The Omega's Quest

11. Color-a-do(g)

THE TRAIN HALTED IN COLORADO. Oscar was standing in front of the door while waiting for it to open. His feet were itching to step outside. Seeing the outskirts of Denver made him feel nervous. He was getting close to where his ex-boyfriend was, and he was coming there to ask for help.

Compared to New York, the buildings were a lot smaller there, making the skyline appear less crowded. Another thing that he appreciated a lot was the traffic situation there. He could barely hear honking cars from where he was at all.

"Passengers who are bound for Colorado may now alight." A female voice filled the train. The red light attached to the door blinked thrice before the green one lit up. As the door opened fully, Oscar saw a line of shifters waiting to get onto the train.

"Is this normal?" he whispered to Elliot, who was standing behind him. He was getting bewildered by the number of people before them, and he couldn’t tell if the crowd would possibly fit into that train.

Elliot just nodded at him as they went past the shifters. All his life, he thought that being inside the UOFC stadium was already intense, but then it was nothing compared to this. The whole place was a riot!

Just like the last train station they were in, the one they were in now was buzzing with activity. It was already dawn, but people were still dressed as if they had come from a party or something.

"Excuse me," Oscar kept saying as he bumped into other people’s shoulders. Most of them just gave him a death stare, then silently moved on to wherever they were going.

Just like in New York, people there didn’t care much about other people. He chuckled at the thought. The scenery might have changed, but the people were still the same.

City life was crappy. It reminded him why he loved to stay in his pad and watch people get absorbed in their own problems, not even glancing twice to help out homeless people who were begging on the streets.

It was funny how time had changed so fast, and he had become a homeless guy begging for help.

"Oscar, let’s go. We need to hurry up. We cannot go out once the sun rises."

He was startled by Elliot's announcement. His friend never mentioned anything about the curfew. "What? I thought we could travel all day," he said.

"Yes, that is true for the train. However, Denver, Colorado’s exit is a bit different. No worries, you will find out soon."

They ran past the other shifters as they climbed that staircase. There were still four floors ahead of them, and he had to endure the run to get out on time.

As they went past the access door, waiters and bartenders cleaning up what seemed to be a bar welcomed their view. There were empty bottles of beer lying around, while a couple of half-empty glasses were being collected in a tray.

"Here, change into this shirt. We need to look like we work here." Elliot handed him a plain black shirt.

Just like what Elliot did, Oscar took it and put it on top of what he was wearing. "Let’s go. I am ready," he said while combing his hair back to make himself a bit more presentable.

Elliot chuckled upon looking at him. Not long after, and the waiters were looking at him too, in a weird way.

"Did I do something wrong?" He turned to his friend. He couldn’t understand everyone’s reaction.

Elliot flicked his tongue and moved his head sideways. "Tsk. We know you’re good looking. Now stop showing off." Then, without any other word, he walked towards the staff’s exit and left Oscar.

Oscar was left with no choice but to follow his friend. A few more minutes and they reached the sidewalk.

"Wait up." He reached for Elliot and placed his arm above his friend’s shoulder. If bystanders saw them, they would think that he and Elliot were adoptive brothers.

"We need a ride. Jason’s place is a two-hour drive away from here. We can commute. That way, Byron can’t track us."

He nodded at what Elliot said. What his friend said did make a lot of sense. He hadn’t seen any of Byron’s people lurking around since they got on the train. He could only wish for this peace to last until he got into safety.

"I don’t have any cash here. I do have this phone." Oscar flashed his glass phone.

However, he never expected Elliot’s reaction upon seeing the gadget in his hand. If stares could get a person killed, he would have been dead twice in an hour already. "I thought you got rid of your stuff back at the hangar?!"

"I did. I bought this cheap phone from the train platform. See, it has no details about me yet, just a random number." Oscar turned the phone on and showed the account details to Elliot.

"Who is Jack Smith?" Elliot scrunched his nose upon seeing a name in the contact details.

"I am!" he exclaimed, proud of his idea.

"You are nuts. Come on, there’s the bus stop." Elliot walked faster, again, leaving him behind.

Oscar would not have thought of going to Colorado a few days ago, but here he was, tailing his friend through its streets.

"You’ve been leaving me behind a lot. No breakfast then!" he joked, before shaking his head in amusement and muttering, "Damn, I can’t believe I have to deal with a hungry, and snarky Elliot..."

"WHOA! THIS IS JASON’S PACK? Damn, that view is amazing!" Oscar’s eyes grew wide upon seeing the landscape in front of them. The pack was situated at the foot of a mountain. It was a small village with a very serene atmosphere.

