[Rock]Carmen and I left the wolf to rest. He was thin and weak. I didn’t feel threatened by his presence in our home. He needed help. “Is having an unaffiliated rogue a good idea, Carmen?” I asked. “He needs us. It doesn’t matter what he is right now other than half-starved and wounded. You said it yourself, the goddess guided me to him. If he was a danger to us, then I don’t think she would have. Can you call Queen Maeve so we can reach out to Queen Bellamy?” “You don’t want to give him time to heal?” I asked. She shook her head. “If he was banished instead of leaving on his own then there’s a chance he could be what we call an ‘obsessed ex-pack’. He would be obsessed with the idea of finding his mate and would claim any female he sees. Being weak and wounded right now might have stopped his progression if that’s so. He needs to be in a collective or pack before he gets his strength back.” I didn’t like that idea, but if there was a fix for it, I was open to it. Carmen went to the kitchen to start putting together a side dish for the wolf. She knew what they needed for healing better than I would. While she was gone, I called Queen Maeve. She didn’t take long to answer and, after I told her what happened, she gladly gave me the contact information for Queen Bellamy. I promised to update her on our guest as soon as possible. With that settled, I called the number she gave me. The line rang for a while. I knew it was late in the evening on a weekend, but I was hopeful that Queen Bellamy would answer. “Hello?” a sweet young voice came on the line. “I’m looking for Queen Bellamy,” I replied. “This is Queen Bellamy Deveraux. How did you get this number? It’s my private cell, only for my friends, family, and allies.” “Queen Maeve Adair gave it to me. My name is Rock Beaumont and I’m a fae mated to a werewolf. We found a wounded rogue and my mate said we needed to call you,” I answered. She was silent for a moment. I didn’t know what she was thinking, then I realized I didn’t know what to tell her, either. I started walking into the kitchen so Carmen could take over the call. “I’m giving the phone to my mate. She can answer your questions better,” I told her. “I appreciate it,” Queen Bellamy said. I gave the phone over to Carmen and started taking over what she was working on. The kitchen wasn’t done yet, but we were getting closer. For now, Carmen was able to reach enough of my countertops to work a little in the kitchen. “Queen Bellamy? Thank you for taking our call. I’m sorry for the weekend call. I’m Carmen Rosen of the Hallowed Moon Pack…. Yes, that’s my brother…. No, I haven’t contacted the pack. The man we found is an omega and he made me promise not to contact the pack. He’s scared…. I don’t know anything yet…. No, I don’t know if he was banished or not.” Carmen listened and nodded, making little sounds to make sure the woman on the other end of the line knew she was listening. She answered with short answers from time to time. I finished the bowl of sliced and peeled fruits Carmen was working on while she finished the call, then I checked on the meat. It was more than ready. “If you can send it to my phone in the form of a text, I can help him to fill out the forms. Thank you so much. I was worried I might have to go back on my promise and I don’t make them lightly…. Yes…. A troll…. Yes, he is…. Okay, here’s my number,” Carmen told her. She hung up as I finished chopping some of the meat into bite-sized pieces and putting it in a bowl. Making sure it was easy for him to chew was important. He was still weak from how starved he’d been. “Queen Bellamy is sending the information so we can get Austin signed up with the collective. This is going to help him feel better as he heals. Did you need me to do anything?” Carmen asked. “No. I’m going to grab my laptop out of my bag and we’ll do the application that way. I’ll type while you get him talking. He seems to like you.” “Sounds good.” Carmen got a tray set up with a drink and the bowls while I went to get my laptop. We met outside the guest room door and I opened it for her. I went to the bed to wake the sleeping wolf. He woke with a start and immediately shied away from me, trying to escape the bed. I could scent his terror and quickly applied my glamour, to help him calm down. Carmen was far enough away that I didn’t worry. I could catch the wolf before he got close to her. “Austin, it’s alright. Remember? Rock is my mate and he’s here to help. We have some more food and we need to get an application for Queen Bellamy’s collective done. Once you’re a member she will help you find a place in her collective where you will be safe and can take care of yourself. For now, she wants you to stay with us and heal, okay?” Carmen said gently. The man looked at her and seemed to calm. She had saved him, after all, it was only reasonable that he trusted her. He moved back to the center of the bed and let me set the tray down in his lap. He sniffed the food and his eyes widened as his stomach growled. “Eat a little while we get set up. We’re going to help you with your application. When I first met you, I assumed you were a member of Queen Bellamy’s collective, but I realized she would have taken better care of you if you were. Omegas don’t go rogue,” Carmen murmured as I started pulling my computer out. Omegas didn’t go rogue? I wondered what caused him to give up his pack. From what the materials Trent gave me said, omegas were the weakest of the pack. They needed the other wolves to take care of them. In the fae community, we always took care of those who were weaker. We didn’t have to like them, but we did feel the urge to take care of them. I had assumed packs were like that with their omegas. Maybe his pack was destroyed. It was one of the things Carmen taught me about rogues. They left, were banished, or their pack was destroyed. Once I got set up, I took Carmen’s phone and went to the site in her text messaging. The queen had put together an easy-to-use site for people to apply for her pack. I went in and started entering information, like location and first name. “What’s your last name, Austin?” I asked. “Lewis. Austin Lewis,” he whispered. “What pack did you come from?” Carmen asked, sitting on the bed by him. “I