Page 17

While covered in silky suds and rubbing a loofah over my body, I’d come to a decision. If Rain and company were going to hand me over, there was nothing I could do to stop it. If the alpha put out a missing omega alert, as I’d been taught would happen, and if “all” the alphas were prepared to work together to keep omega in check, then by now they’d probably have seen the warning and know his side of everything.

My wolf was so sure of them, and I was exhausted from running. She’d never steered me wrong before, absolutely hated the alpha who tried to mate me, and maybe I should trust them. They’d let me come out of nowhere under their roof, being very open about themselves while I wouldn’t even tell them what bus station I left from.

Guilt threatened to overtake my shower-gel-induced happy glow, and I was so sick of being miserable, I threw my shoulders back and marched into the kitchen just in time to see Rain stomping out the back door.

“I’m sorry,” I blurted out. “I offended him.”

“No.” Lark set down a tray of cookies on a cooling rack and hurried over to me. “No. Remember, he was in the military? Well, now he has a security business where he provides various agents and bodyguards to protect people. He needs to know more about you to feel comfortable. How can he protect you, if he doesn’t know from what?”

“Oh no!” I darted out the door without saying anything more, catching up to Rain as he strode down the driveway. I grabbed his wrist. “Rain. Please come back in. I already decided to tell you my whole story, and I’ll even explain why I didn’t tell you right away.”

“You don’t have to.”

“Yes, I do.”

“You’re shaking.” He pulled off his hoodie and draped it over my shoulders. “Better?”

“Y-yes.” Because I was wrapped in his scent and wanted to curl up and sleep that way for a week. “A lot.”

“Good. Then let’s go inside, and if you really want to, you can tell us everything over dinner.”

“I don’t want to.” I started back toward the house at his side. “I have to.” When he paused, I hurried to clarify. “Not because you or either of the others are making me. I will never allow myself to be forced into anything again. But because I need you to know what having me here means and I have questions as well.”

“Okay.” He opened the door and held it for me. “Like what?”

“Like, is there a rule in place by the Shifter Council where all alphas have to return runaway omegas to their owners and there’s an online group or something where they can connect?”

We were in the kitchen when I asked, and three strong jaws dropped.

“What?” Lark hurried over to me and guided me to a seat at the table. “I think you have low blood sugar or something because you aren’t making any sense. Let me serve up dinner.”

While he filled bowls with chili and cut squares of golden cornbread, I blurted out where I’d gotten my information. “We were all taught that, and so there was no point in leaving or trying not to mate with the one selected for us.”

“Gods.” Rain dropped into the chair next to me and ran a hand through his hair. “Every time I think I understand what those sleazebags are doing, they come up with a whole different way to oppress someone.”

“So, it’s not true?” Despite their reaction I needed the words.

“No, it’s not true.” Warren, the firefighter and rescuer, slammed his fist on the table, making everything bounce. “Evren, not one word of that is true. Oh, except that the Shifter Council exists.”

Rain pushed my bowl closer. “Eat, and take your time. We don’t want you to choke while telling us what people who said that did to make you scared enough and brave enough at the same time to run to us.”

The chili was delicious, the cornbread golden, moist, and crumbly, especially topped with the whipped honey butter accompanying it, and I managed to spill my story between bites. I’d never have believed I could share something so emotional while eating, but in this case I could. And I didn’t hold back, even when I looked up from my empty bowl to see all three guys had closed their fists tight and gritted their jaws. I’d never told anyone any of this. Until today, almost everyone I’d ever met already had the information and chose not to act.

My former pack treated it as normal.

These alphas looked ready to kill somebody.

When I stopped talking, Rain went outside again. I started to follow, but Lark and Warren shook their heads. “Give him a few minutes. What you told him…it’s the worst thing I’ve ever heard, and while he probably saw worse in the military, gonna say he hasn’t since.

After about ten minutes, he came back in and sat down. “I’m going to need some details.

Chapter Sixteen

Rain

After our mate went upstairs to bed, I stayed up entirely too late searching for something on Evren’s pack but coming up empty. She gave us names and her pack name but it turned out, her pack wasn’t very well documented. That meant in the shifter realm, they were damned near rogue which didn’t make me more at ease about anything.

But our mate was telling the truth. Not because I could prove anything online but because my wolf and I detected no deception when she spoke to us. Besides my wolf, there was me, the guard. The protector. Not one of us questioned her story. Not a single detail.