Chapter 6

Six

VANESSA

" I 'm sorry, I can't do this," I said, my heart racing.

I couldn't get entangled with an alpha who was about to take me home and sell me. There was no way I was going to fall for it and comply.

"I apologize," said Jack, looking regretful. "I just wanted to let you know that we'll be leaving tomorrow morning."

It felt like a boulder dropped in my stomach at the thought.

"To Howl's Edge?"

"Yes."

"I'm not going," I said, walking past him and entering the room to see Ryan playing blocks with Gabe. "Thank you Ryan, for the help."

I ignored Jack's presence until he muttered under his breath and left the room. Then, I walked into the walk-in closet and shut the door as I threw on a simple outfit.

"No problem," Ryan said. "I can help out whenever you want. It beats having to fly planes for hours."

"You're a pilot?" I asked, stepping out of the closet in a low v-neck red shirt and black leggings. I would never think this shaggy-haired blond guy with glasses could fly planes. He only looked to be in his mid-twenties.

"I sure am," he said proudly, his lips turned up in a smile.

"That's pretty impressive," I said. "I ended up becoming a dancer here."

"Hey, dancing takes skill," he said adamantly. He wiggled his shoulders, and I laughed. "You can teach me some of your moves."

"I can try," I said.

"When we return to Howl's Edge, we'll have all the time in the world."

"Why does Jack want to bring me back to Howl's Edge so bad?"

"He believes it's his duty," said Ryan. "It's only for your protection."

"Yeah, but I don't need his protection."

Ryan shrugged. "All I can say is, I'm sorry that's the case. I can see that you clearly don't want to go back."

"I don't. It's such a horrible place," I said as my stomach rumbled with hunger.

"Why don't you go eat breakfast? I can watch Gabe in the meantime."

I watched as Gabe and Ryan high-fived each other after building a tall tower of blocks without it falling over for once.

"If Gabe becomes too much, let me know, okay?" I said. "I'll be back soon."

For some reason, I trusted Ryan.

I wasn't sure if it was because he was a beta and not as aloof as alphas. Or he just gave off the vibes that I could trust him. When I left the room, I was shocked that even Gabe didn't cry at my departure.

The dining room felt big and empty while I sat alone eating scrambled eggs and turkey bacon. The human maid had set it on the table, and I would constantly catch her sneaking looks at me while I ate. I knew she was curious about me.

I quickly shoveled the food down my mouth so I could get the hell out of there. I hated being stared at while I ate.

Didn't she have better things to do?

She had beady judgy eyes, probably wondering what three guys wanted with a woman like me. I wondered if humans ever did the sort of stuff we had to do for survival. My ex-manager mentioned that sometimes humans had orgies, and it was all for fun.

Nothing like when an omega goes into heat.

When an omega went into heat, the knotting from her alphas was needed to keep her sane. It was life or death.

Not that I had anything to worry about. I had a stash of heat suppressant pills I had brought with me before running away from Howl's Edge island.

After breakfast, I decided to look around while Ryan watched Gabe upstairs. As I walked past it, I could hear typing coming from one of the rooms. I noticed that the greenhouse wasn't too far.

I've never been inside a greenhouse before.

As I walked outside, I noticed there weren't any guards or an alarm system. It would be an easy escape if I tried to run away tonight with Gabe. My heart fluttered in my chest as I thought about escaping. I had been contemplating how I'd pull it off but walking around the area and seeing how massive the grounds were, intimidated me slightly.

The greenhouse was huge.

Inside were rows of shelves holding pots of vibrant purple flowers and lush greenery, their leaves reaching up towards the sun shining through the skylights overhead. The air was warm and humid, filled with the sweet scent of the blooming flowers. Water glistened on the leaves, and I could hear a small trickle of water from the irrigation system running throughout the greenhouse. I noticed an acrid scent after the initial sweet scent of the flowers disappeared.

I'd never in my life seen these types of flowers before. As I leaned in closer to one of the crates, my head began to spin, and I gripped the edge of the table for balance. What was happening to me? I took a few deep breaths to calm down.

But that only made it worse.

"Get out of there!" shouted a rough voice.

Through hazy eyes, I could see Liam's figure running towards me.

His arms wrapped around me from behind, lifting me into the air. My head bounced on his arm as he rushed out of there with me cradled in his arms.

The fresh, crisp air of the backyard hit my lungs as soon as we got out of that greenhouse.

I took in three deep lifesaving breaths, feeling hyperaware that I was in this hunky man's arms. He looked at me in concern as I gasped for breath.

"What happened in there?" I said hoarsely. "There was no warning sign. Nothing."

"We never expected an omega to go in there," said Liam. "These flowers that make up the component of the heat suppressants are toxic in large quantities specific to your body. You should never have gone in there."

"But you should have warned me that would happen!"

"I admit we should have. I'm sorry about that," said Liam, still inspecting my face for any signs of frailty.

"You can put me down now," I said, my head feeling clearer after getting out of the hellish greenhouse of poison.

"Let me at least bring you into the house," Liam insisted, walking with me towards the house. He looked straight ahead, his eyebrows pulled together in concern, a serious look on his face. His large palms under my knees and elbows warmed every inch of my skin, which my omega self didn't seem to mind.

He brought me into his office and sat me down on a chair.

"Why am I here in your office?" I asked, looking around at the lonely black laptop and a painting of a dolphin behind him.

"I need to make sure you are safe. So I'm keeping an eye on you for a little while," he said, rolling a chair in front of me and sitting backward on it, his legs spread in front of me while resting his chin on the headrest.

"What do you do in here?"

"I'm writing a book," he said, his eyes flicking over to his laptop. A word document was sitting there with blocks of words on the pages. I shuddered. I never did well in school, and it wasn't my thing.

"That's pretty cool," I said.

Wow, a beta pilot and now a delta writer. This pack couldn't get any nerdier, and well…I liked it. It felt like they cared more about the world than most alphas, who only cared about snagging the hottest omega on the market. "What made you decide to be a writer?"

He sighed. "Most people are disappointed when they hear what I do. It's just something I'm drawn to."

"I think it's amazing," I said softly, unable to look away from his eyes and his strong chin.

"Really?" he asked, eyes lighting up. He slid the chair closer to mine until he was directly in front of me.

It felt magnetic.

We stared into each other's eyes, and he leaned forward, tilting my chin with his little finger. Then he kissed me, and against my better judgment, I allowed it. His lips were firm against mine as we kissed. He was the second pack member I kissed in a day.

My omega needs hadn't been met in a long time, only satisfied by a measly human for years.

Liam's sideburns brushed my skin as I wrapped my fingers into his neat hair. His tongue pushed between my lips, tasting me. Our tongues danced around each other, and I had to give him credit. I'd never had such an amazing kiss in my life.

Breathless, I pulled away, and I heard him let out a groan.

"Why not just keep me as an omega?" I asked, wondering why they hadn't decided to claim me. They clearly didn't have an omega in their pack.

"Jack won't be too happy about it," he answered without looking me in the eyes. The swift rejection stung, but I didn't want to seem desperate or beg, so I steered the conversation away.

"So, what are you writing about over there?"