Shock rips through Jeremy and his mouth falls open. He believed the same as we did—the Morder omegas were wayward creatures that needed the help and love of packs that couldn’t get a mate the traditional way.
“My family is looking for me,” Beth continues, her voice rising as her distress grows. “Theyneedme. I have to go home.” She jabs a finger at the window. “They’re out there looking for me.”
“Killian?” Jeremy looks at me with deep lines settled between his brows. “Theykidnappedher?”
“Yes!” Beth answers before I can. “I wasn’t abandoned or surrendered,” she grits out the words Basil said to her this morning. “I was taken. The Morderabductsthe omegas they sell.”
“I don’t understand.” Jeremy’s terrified gaze darts from me to Tristan, then Basil, and back again. He looks completely gutted.
“Omega, please,” Basil moves to place his hand over Beth’s but she flinches, growling high in her throat.
I can’t say that Angelica didn’t warn us. Northern Omegas are wild, and it’ll take time to train her to trust us. But this is still so upsetting. None of us has tried to hurt her.
“That’s enough, Beth,” I say, trying not to raise my voice. “I know you’ve had a rough few days, but we didn’t steal you.”
“No.” Her face twists with rage. “You justboughtme,” she hisses, and my hackles rise. “And now you refuse to return me.”
“I have nowhere to return you to!” I yell, finally done with her shit. “And even if I did, there’s no way in hell I’d take you back to a father who beat you!”
Beth goes still and her fists loosen. Tears gather in the corner of her eyes and her hands tremble.
Fuck.
I shouldn’t have said that…even if it is true.
“They are still my family.” Beth’s voice is shockingly firm, despite her sadness. “I was still taken.”
“Were you though?” Tristan speaks up, shocking all of us. He tends to steer clear of emotional conversations. He’s shit at expressing himself and always ends up saying things that upset Basil or Jeremy. I’m used to his blunt nature, but it’s only because he and I are similar in that way. The only difference is that I can keep my opinions to myself.
“What did you say?” Beth looks at the burly alpha, shaking her head.
“You weren’t kidnapped.” He takes a big bite of his dinner, chewing quickly. “You ran away.” He leans back in his chair, looking right at Beth. “You told me you were trying to run away. You weren’t kidnapped.”
Beth’s throat works as she shifts in her chair. I can practically see the gears in her head turning. “I was upset,” she says softly, trying to pull in her spiraling emotions. But it’s too late. I can smell it on her. She’s in a full-on panic. “I left my home after this happened.” She holds one hand over the bruised side of her face, struggling to look at us. “I just needed some air, and I got a little turned around.” Her jaw tenses and her chin quivers. “I was found by two men. They refused to let me go. The alpha…he…he…” A single tear falls down her soft cheek and my rage triples.
“What did he do to you?” Basil asks, his pale green eyes filled with an intense rage.
Beth shakes her head, refusing to answer. “They dragged me to the Morder.” She keeps her head down, staring at the water in her glass as she speaks, lost in her memories. “They stripped me down and drugged me up.” More tears fall, and Jeremy sniffles loudly.
“Beth,” the beta sucks in a shuddering breath between tears. “I’m so sorry.”
But I’m not buying it. Angelica warned us—this omega has killed an alpha. She also got the jump on Tristan and managed to plunge a blade into his arm. There have been grown alphas that haven’t been able to get the better of him. And then lying about being snatched from her family, when she already admitted to being lost in the woods.
I simply don’t trust that she has a loving family out there looking for her. Hell, she might not have any family at all. Shemight truly be wild and just wants to return to the woods, but I’m not doing that.
“How you ended up at the Morder doesn’t change anything.” I toss my napkin onto my plate. “We still don’t know where your family lives, and you’re still in my care.” I look deep into the omega’s eyes, making sure she hears the alpha command in my voice. “You belong to us.”
Beth stares at me. There’s so much sadness in her watery eyes, but there’s also rage. And lots of it. Then, as if a switch is flipped inside the omega, Beth moves. She grabs the fork off her plate and lunges at me. I see her aiming for the center of my chest in plenty of time. I reach out, easily grab her wrist, then squeeze.
“Let go!” she struggles, trying to break free. I tighten my hold and she finally drops the fork.
“I think it’s bedtime.” I stand, then bend, forcing the struggling omega over my shoulder. “Say goodnight, Beth.”
“Fuck you!” she growls, kicking and screaming. Trying to bring the whole house down.
I turn to check on Jeremy, devastated to see him pressed against Tristan’s side, crying as quietly as he can. Basil gets up and moves around the table, kneeling next to the beta. I walk off, leaving my alphas to handle him. I’ll check on the beta later, but for now I have to deal with our feral omega.
Beth needs to be settled. She needs to be claimed. Basil is right—it’s the only way to calm her.
