“Verbal abuse is still abuse,” I say. “It still matters. It’s still wrong.” Even now, when the laws are starting to catch up, there’s still that stigma that says if there’s no evidence of wrongdoing, then no wrongdoing was committed.
But abuse is abuse. Physical, sexual, or mental; it doesn’t matter. It’s all wrong and no one should have to live through it, let alone grow up in a household like that.
“It wasn’t so bad when my uncle was alive. He was a good man, but… after he died, things just got worse.” Jess sighs, and her shoulders slump to new lows.
“Why didn’t you ever try to tell someone? There are helplines, government programs—”
“My aunt might not be a Dryers by blood, but she knows how things work. She knows how to sweettalk and bribe. No one would ever believe me over her, especially with my history.” She quiets when she adds, “I’m sure she could sway the courts in her favor by saying I’m not fit to make my own decisions. Not only am I an omega, but I’m also… damaged from the accident that killed my parents.”
“Damaged?” I repeat. “How so?”
“It doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is that I don’t want my aunt to get anything else from my family. She doesn’t deserve it. That’s why I asked Asher for help, because I knew his family had a cabin in the mountains. I want to have my first heat here—and then I want to go back and take everything from her.”
This is a mess. A big, fat mess.
My mind races with ideas, things I could tell her to not only make her feel better, but that would also stop the police from showing up and dragging her back home. “So, what you’re telling me is, you think your aunt would toss you to a pack before your first heat, just to get the money?”
“I think she assumed I was trying this whole time. She’s been trying to set me up for a while, sending me to the Omega Garden. I convinced her I didn’t need a sponsor, but… she probably only let that go because there’s no one she could’ve asked to be my sponsor. She’s a beta, and she acts like she’s above it all, so she probably didn’t want to get her hands dirty. Ever since she put it together, that I’ve been messing things up on purpose, she’s gotten pushier.”
Jess sighs. “So, yeah, I do think she’d give me to a pack. She wouldn’t care, even if I was kicking and screaming the whole way.”
I scoot forward, as much as I can on the couch given my tied-up position. “Listen, I’m no expert about these things, but it sounds to me like there’s extenuating circumstances here, circumstances that could possibly give us some time. If I call my boss and tell him I found you—”
“No,” she cuts in. “Absolutely not.”
“Just listen, okay? If I call him and explain to him what you just told me, I bet I can get you more time here. I’ll have to stick around and make sure you don’t run anywhere else, but he can help stop the cops from coming if he has proof I found you. If he’s made aware of the reasoning behind you running away… we can help you, Jess. I can help you.”
“Why would you help me?”
“I told you, Alabaster Security is all about helping omegas. You’re an omega, and you clearly didn’t feel safe at home. A happy omega doesn’t just run away.”
She clearly isn’t convinced, but she stopped pacing, which means she’s willing to hear me out. A good sign, I think. “How do I know you’re not just saying this to get me to let you go?”
I give her a devilish smirk. “Please. You and that alpha aren’t so good at tying knots with sheets.” As if I need to demonstrate, I do a bit of wriggling. The expression on her face when I free my wrists from the sheet behind my back is one of shock and horror.
It’d be funny, if the situation wasn’t what it is.
Holding my hands up in a surrendering gesture, I don’t move to untie my ankles. Not yet. Not until I have her agreement. “See? Easy. Besides, I could’ve used my dominance on you and the other two the moment I got here, but I didn’t. You can trust me.”
Please trust me.
Her gaze widens somewhat, as if it’s finally dawning on her that this whole thing could’ve gone way differently. “Why didn’t you use your dominance, then? Why let us do this?”
If I tell her the truth, she’ll think I’m nuts. That, or she won’t trust me to be here, and I can’t bear the thought of her not trusting me.
So, instead of fully saying it outright, I decide to do a bit of hedging, “I felt something the moment I saw you at the Omega Garden. You felt it, too. I know you did. I didn’t write you an offer because I knew you didn’t want an offer, but still, as days went by, I couldn’t get you out of my mind. I’m friends with the boss’s brothers, so the boss knew all about you. When your aunt contacted him, he knew I’d be right for the job.”
Jess listens, but I can’t quite tell if she believes me.
“So, yeah, I want to help you. I want to help you more than anyone in the world,” I tell her, my heart behind each word. “Let me help you. Let me call my boss. I promise you I’m not trying to trick you or lie to you.” I don’t think I could deceive her if I tried; it’d be like pulling teeth.
She looks away and bites her bottom lip.
“You can trust me,” I whisper. “I won’t hurt you, and I won’t bring you back to your aunt. Let me help you, Jess.” The final sentence is a plea, and I hardly sound like myself. Hell, I sound like I’m the one who’s begging her. I might as well be on my knees.
After a long while, she says, “I just… I don’t know.”
“I do. I know. I can help you, and I will, but I won’t do it unless you give me the all-clear. I know you don’t think highly of alphas, but we’re not all bad.”
