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I couldn’t be sure but if it was anything like the car that had stolen me away from my pack, it couldn’t be good.
Gently, I reached over and wrapped my arm around her shoulders before pulling her to my side. She froze and then melted, laying her head on my thigh. Joel ran a hand down her back as she relaxed, her eyes still scrunched shut. “I didn’t know what else to do so I just stayed with him? I thought that maybe all Alphas were just a little controlling and he was giving meattention. And he actually talked which is more than what the boys at school did. He… he liked to talk a lot and he said things at times. I don’t think he knew who I was to you at first, Joel.”
The way she said that told me that her nightmares consisted of more than just Michael. I used my free hand to run my fingers through her hair and she settled further between us. Whatever she had been through had taken a toll on her and she was finally feeling the effects of it. I wanted to let her know we could figure this out tomorrow after she had some sleep but Nala seemed to be determined to finish her story.
“That’s how I knew about you, Kieran. And that I wasn’t the first one.”
“The first one what?” Isaias bit out. He was having a hard time not raging out the door and ripping Michael limb from limb.
Nala sighed, “The first Omega that didn’t fit the mold. You know why he wanted you, right?”
“To sell me, I think.”
“He said I’d fetch a good price,” she mumbled. “His interest was never genuine because apparently he’d been watching our school for a few months and he caught my scent the one time I took my patch off.” She pointed at the bandage again. “Said that any Alphas that bought me would have a field day and wouldn’t need anyone else.”
I didn’t want to rehash my childhood but the details seemed pertinent to the conversation. So much for a happy Valentine’s Day. “He was always trying to get me to like him, to be with him. He wanted me for himself.”
Nala shrugged. “Maybe.”
Joel leaned forward, a little. “How did you get out, Nala?”
“It wasn’t easy but after I heard him talking about you,” She sat up and turned to face him. “He was calling and getting angry you wouldn’t pick up. I memorized your number and at the first chance I took off. It’s been maybe a week or two? I tracked youout here but I didn’t actually expect to find you until today.” Nala threw her arms around her brother, holding tightly to him. “I was so fucking terrified that he’d sell me off.”
“He’s gone, Nala,” Isaias said as he stood. He stayed in the kitchen, content with keeping his distance along with Ren. “A few states over for something else he had no business doing.”
Nala pulled away slightly, her gaze dipping to Joel’s neck. There were no words exchanged but she knew.
“Nala, I’m very glad you’re safe and you can stay here for as long as you’d like. However, I think a little rest would do you good before we figure out our next steps, okay?” Isaias’ voice was softer than I had ever heard it, Nala twisting around to meet his firm gaze.
“It’s not you,” she whispered, referring to her aversion of Alphas. I knew as much, though and I’m pretty sure my Alphas did as well..
“I know, Nala. I know. But I also know how long it takes to untangle the nightmares from reality. Would you like to rest or do something else?”
She sat there for several moments, eyes wandering our home until she nodded. “Can I sleep? Just for a little while.”
“Absolutely. There’s a guest bedroom down the hall on the right just before the nursery. Bed is all made up. If you need anything, just ask.”
Nala stood, wringing her hands together, “Can—can you show me?”
It felt like the world had come to a standstill. Nala was branching out in a way that had taken me weeks. She was leaning, asking for help and I couldn’t be more proud. Joel stood up behind her, resting a comforting hand on her shoulder to give her a little more confidence. Isaias seemed worried about her request but obliged anyway, moving slowly to the hallway to guide her to her bedroom.
She stepped in behind him, unsure at first before she thanked him, entered the room, and then shut the door. A few seconds later, the door opened, the lights still on. Isaias stayed put for several minutes before retreating to the living room, a tight smile on his face. “She’s asleep.”
Ren snorted. “With the door open?”
“She said it was safer,” Isaias ground out. “I wish Michael was still in the local jail so I could rip him apart. He better not have touched a fucking hair on her head.”
I wholeheartedly agreed, feeling for her in a way that I didn’t think was possible. Despite the circumstances, our little boys had just gained an aunt and she seemed just as ecstatic to see them as I felt having her here. “Joel? Are you okay?” Twisting around to catch his expression had me confused. I couldn’t read him.
“I think so. It’s a lot to handle. And now she’s here, I’m realizing how much I missed out on with her gone. I never got to see her grow up. None of her graduations. Her parties. Hell, if we had been in touch, Michael would have never gotten to her. Fuck!” Joel pushed to his feet and swiped Nala’s plate to deposit it in the kitchen. “One day. One. Fucking. Day. That’s all I wanted. That’s all I asked for and we couldn’t even get that.”
Isaias approached Joel and dragged him against his chest. “Then we try tomorrow.”
“Right, about that,” Ren began. “We all have to go to work.”
My mates slowly turned to face me as I cuddled Elias, the realization that this would be the first day by myself. It wasn’t that I couldn’t do it but with everything that had happened, it would be odd.
They all scrambled to offer that they could stay home or change their schedule which made me burst out laughing.