don’t want to say. I don’t want them to find me.” “There’s an option for that,” I told Carmen. Austin relaxed when he realized he didn’t have to share that. We got all the other information, age, rank, if he was banished, and stuff like that. He didn’t eat as quickly as he did out in the forest, but he still ate pretty fast. Most of his answers were short. “Why did you leave your pack? Short answer,” I said. “Safety. It wasn’t safe,” he murmured. “Okay, long answer. Queen Bellamy needs to know the story of what made you abandon your pack. What happened, Austin?” I asked. He looked into the empty bowls and took another drink from the water. Carmen refilled it for him and he drank some more. All the while, his eyes darted back and forth. Austin put his glass down and took a deep breath. “I was selected at a young age to be the companion of the Alpha’s second son. My parents were happy because it meant I would be educated beyond the sixth grade and would get to live in the Alpha’s quarters. No one really understood what the position meant and we weren’t allowed to tell them. “My life wasn’t much easier than any other omega. I served Timothy. I was always nearby if he needed me. And… I took his punishments for him. I didn’t want to, but it was part of my job as the companion. I was punished equally with him for smaller infractions, and for bigger ones, I was given the harsher punishment he should have gotten.”I looked up at him. He was shaking. Carmen had a hand over her mouth. I took it that this was not something that was common in her pack. I certainly hoped it wasn’t. “For a long time, I endured it. I got better food and was more comfortable. When the new Alpha took over, I wouldn’t be Timothy’s companion anymore. Being an Alpha’s companion could get an omega a management position in the pack. There was more food and better benefits if you were a manager. “Then, the national mating conference happened. Timothy assaulted a woman there and was locked up for the duration of the conference. His father got a full accounting of what the woman did to Timothy.” He smiled for the first time. “She didn’t pull any punches. I was glad when I heard it, but I knew what was coming. I would be beaten and locked up, too.” “So you ran away?” Carmen asked. “Please tell me you ran away before that could happen.” He nodded. “I did. I ran as hard and as far as I could before I renounced my pack. They didn’t allow me to go to the conference, so I couldn’t have even tried to stop him. I didn’t deserve to be punished for his mistakes.” “Thank the goddess. But, the conference was two months ago. Where was the pack? How far did you wander?” “Northern California. I went east for a while, then north, then west. I didn’t know where I was going. I didn’t have any plans for my future, but I knew staying out of a pack or collective would mean my death. “Omegas aren’t strong enough to protect ourselves. That’s why we’re slaves to the pack. Our weakness weakens the pack. We care for them in return for them keeping us alive. That’s why we always have to do whatever they ask, whenever they ask,” Austin said. Carmen shook her head. “That’s not how it works in other packs, Austin. Omegas aren’t slaves in my pack. Many work in the packhouse, but others are teachers, doctors, nurses, and essential workers. People we depend on as much as they depend on us. Your pack was so wrong. Omegas make a pack strong.” Tears filled her eyes. She gently stroked his arm. Austin looked away from her. I could tell he was resistant to this information. I made sure to add everything he said to the application. Queen Bellamy needed to know what he thought and what he went through. I submitted the form and closed my computer. Carmen looked like she wanted to cuddle the rogue. My mate wasn’t normally touchy with other people, but I knew being ranked blood meant that she felt it more strongly when people were betrayed by their leadership. “Austin, I know you don’t want to believe it. It’s not what you grew up around, but, from what I’ve seen, that’s not how the local pack works at all. Carmen is hurting for you. I doubt anyone would be as affected if their pack was the same way. It doesn’t entirely matter right now. You’re in the fae lands and have been taken into a fae home. Until you are healed, you are a member of our family and the fae do not take things like this lightly,” I told him.“What do you mean?” “If they figure out where you are and demand you back, they will have to deal with over a dozen really pissed-off trolls. I will get my family, my friends, their families, and anyone who owes me a favor to help protect you. Only focus on healing while you’re here. We’ll focus on everything else.” “Thank you. I thought I was going to die. I was more scared of living than I was of dying. Already you and your mate have shown me more kindness than I have ever had in my life,” he replied with a yawn. “You need more rest. We’ll change the dressing on your wound in the morning when we bring you breakfast. You’re not leaving this house until you are entirely healed and that means back to a healthy weight as well,” Carmen said as she stood and took the tray. I packed up my computer and helped her out of the room. Before I closed the door, I could hear the deep even breathing of him sleeping. Safety after being unsafe for so long must feel strange, but he was quick to accept our hospitality. Carmen and I went to the kitchen to make our dinner plates and clean up from making Austin’s. I got our plates while Carmen took care of the drinks. We went to the dining room to have our meal. Her face was downcast. I reached out and tipped her chin up. There were tears in her eyes. “Carmen, are you alright?” “He was just a pup when they made him the whipping boy for that little Alpha blood boy. I could see it. He was so little. How could anyone do that to a child, Rock?” she whispered. “They’re heartless, that’s for sure, my love. He’s safe now. We’ll help him find a place and he’ll never feel like that again. Trust me,” I told her. I wasn’t lying. We would protect that man as if he were one of our own. After dinner, I called Queen Maeve with an update and my promise. She said she would make it known to everyone. Austin was protected.