An unfamiliar feeling radiated through me as I watched the Omega I’d known since childhood cringing away from me. I’d behaved so appallingly that Bari was actually scared of my touch; frightened to be under my care.
Shame.
My body tightened as I named it, giving it life. Forcing myself to take a deep breath, I held it and blew it out gently.
“Bari,” I said his name as softly as I could and waited for him to look at me. When he continued to tremble, the shame radiating through me wound around my lungs and squeezed, making it hard to breathe. “Bari, please look at me.”
He hunched further onto himself, his arms wrapped around his belly and his eyes scrunched closed. I barely stopped myself from threading the command of the Alpha voice into my next words.
“I’m not going to hurt you, I promise,” I tried to reassure him. “I agreed to care for you and I intend to do so.” Our first few hours on the train flashed before me and I winced. “I know I haven’t made a good showing of it so far,” I admitted, “but I am sorry and will do better if you’ll allow it.”
I moved closer to Bari on the bed and reached for him, a nearly animalistic cry tore from his throat as I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him to my chest, blanket and all.
When he froze instead of struggling against me, I settled back against the wall of windows behind the lower bunk and held the terrified Omega in my arms. His muscles finally began to relax one group at a time until the gentleclackity-clackof the wheels on the track lulled him back to sleep.
