AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She yelps as I kneel and pull her up into my arms. Rising to my feet, just as I’m about to turn into the study, I notice Cleo standing next to the stairs, hugging the banister, and watching the scene unfold with wide, scared eyes.
“Go get something for her head!” I roar at her dazed expression. “Now!”
She jumps as if snapped from a trance and scampers toward the kitchen.
“And you,” I growl at Rill. “Leave.”
I barely register his confusion before slamming the door in his face.
He probably can’t understand why I’d make such a fuss about a beta when his people can barely treat omegas with any amount of honor.
If I have to look at his face for another second, I’m going to kill him.
Hetty and I are quiet as I gently prop her up on the leather couch, making sure her head doesn’t touch the arm.
“Stay here.”
She doesn’t respond, just blinks owlishly.
She’s probably in shock. I growl in frustration before turning toward the sideboard to pour a glass of water from a decanter, and at the last second, I grab the linen napkin folded under it.
Standing over her again, I jerk the loose scarf from her head, tossing it behind me. Wordlessly encouraging her to lean back into the napkin, I thrust the glass of water against her lips.
“Drink,” I order gruffly, holding the napkin behind her head.
Sputtering briefly, she gains her bearings and sips delicately from the glass.
“Thank you,” she whispers before inching back and gently pushing away the glass with her fingertips. “I feel much better now.”
I swallow, my throat suddenly dry.
“Next time I see Rill, I’m gonna punch him in the face,” I say, my voice catching in my throat in a sudden surge of anger. I pull the napkin away from her head to see it faintly stained with blood, but not much. The bleeding appears to have slowed down quickly—that’s good. I soften my tone before speaking again. “You’re okay?”
She nods. “I’ve been so clumsy today. I—I fell on the path, too.”
“You did? How?”
She curls her fingers into her palms. “It was an accident—just like this. Please don’t punch Alpha Rill.”
“We’ll see,” I murmur with a shrug before falling into a sitting position, resting my arms on my knees while I watch her.
It should feel silly sitting here on the floor like a little kid, but I’ve always felt comfortable being vulnerable with Hetty.
I’ve known her my whole life, after all, as a constant backdrop in Sage House. I remember her running through the garden with Stella as a child. They were always up to no good, pulling pranks and trying to rope me into their games.
It’s unusual for people of our class to be so close to betas, but Hetty and her grandmother were always the exception in the Sage family. For some reason, the normal rules never quite applied to our relationships with them.
Something changed between me and Hetty as we got older, though. It was different for Stella— Hetty acted as her beta maid, so they could more or less continue as normal.
But for me to acknowledge her outside of her role as the beta who scrubbed my dishes and made the bed would be wrong.
Not only for me but for her, too.
So, for the past seven years or so, she’s been my favorite secret—a serene, steady presence. As everyone in my life lost their damn mind, her soothing presence was right next to me. And each time she wordlessly handed me a cup of coffee or if I caught sight of her intently scrubbing the floor, a sense of peace fell over me.
I like having her around. But it’s only within the innermost recesses of my mind that I can admit it.
I’ve never seen her without a scarf covering her hair, though. My eyes dart over the straight champagne-colored strands pulled in a tight, braided bun, and my throat feels dry as I swallow a rise of emotion.
