She bolts upright, scrambling away from us on her hands and knees, burnt butterscotch burning my nose. Nate and I exchange glances, and he nods at me.
This is definitely the omega we’ve been looking for.
“Hey,” I say quietly, my hand out. “We just pulled you out of the dumpster. You were unconscious.”
Her gaze swings between us and the dumpster as her breath heaves.
“Breathe, kitten,” Nate says urgently. He’s leaning forward next to me but doesn’t move any closer, equally as aware as I am that the omega in front of us is clearly petrified.
“Take a breath now,” I coax, keeping my tone low. “One at a time.”
She moves that doe-eyed gaze between us, suspicion darkening the blue as she scrambles to her feet. She tilts unsteadily as Nate and I rise slowly, my arm out to keep Nate in place.
“Iknowyou,” he breathes. “You came here the other night.”
The omega’s cheeks darken to a deep scarlet as she glances away for a moment, her eyes landing on the dumpster.
My chest tightens with sudden understanding. There’s only one reason someone would be rooting around in piles of trash, and my mouth tightens at the realization, taking in her thin frame. Too thin.
“You hungry?” I ask gently. “I can bring you something out.”
ChapterFourteen
Gabrielle
Humiliation flushes my skin red hot as I square off against the two alphas in front of me.
The alpha I recognize, the one with the glorious eyes and disheveled hair, opens his mouth, but he doesn’t say anything. The silence stretches out for a few seconds, until my traitorous stomach answers for me with a loud gurgle.
My hands wrap around my stomach. “I… I should go.”
They’re stood between me and a swift exit to the street, both of them watching me closely. The blonde alpha purses his lips, almond-shaped hazel eyes narrowing and crinkling his olive skin at the corners.
God, he’s just as good looking as the first one, the one I ran from the other night.
“I don’t like seeing anyone hungry,” he says finally. “Since you nearly locked yourself into my garbage, I’d like to at least make sure you’re fed before you go on your way.”
He doesn’t miss my nervous look at the door.
“I can bring it out,” he says gently. His hazel eyes capture mine, full of understanding that makes my chest hurt.
“Stay?” he cajoles. “Just for a minute?”
When I nod, he moves towards the door, careful not to make any sudden moves.
The other alpha hasn’t taken his eyes off me.
“I’m Nathaniel,” he says. “Everyone calls me Nate. He’s Hudson. What’s your name?”
It rises to the tip of my tongue, but I hold back. Nate looks a little disappointed, and I glance down at the ground. My head still feels a little hazy, sickness churning in my stomach from my little imprisonment.
I thought I was going to die. It happens. If they hadn’t found me, I might’ve suffocated. Or the garbage disposal might have come.
My breath jolts out of me in jagged huffs.
The other alpha – Hudson – reappears. There’s a takeout bag in his hands, and he holds it out to me.
“There’s some meals in there,” he says quietly. “Enough to get you by for a few days, at least.”
