Brooks
I drop Sage off after the picnic and then drive straight to the lavender farm. Riley and Vee seem to have been expecting me, the front door swinging open as I’m walking up the porch steps. Riley’s sad eyes greet me, and I pull him into a hug.
“We’ll get her out.” I fold my arms around him, one hand slipping into his soft blue hair, and he scrunches his fists in my shirt.
Neveah leads us into the kitchen and we all sit down at the table.
“Saturday?” Riley asks.
Vee and I exchange a look.
“I think it’s our best shot,” I agree. “We don’t know if or when they’ll leave again before her heat. We had a few hours last time, so I think we can count on at least three to four again. That gives us time to help her pack up and grab whatever she wants to bring.”
“She can come here, right?” Riley turns puppy-dog eyes on Neveah.
I do think the farm would be the best option.
“Here or my place, but I live nearby her brother’s so it might be safer to have her a little further away, just in case. I don’t want her to feel like she’s in another cage or has to keep watching her back every second.”
“I agree,” Vee says. “We can offer her a room here. Backup options can be your place,” she nods at me, “or we can offer to help pay for a hotel room if she’s not comfortable staying with any of us.”
Riley makes a distressed noise at that idea, and internally I agree. I think—hope—she’ll choose to stay here, but the truth is we really don’t know her all that well yet. The three of us talk for a little longer, sorting out the details, and I agree to share the plan with her in two days, giving her a little time to think about it first.
The next couple of days pass in relative quiet, and we all follow our new normal. I meet up with Sage during her morning walks, and we all contribute to the group chat, although Riley is the most talkative.
The seconds eat away at me. I can’t stop thinking about her life in that house. How the alphas treat her, what she must have gone through in previous heats. It’s eating me alive and my alpha instincts become more unsettled by the hour. I have to force myself to stop thinking about it, because I’m truly concerned that I’ll act on the new, violent fantasies I’ve been having.
I’ve never cared to have an omega before; it wasn’t something I ever dreamed about. I’ve always been a bit of a loner, and didn’t think I’d end up in a pack. But this omega has stolen my heart, and she makes me feel things I’m not used tofeeling. Violent and protective, for one, but also… interest, desire.
I don’t know the last time I had sex, nor the last time Iwantedto have sex. I’m not normally physically attracted to people, so it’s been years, but getting to know Sage is bringing out a sexual side of me I didn’t know I had. I’ve never been one to be turned on easily, having to form an emotional attachment before I even consider becoming physically intimate, and while this is following that same path, it somehow feels different. More.
I contemplate it as I wait for Sage on her morning walk, but the clock is ticking by and she hasn’t shown up yet. It’s nearly ten; too late for her allotted walk time. I pull out my phone to message Vee.
She hasn’t shown up for her walk
Not good. Maybe she has her phone, we could call her
It’s better than nothing, and if we want to whisk her away tomorrow, we need to give her time to come to terms with it. It’s got to be today.
I click into my message thread with just Sage.
Hey, Petal. I missed you on your walk today. I hope everything is okay. I’d love to video call with you if you get a chance, since I didn’t see you this morning. Let me know if/when it might be possible
They did not want me to leave the house. I do not know why. They are mad about something.
Maybe after dinnerI can call you
Perfect, I’ll have my phone on.
I rush through the rest of my day and take a quick shower, then drive over to the lavender farm. Riley told me earlier that the two of them have been cleaning the guest room.
“We don’t even know what colors she likes! What if she hates it?”
I can hear Riley from outside, as they have the windows all wide open to help air out the dust.
I knock and then walk in, following their voices up the stairs.
“We’ll figure it out,” Vee says, her voice soothing. “Shemight not know what she wants, so we’ll help her all together. If she hates it, she can sleep in one of our rooms.”
