She’s ours.
And despite her brave words today, I know she’s not there yet. But it feels like we’ve taken a huge step towards a future that seems impossible just a few days ago.
“You look good in this space, little spoon,” I tell her. “It suits you.”
A light pink tinges her lips as she nods, her hands gripping a dark blue glittered blanket tightly.
“I think it does.”
She darts out, reappearing a moment later with her hands cupped together. She carries something over to the shelves, kneeling down and placing several items down.
Rocks?
“You collect these?” I ask, curiosity thrumming through me at this new peek into Gabrielle.
Leaning back on her heels, she nods, reaching out to straighten a smooth gray rock.
“I always did,” she says. “When I was a kid, I used to carry them around in my pockets.”
I smile. “Bet that drove your parents mad, always digging them out.”
Her shoulders tense, giving me the first sign that I’ve said something wrong.
“I…” Stopping, she coughs lightly. “It was just my mom. I never met my dad.”
Surprise lifts my eyebrows. Gabrielle is young enough that the birth rates would have been dropping rapidly when she was born. It’s unusual that her father wouldn’t have wanted to be involved in that.
“You never met him at all?” Nate asks softly. He takes a seat next to her, stretching his legs out.
“My mom was an addict.” Gabrielle picks at a loose thread on her knee. “I guess he was someone she used to feed her habit. A one-nighter.”
Oh, little spoon.
She stares down at her now-empty hands. Then she takes a deep breath.
“My mom… she sold me.”
Shock renders me immobile for a split second. Then roaring, pulsing fury hits me like a sledgehammer, roaring in my ears.
“Shewhat?” I growl.
Tell me I didn’t hear that correctly.
“When I awakened. The Creed… it said I had to go to the Omega Compound. But she thought she could make a few bucks. There was this gang that trafficked omegas under the radar. Renting them out to alphas.”
Bile stings the back of my throat. Nate is pale as he watches Gabrielle.
“And your mom sold you to them?” He asks her softly.
Swallowing, she nods. “Nothing really bad happened,” she whispers, her voice almost expressionless. “I was with them for a few nights, and the Government found me. That’s how I ended up in the OC.”
She sniffs, letting out a watery laugh. “Sorry. There I go again, ruining the moment.”
“Stop that.”
My growl takes everyone by surprise. Gabrielle jumps as I crouch down, holding her gaze.
“Stop sugarcoating your emotions for us, little spoon. None of us want that. We’re not just here for a good time. We’re here for you. I want every single piece of you. And if any are broken, then I’ll help you glue them back together. But you are not an inconvenience to us. You get me?”
