At this, Jace and Killian both inserted themselves between us, opening up space for her to head up the stairs. I watched her go, my wolf making strange noises. When she’d disappeared, the other three all turned toward me.
“Owen—” Jace started.
“Have you three forgotten?” I snapped. “She is the enemy. She’s not someone we can trust! She’s an omega, and the worst of the lot. I can’t believe you’d take her side after everything.”
Renz snorted and shook his head. “You know, I’m not interested in having this conversation. I’m leaving. Maybe we can talk tomorrow—if you want to be civil.”
He walked away. The other two glanced at each other, but neither of them agreed or disagreed. Great. It seemed like I was on my own.
***
Over the next few days, I kept myself busy. The others agreed that we needed to stick close to Jasmine and watch her, but I found myself making excuses whenever it was my turn. They let me, which meant they didn’t trust me around her. And though I didn’t trust her around them, I didn’t have much choice.
A year ago, the darkness that encroached on Burgess had possessed a bunch of their pack members, turning them violent.We had started to see the signs that something like that was going to happen here. The early stages were that a person would wander around, seemingly lost in a daze, and have no memory of when they came out.
The day after the wedding, we had no less than four such incidents and held them in the clinic. I checked back every day, watching for signs of the violence, but they were all placid and blank.
A week after the wedding, I came home to grab a few papers I’d forgotten to find Jasmine heading out. The other three were busy, so I told her to stay inside the house for the rest of the day. She hadn’t said anything, so I’d foolishly assumed that this time, she would obey.
She carried a basket on one arm and wore a backpack. Clearly, she had plans, and they didn’t include plans to stay put. What was she up to? Something that she didn’t want us to know about, clearly; otherwise she would have done it while one of the others was with her.
With a low growl, I shifted to wolf form to follow her. When I caught her in the act, the others would have no choice but to admit that I was right and we needed to keep a closer eye on her.
She strolled along the sidewalks, stopping every so often to look at a patch of weeds growing here or one of the flower features growing there. Several times she reached into them, and I thought she was going to ruin the feature, but instead she tossed something away. When I got to the spot, I found that it was small weeds that had been growing in them.
A while later, she stopped by the community gardens. There, she set to work, working in them for over an hour. Weeding, fertilizing, watering. When she was done with that, sheharvested a bunch of the flowers and tied them with a ribbon to put in her basket. Then she collected a bunch of herbs, which she wrapped in a cloth and stored in her pack.
After that, she headed out again. This time, she headed back to the trailer park she used to live in. I thought she was going to the trailer she’d been squatting in, but instead she went to another trailer. It wasn’t in great shape, either.
When she knocked on the door, a young woman answered. The woman’s face lit up with a smile, then she glanced around as though searching for danger. “Jasmine. How are you doing?”
“I’m fine. How are the twins feeling?”
The young woman shook her head. “The fever broke last night. They’re still feeling miserable, and my boss has been on the phone all morning, telling me to be more responsible at work. I don’t suppose you could watch them for the afternoon?”
Jasmine shook her head. “I have…plans,” she said carefully. “But I’ve brought you some flowers, I thought they might cheer you up. I also have some mint and chamomile for tea.”
“Thank you. I’m sorry that I didn’t…” the woman trailed off, looking around again. It occurred to me that she was worried about what people might think, seeing her talking with Jasmine.
Was she another outcast? I vaguely recognized her. Was she the one who got pregnant last year with a man from another pack? If I recalled, he was a warrior who refused to take responsibility for the children.
“There’s one thing I can do for you, if you think it will help,” Jasmine said slowly. “I could talk to one of the alphas andask him to intervene with your boss. They are concerned with pack welfare, even if some people fall through the cracks.”
My tail swished. She was saying it as though it were a mistake anyone could make. As though the woman shouldn’t be blaming us. Jasmine was acting as though she gave us grace. As though she wanted the pack, even the omegas, to continue to put their trust in us.
Was that what she really thought? Did she really not blame us for the state that the omegas lived in? It didn’t seem possible, especially given how much my family was known for being omega-haters, even before I became an alpha.
Memories came unbidden. The rants my father used to go on against omegas, the way he’d look at them when we were out in town. My mother died when I was young, but I remembered her speaking of omegas, too, complaining about them being allowed to live in town with the rest of us.
At least I wasn’t as bad as they were. Right? I didn’t hate omegas as much as my father used to.
“Would you like me to talk to them?” Jasmine asked again.
“If you don’t think it would be too much trouble…” The woman took the basket and sighed. “I better get back to the twins. Thank you.”
“Of course.”
Jasmine started back, adjusting her pack again. A heavy frown sat on her face. I watched her, uncertain now. That had been a moment of kindness, trying to help someone else in a vulnerable situation. I let her pass this time without following her, instead looking at the run-down trailers. She was lookingout for them, even when it was clear they were worried about being associated with her.