The houses there had moss green roofs, blending beautifully with the trees. Also, there was a snow-capped peak on top of the mountain, which made it perfect for skiing.

"Shhh. We aren’t invited, so we better keep a low profile." Elliot was being checked by a guard at the gate when he spoke. Yes, as hidden as it seemed, Jason’s pack was a gated community, similar to exclusive suburban areas.

"Elliot?" It was then that a huge man appeared before them and acknowledged his friend. He was muscular and looked very strong,while carrying a toddler in one hand and a gun in the other.

"George! Hi, I apologise for crashing your place like this. By the way, this is Oscar, my friend."

Oscar waved his hand at the man Elliot called George. "Hi, I am Oscar. Elliot and Jason’s friend. I came here to visit him. Is he around?" He then gave his best smile, hoping for it to help his situation.

"Come in. Our house is just nearby. Let them in, Vern." George ordered the guard who was checking on Elliot earlier.

"Thanks, dude," Oscar said with a grin, then followed George as the latter started to walk.

"So what brought you here?" It was George who started the conversation with them.

Oscar didn’t know how to respond. He wanted to blurt out his issue, but at the same time felt like he shouldn’t be telling anyone. After all, the man asking was a total stranger to him.

"Actually, we aren’t here for a visit. We wanted to ask for help." Elliot saved him by speaking even before he could embarrass himself. That made him gratefully smile.

"Okay, what kind of help?" George sounded very sceptical when he turned his head to them. And somehow, that reaction made Oscar remember Byron. He shivered at the thought of Byron finding him.

"Umh... well, I was hoping you would let us stay in your pack. I can do a lot of things, and I am good at martial arts." He tried to sell himself to the pack leader after seeing Elliot nod.

"Okay. Are you in trouble or something?" That was when George finally stopped walking and faced them. He looked at Oscar straight in the eye and it made Oscar feel like he was being interrogated.

"Well, I am getting away from my ex-husband. You see, Byron did not really care for me. He cared more about his reputation and saw me as a material he could use. He just needed me to gain a lot of wealth for his pack. He even used me as a guinea pig for his stupid experiments." Oscar began to explain. However, he was cut short by George.

"Wait, did you say, Byron? The Alpha Byron of the Dark Sun pack?" George’s eyes widened, not from horror but from loathing.

"Yes, that Byron. Why?" He tried to look innocent even though he already had an idea of what happened.

Byron had crossed paths with a lot of packs, and most of the time, those encounters were never pleasant. His husband had a huge tendency to take advantage of anyone's kindness.

"Well, he tried to offer me a large sum of money for my pack’s resources. I refused him, and he has been kissing my ass for a couple of months now," George said casually before looking away. Then, pointing to a two-story house that was identical to the other houses there, except for the carving of a Greek sign for alpha, he said, "We are here."

"That home is lovely, right, Elliot?" Oscar tried to be on George’s good side. If kissing the alpha’s ass would do the deed, then he was up for it.

"Indeed," Elliot agreed with him.

"Pardon, my house. It is a bit messy inside. Just a heads up, I have another guest in there." George nodded apologetically as soon as they reached the house. He was about to push the door open when it suddenly moved and a small face poked out of it—a toddler.

"Oh no, I hope we are not interrupting anything?" Oscar felt bad for coming without notice. Although, in his defence, he tried to reach out to Jason a couple of days ago.

"Don’t be silly. The other guest is just one of my friends. Come."

George invited them inside, and as soon as Oscar stepped into the house, he was greeted by the intoxicating scent of his mate. That triggered him to scan the place anxiously until he found Ivan, sitting on the couch while playing with another toddler, different from the one who opened the door.

"You?!" they both said in unison.

George's gaze immediately bounced back and forth between Ivan and him. Then, he removed his shoes, put on slippers, and put the baby he was carrying on the floor. "Do you know each other?"

"No," he denied.

"Yes," Ivan agreed.

"Which is it?" That made George even more confused.

Elliot was chuckling behind George. He was totally into the drama he created. "We bumped into each other on the train going here," he explained to the alpha.

Ivan sat straight and fixed his glasses. On the other hand, George sat beside him and pointed to the ottoman and oversized chair. "Sit. There are plenty of chairs."

Both Elliot and Oscar complied. Elliot took the ottoman while Oscar sat on the chair. It was comfy, but he couldn’t relax one bit.

"Is Jason around? I wanted to say hi to him." He tried to change the topic upon sensing the tension that suddenly filled the house.

"I am afraid you cannot," was George’s reply, giving him a long face.