“Is that the guy from next door?” Garin asked.
“I’m pretty sure it is,” Kino answered.
A silent tear slipped down Zayne’s face. “Is he gonna be okay?” He began sucking loudly on his fingers. Garin noticed, but said nothing, placing a comforting hand on his younger brother’s shoulder.
“We’re going to take care of him,” Teal assured his sons. “But right now, I need you to please go back in the kitchen and finish your lunch.” Garin opened his mouth to argue, but Teal cut him off. “Now, young man.”
Grumbling, the boys returned to the table.
Ronan picked up Sorcha from the floor and laid him gently on the couch. He appeared to have passed out. “Should we take him to the hospital? Or maybe call Dale and Abe?”
“No…hospital.” Sorcha’s weak voice made Teal’s heart leap, confirming the injured omega wasn’t entirely unconscious. “Just…bumped my head.”
Teal went into the half-bath near the living room and ran warm water over several washcloths. Ronan looked on as Teal sat gingerly next to Sorcha and cleaned the blood from the younger man’s face, watching for any sign that his actions were causing further distress. But Sorcha leaned into his touch, sighing as Teal ran the gray linen over his cheeks, jaw, and neck.
Once most of the blood was cleared, Teal discovered a deep gash across the middle of Sorcha’s hairline. Despite Teal’s best efforts to put pressure on the wound, it continued to bleed.
Ronan assessed the cut. “That needs stitches.”
Sorcha groaned. “Do I have to? My uncles will be…so mad.”
“I don’t care if their heads explode.” Ronan straightened to his full height, emitting a low growl. Teal hadn’t heard the menacing noise coming from his husband’s throat in a long while. Both omegas’ heads tilted toward Ronan instinctively as his rarely-used alpha voice reverberated through the room. “Sorcha, you need medical attention. We are going to the hospital.”
Teal’s breath caught as the young omega looked up at his husband and said, “Yes, alpha.”
Chapter Six
Sorcha
Sorcha came back to consciousness to find Ronan sitting in a chair next to the couch.
“What’s…going on?”
“Thank the universe,” Ronan said. “I was beginning to worry.”
“W-worry?”
“You have a serious head injury. When I told you we needed to go to the hospital, you said ‘yes,’ but you’ve been drifting in and out. I'm going to drive you to the emergency room. Teal is checking to see if our nanny can come watch the boys so he can come with us.”
“Thanks for…helping me,” Sorcha said slowly, navigating the grogginess in his brain.
Ronan gave him a soft look. “Do you want water or anything to eat?”
Sorcha wasn’t used to being fussed over. He hesitated before answering, “Water would be good. Thanks.”
Ronan went into the kitchen. A quick glance around the room told Sorcha that the layout of Ronan and Teal’s home was a mirror image of his uncles.’
As his mind gradually unmuddied itself, Sorcha recalled his response to Ronan’s voice.Yes, alpha.He’d never said those words before. Never felt his inner omega in that way. He groaned, praying Teal wasn’t upset with him for responding to his husband like that.
Teal came in and sat down on the edge of the couch, tenderly brushing Sorcha’s blond strands away from his wound. "We were so worried about you. Niall will be here in ten minutes to watch the children, and then we’ll get you to a doctor and have you checked out.”
Sorcha stared into Teal’s beautiful brown eyes. He saw no signs of displeasure. Still, he apologized, “Sorry for all the hassle.”
“It’s no hassle,” Ronan said, standing behind his husband as he handed Sorcha a glass of water. Sorcha straightened against the arm of the couch and took a few sips, registering the dryness of his throat. “Are you able to tell us what happened?” the alpha asked.
Sorcha’s chest warmed at the husbands’ concern. He thought of the careful way Ronan had lifted him onto the couch, how Teal had gently wiped his face with the cloth. There had been so little touch in Sorcha’s life. So little regard.
He almost couldn’t believe he’d been so bold as to seek help when he’d fallen, but from the moment he saw the blood running down onto his chest, he felt compelled to find Ronan and Teal. Something about the conversations he’d had with the couple over the past two days had embedded itself in his mind.
