Lab Rat

Elroy was different when Jonny next saw him. His eyes were red and puffy, and he held a blanket tightly around him. Jonny wanted to hurt Eric for whatever he did to make Elroy upset. In fact, Jonny went ballistic as soon as Eric showed his face.

As Jonny threw punches and yelled at Eric, the others in the room could start to smell the fear coming from Elroy. The scared omega quickly moved towards the angry alpha and tried to pry him off Eric.

"Jonny, stop!" He yelled, pulling on the alpha's arm, "Leave Eric alone!"

Jonny recoiled when he heard Elroy.

There wasn't much of an explanation. In fact, there wasn't one. Once the two men were separated, Elroy left the room. Eric shook his head. "If I didn't know any better," he said, "I would think you had a thing for Elroy."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"If you aren't going to claim him, I will. He'll be adored and respected by the whole pack. He'll have a strong mate, never having to worry about his safety ever again."

It was a challenge, and Jonny knew that. He also knew that Elroy would never want a mate so soon after the trauma he recently experienced. Jonny knew very little about the tests done on him and the others in the lab. However, he knew none of the shifters involved would forget. Elroy had a hard enough time getting used to every day life.

Jonny huffed and turned to follow after Elroy. He followed Elroy's scent, that lovely sweet mint.

---------

The fight had been pardoned, making it so the shifters could stay in Eric's land. Eric had started to pursue Elroy, since Jonny didn't. It wasn't that Jonny didn't want to, he just didn't think Elroy felt the same... Jonny couldn't even bring himself to accept his feelings. He was sure he just felt admiration and curiosity towards the beta.

As time slowly passed, Jonny started to become annoyingly jealous of the time Eric was spending with Elroy. They'd go on a week long trip once a month, and when Elroy came home he'd be very happy and day-dreamy. It was an unusual personality trait for him.

Everything was going great. Elroy was starting to talk with Jonny and Clarissa more. He wasn't as nervous, and he was a lot happier. Clarissa was very ecstatic they could actually hold a proper conversation, and she would try and get to know him as much as she could. Jonny let Elroy have his space, but whenever they were in the same room they would talk. It just was simple topics. Jonny felt like he needed to still be careful around the beta because he seemed so sensitive in the beginning. He didn't want to hurt or offend Elroy.

There was a meeting for the alphas of the surrounding packs. The meeting would move around each year, so the alphas would all be able to take turns in hosting it. This year it was Eric's turn to host. When he mentioned it to Elroy, the omega's eyes grew and he immediately left the alpha's side to return home. His nerves started to return. When Jonny saw him, he was confused. Why was he reverting back? What did Eric do?

The other pack alphas started to arrive, and Elroy insisted he would rather stay inside than meet them. Jonny, after spending a long time trying to convince Elroy everything would be okay, decided to just go and meet them with Clarissa.

As they met and greeted the alphas respectively, they noticed something different about the way one of the alphas reacted with them. He seemed curious about them. The alpha pulled them aside to apologize for his behavior before, however when he had the two alone again he couldn't focus on what he was saying. The apology came out short. He gave in and finally explained, "You smell very familiar, and I know I haven't met either of you before. Is there someone else in your household? Or someone you both spend a lot of time with? A friend or relative?"

Jonny was going to lie, but Clarissa spoke first. "There is someone else staying with us, Alpha. Maybe you used to be his old pack alpha. He was very nervous about all the alphas coming to stay, and he didn't want to come."

"Can I meet him?"

Jonny told the alpha "No" just as Clarissa said "Yes". It didn't matter though, because Clarissa was already showing him the way to their house.

Clarissa opened the door and the alpha's eyes widened. He tried to regain his composure before actually meeting this roommate. Clarissa told him to stay in the living room, while she would go and get the beta. The alpha listened, and he breathed in the familiar mint scent. It had to be Elroy. It had to be.

When Elroy finally emerged from his room and showed his face in the living room, he was swept up in a tight embrace from the alpha that Clarissa wanted him to meet. At first he wanted to try and escape the embrace, until the scent hit him and he immediately knew who it was that was holding him. He melted into it, wrapping his own arms around the man and placing his face in his neck breathing in his scent.

Clarissa giggled at the sight. She had never seen Elroy behave so inappropriately towards an alpha, especially one that she assumed was his old pack alpha.

When Jonny finally entered the room, he was shocked. Both individuals were scenting each other while holding tightly onto one another. They didn't seem to ever want to let go of each other. Jonny was starting to become annoyed. He grunted, "Is this how you meet people?"

The question made the alpha and Elroy break apart, and the alpha laughed, "I know Elroy. It has been a year and a half since I last saw him. I would greatly appreciate it if I could speak with him alone. I can assure you, young alpha, that I won't do anything except for talk with him."

Grudgingly, Jonny left the house to wait outside with Clarissa. She was very eager to know what was going on inside. She wouldn't stop throwing her ideas at Jonny.

"Maybe they are true mates! They threw themselves at each other."

"Maybe the alpha is expressing his love and proposing to Elroy!"

Jonny could only hope it was neither of those things and try and tune the young girl out.

