An omega entered, a wooden tray in his hands.
The omega looked at me apologetically. He had big, brown eyes, a round face and a mop of brown hair that flopped across his face in an untidy mess. He was quite tall for an omega, at least a foot taller than me, if I was guessing right, and he was very curvy. He had a kind face, that looked like it would naturally be smiley, if it wasn’t for the look of concern it held now.
He knelt beside me and set the tray down on the ground.
“Are you alright?” he asked me, sympathetically. “I’ve brought you something to eat.”
“T-Thank you,” I said, teeth chattering. I was so cold, I could barely look at the tray. There were some slabs of bread andcheese, a banana and some grapes. And a plate with something yellow, maybe an omelet.
“Oh, you’re cold. They left you all night without a blanket,” he muttered, sounding angry. “I’ll bring you something to keep you warm.”
“Th-thank you,” I repeated.
“I don’t know why they put you in here. New arrivals usually come into the house with us,” he went on.
“I’m not a new arrival!” I protested. “I’ve been kidnapped.”
The omega’s eyes locked on mine, wide-eyed and shocked. He looked disturbed, confused.
“Hurry up in there!” shouted a harsh voice from outside, and I flinched. Our pack members never spoke to each other like this. But the chubby-faced omega didn’t even startle. Clearly, he was used to being spoken to in this manner.
The omega shuffled closer, his omega scent curling into my nostrils, soothing me with the familiarity of our shared designation. “Where are you from?” he whispered.
“My pack lives at the foot of the mountains. Near Leongatha,” I told him. “Where am I?”
“In the mountains. I don’t really know where, exactly. We moved here several months ago. We move around a lot, but the last place we lived was close to Leongatha too.”
“This is Zarbius’ pack, isn’t it?”
The omega blinked at me, shocked.
“Yes, but how do you know that?”
I thought about what to say. This omega seemed friendly, but I didn’t know if he could be trusted. Anything I told him, he might reveal to the betas or Zarbius, particularly if they threatened him, which, if they didn’t mind a little kidnapping, they surely wouldn’t balk at.
“We used to live nearby. I thought I recognized one of the guys that brought me here.” It was the truth, but not all of it. I didn’t want to let on that I knew his alpha’s old mate. That would just stir up trouble for Isca. He’d been through enough, he didn’t need to get dragged back into his old life.
“Can you help me?” I whispered, dropping my voice even further so the shifters outside wouldn’t hear.
At that moment, someone came into the shed. “I said ‘Hurry up’, you stupid omega,” he snarled disdainfully at the friendly omega, who ignored him.
The omega jumped to his feet. “It’s freezing in here, he needs a blanket,” he told my jailor, “I’m going to fetch one.”
“Ha! I can keep him warm,” the guy said, sniggering dirtily. I shivered. The thought of what they might do to me, this disgusting guy’s hands on me… it made my skin crawl.
“You’d better not touch him,” snapped the omega, surprisingly coming to my defense.
“What the fuck?” demanded the beta. “Dare talk to me like that!”
The omega said nothing more. Obviously trying to avoid any further consequences for his transgression, he kept his head down and stepped towards the door.
As he passed, the larger man grabbed his ass in one meaty hand. “Or maybe you’d like it if I keptyouwarm instead?”
The omega said nothing, just brushed past him and left.
I was afraid the beta would make good on his threat, and I busied myself eating the breakfast the omega had brought me. My stomach was all tied up in knots and I could barely swallow, but I must have put on a good enough performance with the food because the beta seemed to lose interest. I heard the sound of feet retreating, but I didn’t look up until I heard the door close.
Then I let out a big sigh and dropped my fork onto the plate. My stomach felt all tight and tangled and the food was threatening to reappear. I was terrified at the prospect of what the beta might do to me.
