Chapter 5 - The Newcomer

Pushing the door open to his favorite inn, Linus pushed off his tenseness like shrugging off a coat.

The back tables were taken up by his men and their very presence soothed him.

Scoundrels the lot of them but he trusted them with his life. He knew they had his back no matter what happened. Sitting amongst them was the only time he truly relaxed and after the shock he had received, he needed that.

“Boss!" his third in command, Brite, called out as he waved him over.

The yellow haired man’s grin faltered as he spotted the two trailing after him and Linus could almost feel the alpha’s attention on the omega.

“Omega?" Dyllen, his second in command, questioned. “Is there something you need to tell us, Boss?"

The mood of the table changed from relaxed and joking to alert in a moment but Linus waved them off.

“My Uncle Keigo," he said waving to the jovial alpha following him before moving his attention to the omega, “And my arranged mate, Skye."

The omega in question stared around the table with wide eyes and looked every inch the frightened rabbit dragged into the wolf's lair.

Glancing around at his men, he could see why.

Rough in appearance, his men sported scars, sneers, and even tattoos. There were also three other alphas which probably didn't help matters.

Linus sighed, running a hand through his blond hair before placing his hand on Skye's shoulder.

The poor thing jumped, but he ignored it as he gently pushed him down into a seat beside Brite. He was the friendliest with strangers and good with kids so he was the safest bet.

Linus took the seat next to him with his uncle on the other side.

“So, your old man finally made good on his threats, huh?" Dyllen said before calling over a barmaid.

“He did," Linus grimaced at the jeers from around the table.

“Oh, going to get some sweet omega ass, huh, Boss?" Rocket called.

“Better drink up before they keep us all up tonight! Maybe we should bed down in the stables?" Terni added with a grin.

“Nah, better to stay up and listen, I say," Caige chipped in. “I ain't no alpha, but I could rub one out to a sweet voice calling me ‘oh, alpha!’”

The men chuckled and Linus glanced to the side to see his omega bright red and staring at the table in mortification.

Keigo frowned at him but said nothing as three tankards were set down in front of them. He slid one in front of the omega who frowned at it.

“Oi, get him something nicer than that," Brite interjected, moving the beer away. “Omegas don't do well with alcohol and definitely not this pisswash. Hey, lady, you got any juice or something?"

The beta maid gave the omega a sympathizing look.

“We got an omega special, if you like. Nemuri's girl was an omega so she always keeps some handy."

“Perfect," Brite replied before turning to raise his eyebrow at his leader. “Oi, Boss. You got to treat your mate right."

Linus sighed again before muttering under his breath, “I didn't ask for this."

“Cheer up, Boss," Urkane, another alpha called. “A lot of us would give anything to have a pretty little omega in our bed every night."

“Is he coming with us on the road?" Dyllen questioned with a scowl. “That's no place for an omega."

“He will be. He's an Aldean Healer. Anyone know what that is?"

“We all know what a healer is," all the men scoffed except for Dyllen who was staring hard at Linus as well as Trace, but then the purple haired beta has always been quiet.

“Not just an ordinary healer. An Aldean Healer can heal with their own energy. It's a rare Diyari that is trained by the Circle of Healers in Aldea," Trace spoke up, surprising everyone with his soft words.

Trace turned his thoughtful attention to Skye. “An Aldean Healer saved my mother when I was a boy. You did the training?"

Skye nodded but didn't speak.

“So, he can heal us when we get hurt on missions?" Brite asked.

“Don't ask for miracles," Skye spoke for the first time.

The omega’s voice wavered but he ploughed on anyway, keeping his gaze averted with his shoulders tensed.

“I can't heal the living dead, and my Diyari can sometimes only stabilize people enough for their own body to take over the rest."

“The living dead?" Linus questioned, curious.

He only knew what little had been covered in his studies many years ago and most of what he had learned had been broad, general knowledge, not specifics.

“Those that have been mortally wounded but haven't yet died," the omega replied and turned his bright eyes up to look him square in the face.

There was sadness in there but also a defensiveness that spoke of worry they would ask too much of him.

He got the distinct impression that the omega had firsthand experience with trying to save someone he couldn't.

“Someone with a hole in their belly is alive for a few minutes as they bleed out but even if I am there, I can't heal something like that."

“No miracles, huh? Sounds like us," Brite said with a grin as the barmaid came back with a smaller tankard in hand.

Cheers sounded out around the table at the jest and a few of the men even raised their mugs in toast.

The band had frequently pulled off feats that seemed like miracles from the outside looking in and it was something of an ongoing joke with them.

The maid placed down the mug in front of the omega and he cautiously picked it up, taking a sniff.

“It's sweet," Skye mumbled before taking a small sip.