Inside the house, Andrew and Elroy weren't talking about love or mating.

"I didn't expect you to leave the pack, when our bond broke, Elie."

"How could I stay, Drew? I couldn't stay around your scent or your family. It hurt me too much."

"What about our pup? Where are you hiding them? Did you think I didn't notice when you left? I could smell them on you. I wanted to raise them with you, with or without a bond."

Elroy grew quiet. He tried to take a breather before telling Andrew. He took a few deep breaths, trying to stay calm.

"Please talk to me, Elie."

"When I left, I was running a lot. I tried to get as far away as I could, so I could start over. I didn't get too far out of Damian's territory when I felt a pinch in my shoulder. I got very tired and I collapsed. I awoke in a cage in an unfamiliar place. There were loud machines and other wolves in cages. Most of them were so heavily drugged that they could only stare blankly around at the room. I tried to escape because it was so full of negative energy and I couldn't have our pup in a place like that. Someone came in and injected me with something, probably whatever they gave the other wolves, and I fell asleep. Every time I woke, I would fight to get out. I had to leave. I could feel our pup. I needed to get out for them. I needed to keep them safe. I pretended to be hurt at one point, so they would open the cage. When they did, I ran as fast as I could. I got out of the room and down the next hallway and to the stairs before they caught me. They put me in a cage in an empty room. It still had a lot of machines and cages, but I as the only wolf in there. It got really depressing, really fast, but I had to get out. Every time someone came in, they would drug me. They started injecting me with things a lot. Some of it burned. Some of it knocked me out. Some of it made me have crazy hallucinations. Some of it made me numb. I lost track of how much time I spent in there. I lost track of what I was even doing there because of the drugs. I knew I needed to do something but I didn't know what. And then I woke up one night in excruciating pain. I thought I was stabbed. I looked around and there wasn't a knife, but there was so much blood. I thought I was going to die. And at several points during that pain and afterwards, I wanted to. The pain lasted so long, and I howled and howled, but no one came. They thought I was trying to escape, I think. I was alone when I lost our pup. I remember how hard it was to breathe, all the blood, the pain. I passed out eventually, and when I woke, it wasn't a nightmare. I couldn't feel the pup. I felt pain. It was uncomfortable, but not as bad as it was. There was so much blood, and I remember seeing our small, small pup in it. It didn't have a chance at all. It was way too young. I stopped trying to escape, after that. I stopped attacking. I stopped feeling. Most of my remaining time in the lab was numb. I remember them giving me a lot of drugs. I was so weak. I was haunted by losing our pup. I feel like a failure. I lost the only thing I wanted at that time because I couldn't get out."

"Oh, Elie," Andrew pulled Elroy into another tight embrace. "You couldn't have helped it."

"If I stayed, our pup would be alive."

"You can't change the past. Don't look back now, Elie, please."

"I'm sorry, Drew."

"Don't you dare apologize. You had no control in that situation, and I do not blame you."

"Why are you here, Andrew? Where's your father? I didn't go today because I didn't want to chance running into him."

"He is ill, so I'm the pack leader now. They need someone strong and healthy."

"If I knew you were coming, I wouldn't have hid."

"Yes, you would, Elie. You didn't want to tell me about our pup."

"I thought you would hate me."

"Never. You were my first love."

"Mine, too, Drew."

"Why don't you come with me to the meeting?"

"It is only for alphas."

"I still think of you as my sweet omega. And since we scented each other, they can't say no. You smell like me."

Elroy laughed, "You haven't changed one bit."

"I must say that this time, I didn't actually plan for us scenting each other and you started it."

---------

When Elroy arrived with Andrew to the meeting, Eric wasn't pleased. Especially, since they smelled like each other. When asked about it, Andrew told the truth about how they used to be mates, and he still thought of Elroy as his omega. Eric wanted to growl his displeasure, but held it in because he can't have a claim on an omega that has already been claimed. Andrew pretty much publicly claimed Elroy when he brought Elroy to the meeting. And there were plenty of mates that have broken the bond and then mated with each other again. Eric just had to hope that Andrew was going to leave the omega when he had to return to his pack. That would symbolize Elroy is on the market.

The meeting was long. The alphas were talking about their packs, borders, and any threats they had. There were a few arguments over border changes. Some alphas even brought up issues concerning their packs, so they can be fixed.

When it finally finished, Andrew walked with Elroy. On their way to Elroy's new home, they talked with one another.

"Why don't your roommates know you're an omega?"

"They assumed I was beta at the lab, and I was so distraught I never corrected them. Alpha Eric knew when we met, and so I've been going to the pack healer whenever I have my heats."

"You live with an alpha, who seems to like you. And since you're an eligible omega, Alpha Eric seems to like you as well. Especially for him not to inform everyone a new omega has joined their pack."

Elroy sighed, "Alpha Eric has taken me out on a few dates, and I like his company. Just his company. I don't want his companionship. There's nothing really there between him and I. And Jonny... He doesn't really seem interested. One moment he will defend me and the other he will give me so much space I feel like he is avoiding me."

"But are you interested in Jonny?"

"More than anything."

"Then maybe you have to show him, instead of waiting for him."