Killian’s dark eyes drift over my face, and his jaw juts forward, thinking. “Perhaps.”
“Just give the girl a new name,” Tristan’s voice is loud. Maybe even annoyed. I’m really not sure. He’s so hard to read. “She’ll eventually figure out what her name is.”
“That’s actually not a bad idea,” Basil says, then he turns to me and smiles. “What do you think, omega? What should we call you?” He pauses as if waiting for me to tell him. “How about Fanny?”
“Fanny?” I blurt out, unable to stop myself. “My name is Beth. Please don’t call me Fanny.” All three alphas go still when I speak. Killian and Basil’s eyes go wide, but Tristan smirks before turning to look at Basil.
“Fanny,” the big alpha snorts, smacking Basil’s arm. “That’s fucking priceless.”
Basil shoots him a quick scowl, before grumbling, “What’s wrong with Fanny?”
Tristan chuckles deep in his chest, and Killian smiles, the shock finally wearing off.
“It’s nice to meet you, Beth.” The blond alpha gives a little bow of his head. “I’m Killian.” He presses his hand to his chest. “I’m the leader of this pack.”
I stay tense, not buying his overly polite act as he introduces the rest of the alphas.
“This is Basil,” he says, and the green-eyed alpha smiles sweetly at me. “And Tristan.” The mountain of a man just nods once. His body is as tense as mine, but his eyes remain soft and curious. I might trust him the least. There’s too much of a disconnect between the way his body moves and the emotion in his eyes. It’s off-putting.
“I want to go home,” I say forcefully.
Basil goes stiff, and I swear some of the color drains from his face. “Fuck,” he says under his breath. “You were kidnapped. Weren’t you?”
I swallow thickly before nodding.
“Goddamnit,” Basil yells at Killian. “I told you. I knew the Morder couldn’t possibly have ethically collected that many omegas.”
“Did you think wevolunteeredto be caged and sold?” I snap.
The anger in Basil’s eyes immediately fades as shame takes hold. “Of course not,” he says much softer this time. “But we were told the omegas they carried were abandoned or surrendered by families that couldn’t protect them.”
I really want to mock him for thinking something so stupid, but he already looks so gutted.
“Where is home?” Killian asks, catching me off guard.Is he considering returning me to my family?
“I live here. In the woods.” I rub my hands over the tops of my thighs. My legs are cold and my palms are sweaty.
“Where in the woods?” Killian’s voice is surprisingly patient, despite my vague answer.
Dropping my gaze, I try to remember any landmarks. “Near the river.” I snap my head up, looking at Killian. “The winding stream that curls south along the river.”
“Which river?”
Frustration takes hold, and I shake my head. “I don’t know.” My voice pitches higher as desperate emotion grips me. “We live on a mountainside. There’s an old oak tree that got split in two during a thunderstorm last fall. My pack alpha’s name is Burke.” I babble, praying any of this is familiar to one of them, but I know it’s not likely.
My family is very private. Secluded. During the day, my mother and I don’t venture past the garden—except for when I sneak out with Linden. But even then, I didn’t go past the river’s edge. And my alphas only visit with packs they’ve known for years. Packs that mostly wander, very few of them settling down.
“I’m so sorry, Beth.” Sympathy pulls at Killian’s features, making the corners of his mouth turn down. “I would take you home so I could ask for your hand properly, but?—”
“My other fathers are Tony and Scott.” My voice rises as panic sets in. “My mother is Deanna. I have five brothers. The oldest, Darrion, just turned fifteen.”
“Omega.” Killian gives me a sad smile. “I don’t know your kin.”
I want to scream and cry, and demand that they figure it out and take me home. It’s crazy, but I desperately want to go home. While I’m well aware of the monster waiting for me back home, I’m more scared of what these alphas want from me. After all, Burke only hits me when I provoke him. Maybe once I find my way back, I can convince him that I’ll be better. More obedient.
I’ll make him want to keep me.
“Please eat,” Basil says, eyeing the orange still sitting on the plate. But I’m no longer hungry. The jerky sits heavy in my belly, making me wish I had eaten slower. “I think after we get to our house, and get you clean and fed, you’ll feel better.”
