Page 57 of Flight of the Omega

“Well, I—”

Dr. Vogel shook her head. “He told us all about what you were planning to do—take the eggs, force him into another heat.” She glared. “I’ve never heard such a monstrous plan. That’s abuse, plain and simple.”

“And what do you know about it?!” William roared.

“I know enough,” she said sharply. “Enough that you should back away slowly, no sudden moves. You should leave, forget you even have a son.”

“Forget I even … what are you suggesting?!”

“I’m saying JP has every right to cut off contact with you, after what you did to him.”

William sneered at her. “He’s an omega Alerian. He’s my property—he has no rights!”

“That is not true!”

“Even if it were, you have no right to him,” said Jack as he entered the fray. He strode up to stand on the other side of JP. He laid a hand on JP’s neck, then looked up at him. “You have no right to my mate or our chicks.”

JP couldn’t even help the way he cooed.

“Your mate!” William barked. “So you’re the scoundrel! I’ll have you sued for damages—for—”

“Enough!” Hank barked, and all of them paused.

“Hank?” Dr. Vogel said after a moment.

“I’ve heard enough,” he snapped, his mustache twitching. He turned on William. “I brought you over here because you seemed like a lonely old man who desperately loved his missing son—but I was wrong! You’re talking about property and owning him—and no parent owns any child, and treating them like property ain’t right!”

He stomped his foot. “You get the hell off my farm before I call the sheriff down here and have himremoveyou—and then we’ll start an investigation into how Midlothian runs, bird breeding and fixing the races all alike!”

“I’m not leaving without my—my son!”

“JP’s not going anywhere with you,” Jack huffed. JP bobbed his head in agreement.

“Then I’m not leaving.” William crossed his arms.

Hank harrumphed and pulled out his phone. Jack shook his head. “I won’t let him go with you,” he said firmly. “You knowingly put JP into a position to be forced—and then you had him work with Burr, and I don’t know if you know, but Burr’s been abusing him too.”

It was strange to hear it like that. Abuse. He’d been … abused. Burr’s unwanted touches, the way he’d pinned him, talked down to him, kissed him—abuse. All of it.

Or maybe there was another word, anotherworseword for what had happened to him.

And if what Burr had done to him was abuse, then what was what his father had done? The other alphas?

He shuddered to think about it. He looked at Jack, suddenly dizzy and far away, like the entire barn was receding. Everyone was drifting, drifting further away from him.

How could that be, when Jack was hanging on to him? It had to be impossible.

“Go,” Hank snapped at William, who stumbled toward the door. He cast a black look over his shoulder. “Go deal with that lead hand of yours before you start on about how much you want your son back—show him you actually care, that you’ll actually do something to protect him!”

The two men hustled out the door, Hank slamming it behind them. The sound ricocheted through JP’s skull, rattling him.

“Hey.” Jack’s voice was whisper-soft, his touch on JP’s neck even lighter. “It’s okay. He’s gone now.”

JP turned to look at the ranch hand, peered down into his earth-rich eyes. JP cooed, then bent his head, nuzzling against Jack’s cheek. Jack patted him, then stroked his neck. “Okay,” he said. “Let’s get you back to the nest, hm?”

JP lifted his head, his eyes going wide. He’d almost forgotten about the nest. He whipped around, smacking Jack with his tail feathers. Dr. Vogel flattened herself against the wall.

JP was only a few steps from the eggs, thank goodness, but it felt like it had been forever. They were likely getting cold. Poor things. He leaned down and rolled them all a bit more toward the center of the nest. He turned himself around, then settled down on top of the eggs, cooing as he did so, as if to tell them that it was all right.