red vines, gummy bears, and the popcorn. Knowing better than to ask what movie they wanted to watch, I slid one into the DVD player, letting it load as I pulled a series of cups from the cupboard to fill with water. The pups were giggling as they designed their tickets and I sighed in relief. With any luck, I’d be able to sit down for a little while during the movie, and if I was really lucky, someone else would be showing up soon to lend a hand.
“We did it! We did it!” Lyall chirped, tugging on my pants to show me the scribbles on his ticket.
“Wow. This is an incredible ticket,” I said solemnly. I reached out as they all began slapping tickets into my palms, taking the time to inspect and praise each one. “Amazing, how did you all know to make super tickets?” I questioned in pretend awe, shaking my head.
“Super tickets?” Louve repeated, and Bella hissed, elbowing him.
“Yeah, so you get all these snacks.” I tapped my mouth as I considered him. “Wait, these are super tickets, right? You do want snacks?”
“They are, they are!” The pups giggled madly, nearly falling over each other.
“Alright, go sit down.” I shooed them toward the bean bags before turning. As they settled into their chairs, I hesitated, turning my head toward the table where they had been coloring the tickets. Owein was still there, his head bent down and crayon in hand, as though he hadn’t noticed the other pups had even gotten up. My wolf growled, pushing against me, and I scooped the bowls of snacks into my hands, depositing them in the center of the other pups who squealed with delight. “Alright, guys, no talking in the movie theater,” I warned them lightly, my eyes not leaving Owein. I flipped the overhead light off, and the boy still didn’t move, the crayon dangling from his fingertips as I hit play on the movie.
“Hey, Owein.” I knelt beside him, carefully lifting the crayon from his fingers. “You didn’t want to play movie theater?” He didn’t look up, just slowly shook his head. I settled onto the ground at his feet, crossing my legs, but he angled his head away from me. He hadn’t even begun his ticket. Did he have an issue with movies? I racked my brain, trying to think of anything along those lines and coming up short. He’d been a little off today, I realized, as I ran over the games we’d played, staying quiet and off to the side. “You feeling okay?”
Owein tugged on his ear. “My stomach kinda hurts,” he muttered.
“I could ask Pixie or Fillian to come help if you’d like,” I suggested.
He began to shake, a whimper working its way up his throat. Well, fuck. This was so not good.
“Owein, look at me,” I instructed him quietly. Dark eyes full of tears met mine. His face was deathly pale as he shuddered. “Little man, it’s alright. Whatever it is, I’m here to help, do you know that?”
“You can’t,” he whispered, the trembling getting worse.
“I can,” I assured him, my voice gentle but firm. “As one of the omegas, that’s my job, Owein.” A tear tracked down his cheek as he shot a look at the other pups. “They’re watching the movie, they aren’t going to hear you, but if you want to talk to me somewhere else, that’s okay too. We can go somewhere, just us.”
His eyes widened, and the little color that remained in his face drained out as he swayed. “N-No,” he stuttered out.
Please tell me one of you is shifted! I was yelling through the mental link now. I wasn’t an empath like Shannon, and I was new to being an omega, but even I could tell there was something wrong here. I wasn’t able to leave the rest of the pups on their own, especially not Luna despite the guards that were outside the door, but I didn’t know if I could get Owein talking without us being alone.
What’s wrong? Zev’s mind blasted into mine. I’m running patrols, but I can be with you in minutes.
The pups? Pixie’s mental voice was a caress even when she was terrified, and I tried to send calming thoughts.
It’s not all the pups. Something’s wrong with Owein. He’s fucking terrified of something, and I can’t get him away from the other pups long enough to talk to him. Zev, I need you here now, but you need to come in