head.
“What’s wrong with him, Laura?” I asked.
Taking the stethoscope from her ears, she said, “I have no idea, Angus. His vital signs—blood pressure, pulse, temperature, heartbeat—they’re all normal for the state of REM sleep, which is what he seems to be in. Look how his eyes are moving under the lids. But there is absolutely no reason for him not to wake up.”
Gently but firmly, Laura shook Ben’s shoulder and said, “Ben! Wake up, Ben.”
Ben continued sleeping.
Laura gently smacked his cheek with her palm. “Ben!” she called to him. Then, louder, “Ben!”
No response.
Colt tried, and then I did. No matter how loud we were or how hard we shook him or smacked his cheek, Ben wouldn’t wake up.
I looked at David, who was standing at the end of the couch, wringing his hands. “Have you been with him the whole time?”
David nodded. “Yes. The only time I wasn’t was when he went to the bathroom earlier at the main house. He seemed fine. He was a little antsy without you and Colt, but he was okay, especially when we were all together.” He gestured at the seven—no, six; one was missing—omegas now standing with their backs to the wall.
“I’m sorry I was so gruff,” I said. “I’m just worried about Ben.”
They nodded, but it was obvious that as long as Colt and I were in the room, they weren’t going to come any closer. Mated or not, we were alphas, and they were leery of us. I wondered if they felt that way around Nova, too.
“Maybe it’s got something to do with the pregnancy,” Laura said. “He was away from you two for a long time.”
Shaking my head, I said, “I shouldn’t have let him go.”
“We can’t keep him in a cage, Angus. He can visit the neighbors if he wants,” Colt said.
“But look at him!” I waved my hand over Ben’s still form.
“Let’s take him home and put him in our bed,” Colt said.
Laura stood. “That’s a good idea. I’ve left someone I was interviewing at the main house, but I’ll come within the hour, all right?”