“How did you get all this done? I was just getting changed.” And how didn’t I scent it?
That’s when it hit me. They protected me in more ways than one. If the food scents didn’t come in, it would mean my omega scent wouldn’t get out. They had made sure my room was safe for me, even in times of heat. I wanted to thank them for it, but at the same time didn’t want to discuss something as personal as my heat, and ultimately dropped it.
Cannon shrugged in response to my question about the food. He was not very helpful.
“Are you gonna let me cook at all?”
“Yeah, when it’s your turn.” Tyrone looked at me like I should understand by now. Yes, they had told me, but it still hadn’t sunk in. It was unheard of for an omega to not do the lion’s share of the domestic work.
Breakfast included muffins that they’d warmed up in the oven, granola, yogurt, all different kinds of fruit, scrambled eggs, a baguette, and sausage. They weren’t holding back, and my stomach growled in appreciation. Or because bodies do weird things. I was going with appreciation.
“Do y’all eat like this every meal?” I wasn’t opposed to it. It was more curiosity than anything else.
“We weren’t sure what you liked,” Felix said, handing me the orange juice jug. “We should talk about that this morning.”
“I can eat anything.” I’d always had to.
“Can eat and want to eat are two different things.” Cannon picked up his mug of coffee and took a long sip.
“I want to help,” I said.
He set his mug back down. “I know, but we read your bio and looked into your past.”
I closed my eyes, embarrassed. I wasn’t planning on hiding it from them, but for that to be one of the first things they knew about me was rough. Would it change their view of me? Probably, and I didn’t want that.
And at the same time, it was kind of sweet. It meant, they cared enough about me to bother.
“We paid the auction price to free you, not to trap you into a life of servitude.” Cannon was careful not to say “bought me” and I appreciated that, even though it was technically true.
“I know.” And I did know. Not once did I feel like a prisoner or property. “I didn’t think…it’s just…you know…” Where were my words?
“Take a deep breath.” Felix reached across the table like he was going to put his hand on mine but yanked it back again, just like he had the past few times I thought he might touch me.
I needed to make him feel more comfortable, to let him know those kinds of touches were fine. We were bear shifters. Our beasts needed it.
I did as he said and took that big breath, trying to form my words because they’d never been anything but honest with me. I owed them the same.
Chapter Sixteen
Felix
“Tell us everything, omega. Everything you feel comfortable with.” Tyrone took the dishes and put them in the sink. That seemed to bother her, but she would have to get used to it.
“I was trained to be a good and obedient omega. To provide what alphas need. Basically access to my body without complaint and everything that comes with keeping a house. Cooking. Cleaning. Serving meals. Laundry. Using my education however it serves you.”
“Nesting?” I asked.
“No. I know how to make a nest, but nesting, I was taught, was for spoiled, pampered omegas. Never should I expect any such thing from a pack.”
Those bastards. Nesting was something comforting, natural, and normal for an omega. It gave them security, peace, and a place where they could rest and be surrounded by things they loved. It was no different from a female wolf building her nest.
All of us groaned.
She cringed and wrapped her arms around herself. “Does that anger you?”
Cannon spoke up. “Not at you, Millie. Our anger is not at you. It’s at your former sleuth. Nesting is natural and needed for an omega. Having a nest doesn’t make you a brat; it makes you an omega.”
“Oh. I would arrange my blankets at night in a certain way, but they weren’t very soft or nice.”
