15. Belle

Islept all night in the corner of the room, too afraid to move or make a sound.

Even when one of the Alphas roared so loud, making the whole house shake from its very foundation, I stayed put.

I don"t even want to know what was happening over there. But if my arousal was any indication, then it was something hot and steamy.

Still, I never left my room. No matter how much my Omega wanted to be a part of that action.

I am a trespasser here.

Leo never moved from his spot outside the door.

At one point, I drifted off to the sound of his low, rumbling snore, dreaming of being wrapped up in his arms again.

I shouldn"t do this. Punish myself.

Don"t I deserve to fall asleep inside the strong arms of an Alpha?

But I never move from my corner. Troy"s words keep echoing back to me.

"She will bring misery to our pack…"

Tears burn my eyes, and I bury my nose into the clean carpet.

He"s right. I will bring misery.

Only God knows what Francis will do to me once he gets his hands on me again.

After all, he has that little bell.

I am capable of so much horror.

These hands of mine have caused insurmountable pain, and the sad part is that I have no idea how much.

I have murdered at Francis"s command.

That evil Beta bent me to his will, and only heaven knows what I have done.

And for that sole reason, I cannot stay.

I must leave.

The house is still quiet. It"s dawn, so no one has risen yet.

It"s not a far drop to the ground from the window. If I land in the bushes, I may just make it.

Rising from the carpet at last, I ignore the stiffness in my bones and approach the window. My teeth dig into my bottom lip as I gaze wistfully at the large bed.

I had given up a night of luxury just to sleep on the floor.

Apparently, the reason why I love pillows and blankets so much is because I"m an Omega.

However, I have grown even more attached to all things soft and fluffy lately.

Why, is the question.

It began around the time when my caramel perfume became more prominent.

There is still so much I need to learn about this world before I venture on my own again.

Rian deliberately kept some things from me.

Perhaps he didn"t think I was quite ready.

It was hard enough learning about designations for the first time, such as Alpha, Beta, and Omega, and that"s a conversation that will live rent-free in my mind for the rest of my life.

Of course, at the time, I was wrapped up in the warm, protective arms of Leo, and I toss a glance over my shoulder again.

His scent lingers outside the door, the smell of fresh clean linen straight off the line…

It"s an addictive scent, and it"s just sad that I have to push it out of my mind and leave.

All their scents are exquisite. Even Troy"s.

Although I have yet to see his face. But I know it will be as handsome as the others.

Making up my mind, I slide up the window, spying that distant light peeking over the east.

Dawn is approaching.

If I want to leave, then I must act now.

Sucking in a deep breath, I let the crisp morning air fill my lungs, letting it escape my mouth in the form of mist.

Yet, as my fingers grip the windowsill, I find that I am unable to move.

Freedom is just within my grasp, yet I can"t take the leap.

It"s not as if I am a prisoner here.

It"s not like I am back inside Francis"s gilded cage again, but I do know that if Leo catches me, then he will stop me.

He will beckon me with sweet words again, and it looks as if I"ve already gotten so much under his skin.

I have bewitched the poor male, and that is why I must go.

Still, it"s an awfully long way to the ground.

I may not even hit the bushes, and instead land on the hard concrete.

No. I can make it.

Swinging one leg over the window, I don"t stop until I am hanging by my arms, cursing myself for not lifting more weights because my upper arm strength is severely lacking.

My arms wobble, and I close my eyes, regretting my choice.

It"s time to jump.

Letting go of the window, I become airborne as I plummet to the ground, and to my relief, I land in the bushes.

The fall knocks the breath from me, but luckily, I"m still alive.

And I didn"t crack a rib either.

I crawl out of the bushes, ignoring the scratches on my arms and legs as I make a break for the trees.

Hopefully, by the time the pack wakes, I will be long gone.

It"s only then that I remember they"re Alphas and that they will most likely be able to track my scent like wolves.

I curse out loud.

Regardless, I will still try and escape.

I can"t stay…

I only make it three feet into the woods beyond the house when I spy the figure leaning against the tree,

His gray eyes catch me by surprise, and I freeze like a deer in the headlights.

Busted.

It"s the Alpha who found me with Rian—Jeremy.

I wrap my arms around myself, trying to appear small.

Jeremy raises an eyebrow, and I try not to look at his handsome face.

The wind ruffles his shoulder-length black hair, wafting his petrichor scent my way, and my muscles seize.

I have to squeeze my legs together to hide the effect that his sweet, earthy scent is having on my body, and just great.

Just when I was about to make my bold escape.

"Going somewhere, Belle?"

I don"t meet his eyes, keeping my arms wrapped around my body.

I shiver, my teeth chattering.

I"m surprised he even cares.

Like Troy, he has barely shown me any interest.

As a matter of fact, he looks as if he would rather throw me to the wolves instead of letting me stay at the house.

"I… was just going for a walk…"

Jeremy raises his other brow. "At five-thirty in the morning?"

Is it really that early?

I sigh, and mist escapes my mouth again.

With an exasperated breath of his own, he steps away from the tree, and his rainy forest scent washes over me.

A girl could get used to that scent, but it doesn"t look as if Jeremey would take lightly to me burying my nose into the collar of his long coat.

He still keeps his distance, and it hurts.

"You were leaving. Weren"t you?"

I can"t meet his eyes.

"It"s not pretty out there…"

I"d already gathered that, but it has to be better than staying with the pack.

I will not prove Troy right.

"You"re not the first runaway I"ve met, you know…"

I meet his gray eyes at that.

"I"ve dealt with many Omegas in my time, and I will warn you. Nothing is safe out there."

I speak before I can stop myself. "What other choice do I have? I will only bring you all misery."

Jeremy regards me strangely for a few moments. Then he snorts, shaking his head. "Don"t pay Troy any attention. He was just frustrated because…"

He trails off, and like the curiously stupid girl that I am, I probe him. "Because of what?"

Jeremy smirks. "Let"s just say that his boner has finally gone…"

My body grows hot at the image, and Jeremy"s body stiffens when my caramel perfume floods the air.

"Oh…" I whisper.

He rolls his eyes, stepping away from my scent. "Come along."

He starts leading the way.

I gaze at the back of his head. Then I look at the woods beyond.

"Well, are you coming?"

I look back, meeting his stormy gray eyes.

They match the gray dawn that filters through the trees above, and I shiver, hugging myself again.

"Why?"

Jeremy shrugs. "Why what?"

"Why do you care if I leave or not?"

The Alpha huffs out a breath. "Who knows, but something my cousin told me once keeps coming back to me…"

His cousin?

I step closer. "What did he say?"

Jeremy starts in the direction of the house again. "You will have to wait and see, Belle…"

Finally, I follow him back to the house, deciding to put the forest behind me.

Well, it looks as if I am staying.