“You can,” I insist, keeping my hand out. “I’m not walking around while you crawl behind me. It’s ridiculous.”
Slowly, she reaches out and I grab her hand, pulling her up before she can change her mind. Her scent rises again as she falls into me, soft curves pressing against my chest as she relaxes. She’s tiny, so thin that I could see her ribs poking through as she huddled on the kitchen chair. Protectiveness fills me, and I hold her close for a moment. Something’s gone badly wrong with this omega, and I desperately want to make it better for her.
For starters, I’ll get her some new fucking clothes. I don’t know what happened at the omega compound, but her ridiculous outfit is almost translucent. Casually, I drop my hand down and pinch my thigh hard to try and stop the hardness I can feel in my trousers as my knot starts to swell. I start putting a list together in my head to distract myself from the feel of her in my arms.I’m going to need those answers from Rogue.
Reluctantly, I disentangle myself, taking a step away and giving her a rueful smile as I will my half-mast erection to stay down. “Sorry.”
A glorious flush has crept over her cheeks, staining them a dark red. The alpha in me is delighted, noting that it covers her neck and down her chest too.Swallowing hard, I move my thoughts away before they get me into trouble.
A small, polite cough reminds me where we are, and I quickly turn and start moving up the wooden staircase. Her hand is still in mine, and I grasp it tightly.
Towing her down the hallway, I toss out vague directions, determined to get her into a warm bath and bed.
Not for that, Gabe. Don’t be an asshole.
“So that’s my room, Ace is over here, then we have Rogue’s bedroom, a bathroom – we all have our own though, so we don’t use it that much – and then this is Devlin’s room.” Stopping outside the guest room, I smile at her. “So, this will be your room. Sorry, you’re next to Dev.”
She smiles briefly but looks a little confused, so I elaborate. I won’t share Dev’s secrets without his permission, but I also don’t want him to terrorize Harper on her first night with us – especially when it looks like she’s been to hell and back already.
“He can be…loud at night. The noise might wake you up.”
Her eyes widen and I belatedly realize what I’ve just insinuated. “No!” I yelp, ears burning. “Not that. He has… bad dreams, sometimes.”
Her expression becomes drawn, shuttered. “I have bad dreams too,” she murmurs.
Reaching out a hand, I gently push a tangle of red hair back from her face. The gold flecks in her eyes seem to flicker from dark to bright, and she watches me with just a hint of trepidation.
“Oh, love,” I whisper. “What happened to you?”
It’s a rhetorical question, and I regret it the moment her face closes over. Letting it pass for now, I push the door open and gesture for her to enter.
Looking around the slightly musty room, I realize that I haven’t been in here for a while. There are some boxes pushed up against the back wall. The bed is made, although it’s not fresh bedding, so I decide to change it while she uses the bathroom.
Harper’s looking around, taking in the small room. I bite my lip in shame. She deserves a much nicer space than this.
“Sorry it’s not much, but we’ll get it fixed up for you.”
“No,” she rushes out. Her voice is quiet as she stares around. “This is lovely.”
I point towards the adjoining bathroom. “There’s a shower and bath in there. Do you want me to run a bath for you? I’ll get you something to change into, although you might have to borrow something from us until we get you some new clothes. Unless… did you bring any with you?”
The barest shake of her head sends a thread of anger up my back. What the fuck are those dickheads at the compound playing at? Harper flinches next to me, and I realize that my scent has turned sharp, angry. It’s not aimed at her, though. It’s for her.
Oh boy. I’m in trouble.
I nudge her gently towards the other room. “Go and freshen up. There are clean towels on the side. I’ll change the bedding, and I’ll leave some clothes on the dresser. Get some rest and we can talk more in the morning.”
She hesitates again, and I wait for her to speak up.
“I can’t… sleep in the bed.”
Um. What?
She sees the expression on my face and rushes out a hasty explanation, tripping over her words.
“I’m sorry. It looks really nice and soft and comfortable, I just… we’re not allowed to use beds. Or bedding. It can trigger nesting instincts, so…”
She flounders as she tries to explain. What kind of bullshit have they been feeding everyone at the compound? It sounds more like a fucking cult than anything else. My brow creases. “But how do you sleep?”