“You like it?" the barmaid questioned and Skye nodded, relaxing slightly. “Are you really a healer?"

The omega looked surprised for a moment then nodded again.

“Do you have a fee or something? Nemuri's man got trouble with his hand and no one's been able to fix it."

Skye looked at Linus, expression a mixture of pleading and concern.

In that moment, it was obvious that this omega would pour his heart out to help anyone he could.

Linus leaned back in his chair to address the barmaid himself.

“No fee but no guarantees of fixing it. Still, he can take a look if you bring him here."

She nodded and dashed off.

Silence reigned around the table as they waited for her to return with the wounded man. It was a good opportunity to see what his mate could do before they hit the road.

There was no doubt in Linus's mind that the omega would have to come with them. He held no property in the capital, and he wouldn't risk leaving Skye in the castle with his family.

As to why he was concern about Skye when he usually doesn’t care about anything was something he doesn’t know the answer to. He doesn’t even know why he agreed in the first place.

But he had already agreed and had given his word to his father and Skye was now his mate.

Once they were bonded, his instincts would most likely override any desire to leave him behind anyway. May as well get this done with while he still had his head.

An old beta man followed behind the barmaid and it was easy to see the wound she had spoken of.

No wonder no one had been able to fix it. The index finger of his left hand was bent at an odd angle and curled outward.

It looked painful and Linus would be surprised if he could move it at all.

Skye shot out of his seat and cradled the old man's hand in his own delicate fingers, worry and sadness on his face.

The omega carefully probed the injury, attempting to move the finger and obviously assessing the damage.

Linus watched with keen interest when Skye stopped moving and a soft silver glow overtook his hands. Whispered words of a slow, sad song came from the omega, growing in volume as he worked.

The omega seemed far away, and the alpha swore that even his silver eyes glowed.

Silence overtook the tavern and Nemuri, the establishment's owner, approached slowly, as though she couldn't believe her eyes.

Linus barely could. Slowly but surely, the discoloration he hadn't noticed before vanished and Skye straightened the finger slowly and gently.

The swelling reduced as he sang, voice soft and sweet as any mournful bird.

By the time the omega stepped back looking pleased, the beta's hand looked normal.

The man flexed his hand and the fingers all moved perfectly.

“No pain," the old man whispered, awed.

“Boss."

Linus looked around at his nickname to find himself eye level with Nemuri's large bust.

“I heard he's yours?"

“He is," the alpha replied cautiously.

The old woman looked as though she would break down in tears.

“You can have the top room tonight on me. All your band's drinks are on the house too."

A cheer exploded from around the table, breaking the still silence of the room. The mutter of voices picking back up their conversation quickly filled the tavern and Nemuri approached Skye.

The omega let out a strangled squeak as he was drowned in her ample bosom. She hugged him tightly as she blubbered out her thanks.

The omega was red faced when she finally let him free, and Linus wasn't sure if it was from embarrassment or lack of air.

“Well, that's good enough for me!" Brite exclaimed as Skye slipped back into his seat between the two alphas.

“Welcome to the Silvermist Company! I'm Brite and we have Lejend, Yash, Rocket, Urkane, Terni, Caige, Trace, Dyllen, and of course you know, Boss."

The omega looked more than a little overwhelmed as the talkative alpha gestured to each of the men around the table.

“Your names or alias?"

“Names," Brite answered the question. 

It’s normal for most mercenary bands to use alias instead of their real names. But that’s mostly for those who had a family left in a town or city that might be in danger. In their case, all of them had nothing of the sort.

“But we call Boss that because we can't exactly call him by his name on the road or people will know who he is."

Linus downed the last of his drink before calling for another. He would need more than one to get through this evening, not that his prospective partner was hard on the eyes at all. In fact, it was the opposite.

Skye was beautiful and he wouldn't deny looking forward to an evening of pleasure, though he normally doesn't indulge in such things.

It was more the lifetime commitment and possibility of children that had the alpha needing a little liquid encouragement.

Curse his father, he would never have stepped foot in the capital if he knew what the man had planned. But then, that was clearly why he hadn't been told.

He glanced to the omega again who was taking small sips of his drink while listening to the band regale him with stories of improbable feats supposedly completed by them.

Now he had time to really look at him, Linus thought he wouldn't be averse to waking up to that face every morning but that was a far cry from settling down and having a kid.

He stifled a groan and caught Dyllen's eye as he downed his next drink.

The strict alpha was frowning at them and Linus knew he didn't approve.

An omega didn't belong on the road, for all his healing gift, and Dyllen was going to give him a piece of his mind, he was sure.

Why did it all have to be so complicated?

This was why he hadn't chosen a mate yet.

Linus cursed his father once more for good measure as he ordered another round.