I push Beth’s chair in, and the rest of my pack takes their seats. Once everyone is ready, I pull the roast toward me to serve everyone.
Beth takes her time really looking around while I carve our dinner. She looks over the large gray couch and matching armchairs in the living room, the hardwood floors, the kitchen island, then the white cupboards. The countertops are made of reclaimed oak. They look amazing with the dark wooden beams overhead. Beth’s gaze lingers on the fridge, then on the pantrydoor next to it. I’m not sure what kind of luxuries she had in her old home, but it feels rude to ask right now.
“Ladies first.” I place some roast on Beth’s plate, before serving Jeremy.
I’m not big on “traditional” pack etiquette. I always feed my beta before the alphas. Most packs force them to scavenge for food at the end of the meal, but I refuse to do that to someone I love. Especially someone as gentle as Jeremy.
“That’s not enough,” Tristan says as I place a large chunk of meat on his plate, but he’s not looking at his food. He’s looking at Beth’s. “Here.” He stands and reaches across the table, replacing his plate with hers. “This cut is better. More tender.”
“Oh.” Beth freezes momentarily as she looks up at the alpha. “Thanks,” she mumbles and her brows pull together with confusion.
Basil and I share a glance, both of us having the same unspoken concern.
I finish serving everyone while Jeremy fusses, making sure that Beth has plenty of side dishes. The omega objects a few times, saying it’s too much, but I notice that she doesn’t say a word when the buttered carrots are piled on her plate. She must really like them.
We chat while we eat, talking about a few things that need to be fixed around the house, as well as our next grocery trip into town.
“Town?” Beth sits a little straighter, her fork suspended in mid-air.
“Yeah.” Jeremy leans over the table, trying to pour some water into Beth’s glass, but the reach is too far. Tristan ends up taking the pitcher from the beta, filling the glass for him. “Greenwood is about forty-five minutes away,” Jeremy continues, taking his seat. “Oak Hollow is a little over an hourin the opposite direction.” He hitches a thumb the wrong way, making me smile. The beta has no sense of direction.
“Have you been to either town?” Basil asks, trying to make conversation.
Beth shakes her head. “I’ve never been anywhere.” There’s a note of sadness in her voice.
“I understand.” Jeremy lets out a heavy sigh, frowning. “My grandma was an omega,” he says softly. “She was never allowed to leave the house either.”
Beth nods like that’s normal, shocking me. I had an omega mother who ventured out of the house all the time. Of course, she was never by herself, but she still enjoyed going pretty much anywhere she wanted.
“It’s dangerous for omegas to go too far from home,” Beth says the words like she’s heard them a thousand times.
“It’s dangerous for omegas that have packs that don’t command respect,” I say a little too forcefully, making Beth flinch. “But when you take care of your family and your community, people are eager to help protect what’s yours.”
Beth’s dark brows pull together. I can’t tell if what I’ve said has offended her or not, but I want her to know what I think of an alpha who would lock up and beat his omega daughter so brutally.
“Do you have any brothers or sisters?” Jeremy asks, changing the subject.
Beth chews her food slowly, before setting down her fork. She’s clearly working up the courage to say something, and I’m pretty sure I know what it is. “I need to go home,” she says calmly, looking straight at Jeremy. And it takes everything in me not to pinch the bridge of my nose.
Jeremy pushes out a nervous laugh. “What?” His brow wrinkles with confusion. “But this is your home,” he says as sweetly as he can.
“No.” Beth’s tone is a little too forceful for my liking. “It isn’t.”
“Omega.” I take a deep breath, trying to keep my temper in-check. “We talked about this. You belong to us?—”
“No. I don’t,” Beth snaps. Her loud outburst instantly has Basil and Tristan on edge, but neither one of them speaks, allowing me to handle this.
“You can’t even tell us where your family lives.” I carefully set down my utensils, determined to calm the distressed omega. “How am I supposed to take you home if you don’t know where that is?”
“That way.” Beth points out the window at the mountains in the distance. “I live on the other side of that valley. I recognize that skyline. I live there.”
“That’s unbelievably vague,” I say flatly. I should be more understanding, but she keeps demanding something I simply can’t give her.
“Please.” Beth licks her lips as she shifts in her seat. “If you’ll just let me go. I can?—”
“No,” I cut her off, making it clear there’s no room for discussion. “I’m not letting you go.”
Beth’s face scrunches with frustration, and her little fists curl tight. “Jeremy.” She turns to the beta, desperation clear in her voice. “I was kidnapped.”
