“Yup,” I say simply. Thankfully, he doesn’t hear anything off in my clipped tone. I always sound like this. “Beth?” I turn back to the torn-up bushes, trying not to look. “Are you done?”
She doesn’t answer, and I honestly can’t blame her. I saw more than she wanted me to. Her slight body hunkered down, with her knees drawn up under her chin. Thank goodness she didn’t have her pants down or she would have really been embarrassed.
My whole body locks up as realization slams into me—she had her pants on.
What the fuck was she doing?
I take a step toward the bush, trying to see through the thick leaves. “Beth?”
But she doesn’t answer. Silence dances around me, nothing but the cold air and distant sound of Basil and Killian chatting.
Inching a little closer to the bushes, I move to rest my hand on the hilt of my buck knife, but it’s not there. I look down at my belt, shocked to find that my blade is missing.
“Shit,” I snarl, then race toward the omega. I grab the ripped-up bush and fling it away.
She’s gone.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” I grit out, before scenting the air. Her sweet, sugary scent pulls me into the forest. I follow it, making my way to a sharp hill. I look up, wondering how far she could have made it.
Cutting around a mighty oak, I glance one way, then the other, but before I can decide which way to go, something bites into my right bicep. I jerk then spin. Beth is frozen in place, staring up at me. Her eyes are huge, watching me as if waiting for something to happen.
“You scared the shit out of me.” I grab her by the upper arms, pulling her to me, but I’m careful not to hold her too tight. I saw her last night in the stream. The poor girl is covered in bruises and I refuse to add to them.
Beth’s mouth opens then closes. She looks terrified. Maybe even stunned.
“What’s wrong?” I lean down, waiting for her to speak, but she just looks at my upper arm. I follow her gaze, then release her.
My buck knife is sticking out of my bicep. Only about an inch of the blade is stuck in me, but it’s still bleeding pretty good.
“Really?” I cut the omega a very disappointed look, before pulling the knife out of my arm. Her lips part, watching in shock as I wipe the blood off on my pant leg. “That’s not very nice.” I wag the blade at her, before pushing back into my sheath.“We don’t stab people.” I turn, leading her back to Killian. Thankfully, she follows like a good girl.
“Doesn't it hurt?” Beth looks at me as if struggling to understand how I’m still alive.
“It’s barely a scratch,” I say, looking down at the wound. A small trickle of blood drips from the cut, making my already soiled shirt even dirtier. “Why did you stab me?” I ask.
Beth immediately drops her gaze to her feet, shaking her head. “You scared me,” she says simply.
“I scared you so bad, you had to steal my knife, lie in wait, then stab me the second you had the jump on me?” I look down at the omega, waiting for her to explain herself. But she doesn’t say a word. And I won’t force her. I get it.
She was clearly abused by her last pack and has lived like a savage out here for god knows how long. It’s ridiculous to think she could trust three strangers who just popped into her life yesterday.
“I’ll give you this one,” I say, and she snaps her head up, looking at me with those big curious eyes. “But the next time you stab me, I won’t be letting it go so easy.”
Her face pales and her shoulders curl inward. I suddenly realize she probably took my words as a threat of violence, and not a gentle warning that she’d be getting a lecture.
“Beth.” I reach for her wrist, wanting to explain myself, but she crosses her arms before I can touch her.
“I just want to go home,” she says softly, still staring at her feet. “My mother needs me.”
“Then tell us where you live,” I say a little too loudly. “Give me a nearby village name or a road. Anything.”
“I don’t know any of that.” She whines high in her throat, frustrated. “I wasn’t allowed to leave the damn yard,” she finally says, defeat clear in her soft voice.
“But you are from here?” I angle my head down, trying to see her eyes. She peeks up at me, her long brown hair framing her face. “You grew up in the woods?”
She nods. “I’ve never been this far from home before.” Her gaze drifts over the grass, then past the trees. She stares into the distance, clearly longing for someone that’s out there. “I was trying to run away.”
“I get it,” I finally say. “The desire for freedom is hard to ignore. Even when faced with very real danger.” I reach for her hand, and she uncrosses her arms, letting me touch her. “But it’s so dangerous out here. Please don’t run away from us again.” I stroke over the back of her knuckles, trying to soothe her. “Killian and Basil are good guys. And Jeremy is the best person I’ve ever met. I think you could be really happy if you gave us a chance.”
