I wish he’d stay, but I’m too upset to speak. I fear if I try to say anything, I’ll burst into tears.
“Beth?” Basil’s soft voice drifts from the little doorway. He looks so upset, fear making his usually bright green eyes unusually dark. “Do you need anything?”
I shake my head as I wrap the pink blanket around me, covering everything from the nose down. It cocoons me, letting my weary body finally relax. All at once, the muscles around my ribcage unfurl and my lungs suddenly flutter open.
Familiar aromas fill my nose as I pull in massive gulps of air. I can smell the whole pack.
Killian’s whiskey-soaked cherries.
Basil’s cleansing, fresh rain.
Tristan’s smokey fire.
And Jeremy’s lemon and sage.
My jaw unclenches as I go limp, not even realizing how tense I was.
“How is she?” Killian’s voice hits my ears and my head instinctively turns toward him. The pack alpha kneels next to Basil, rubbing the alpha’s shoulder. They both stare at me, fear making their similar expressions tight.
“She’s starting to settle,” Basil speaks as if I wasn’t here. I’m okay with that. The less pressure there is for me to talk the better. “Is Tristan okay?” His tone makes fear rise in my belly once again.
I don’t even remember Tristan being there.
Is he hurt? Captured? Killed?
I rack my brain, but I can’t remember anything that happened right after Basil saved me. It’s like my mind shut off, blocking out everything except the feel of Basil’s big, safe arms.
“He’s good,” Killian says, but my mind won’t stop spinning. If he’s okay, then why isn’t he here? “He’s cleaning things up, then headed home. I let Jeremy know what happened. He’s going to stay with Tristan tonight.” The two alphas share a knowing look.
I open my mouth to ask what happened, but no words come out. I’m too scared of the answer.
“I’ll go see if Jeremy needs any help.” Basil stands and I whine high in my throat.
“Beth?” Killian leans in, and Basil immediately drops back down to his knees. “What’s wrong?”
Fear grips me as my eyes repeatedly flicker to the green-eyed alpha. “Basil,” I whisper his name, unable to speak any louder. “Stay.”
Basil’s brows shoot up and his eyes go wide. “You wantme?” He looks at Killian. “Did she ask me to stay?”
Swallowing hard, I force myself to look at Killian. The pack alpha gets to decide everything. Who an omega can talk to, snuggle with, or even look at. At least that’s how it worked in my parents’ house, but I'm quickly learning that nothing there was normal.
“Omega?” Killian leans a little closer, careful not to touch my nest. “Do you want Basil to stay?”.
But I don’t say anything else. I’m too scared.
“It’s okay,” Killian says in a gentle purr. “If you want Basil, you can have him.”
I lift my chin, making the blanket slip down and expose my face. “Really?” I whisper, needing to make sure he actually means it.
“Of course.” Killian looks me right in the eyes, forcing me to feel the sincerity of his words. “This is your pack too, Beth,” he says. “You can lay with Basil, or Tristan, or Jeremy if you want. The choice is yours.”
His words shock me. They shouldn’t. He’s been a very calm and understanding pack alpha so far, but I can’t help it. My upbringing has taught me that honest alphas aren’t common.
Sensing my uncertainty, Basil says, “We belong to you just as much as you belong to us, omega. What you want is equally important.”
“So you don’t get to leave me either?” I ask, trying to reassure my suspicious mind. “You're my prisoners too?”
Killian’s smiles and a breath of a laugh pushes from his nose. “Yes,” he says with a firm nod. “We are yours. You have as much power over us as we have over you.”
