Chapter 13

Chapter

Thirteen

"Ella." The tallest alpha of the group sat in front of me. Elbows on knees, if I looked up from my hands, we'd be on the same level. "We're really glad you're safe."

My forehead creased in confusion.

"What were you thinking running off like that before we even..." he drifted off as he studied me as if he wasn"t sure what to fully make of me.

I wasn"t the traditional omega. Clearly, he was finally seeing this. It looks like I wasn"t just a disappointment to Liam who wanted a shiny, polished omega to bond or whatever they wanted with an omega.

That was their prerogative.

I still wasn"t sure how to change mine when I"d been following the same goal for the past seven years. "You just don't understand."

"What?"

"I can't do this. Please, don't make me," I said.

More narrowed eyes. "Do what?"

Be an omega.

A look crossed over Demetri's face, just like the other night I could remember him putting socks on my feet for some reason, he looked almost sad. A little defeated, but only for a second as if he couldn't let anyone else notice. You could blink and miss it.

"You have to understand that being out there is not safe," he said.

"I do. I get that. Of course, I get that it isn't safe out there. I've been living on my own for nearly a decade, you know. I'm not stupid," I mumbled, wanting to look away.

"I would never say that."

"This is all because…"

"You're an omega."

My throat felt dry every time I admitted to it. "I"m sorry."

"No. You don"t have to be sorry. But yes, you are an omega. One who is in a rather precarious position behind unbonded and right now after... taking care of yourself for a long time your body needs time to adjust and get healthy again."

Liam said I was dying before I came here. I didn't want to believe that. It was just like how I didn't want to believe Rita when she brought up all the studies and how she'd noticed my appetite turning less and less over the past few months.

It was true.

I knew deep down that it was all the truth.

My shoulders slumped as I finally lifted my eyes to meet the tall, dark alpha. "Healthy."

"And safe. That's all we want is to make sure that you are safe here and healthy, okay?" Demetri pressed his lips together when I met his gaze, a shock running through his eyes. The intensity of it rushed through me.

I shifted where I sat on the couch. "You're not going to call Omega Services?"

"No."

Everyone around the lead alpha turned to look at him straight on now from where they milled around the room. He took a moment to meet each of their eyes as if having a silent conversation.

"We're not," he said. "Not yet."

"Why?"

Demetri shook his head. "You're going to stay with us for a little while and not run away again. We're going to let you rest as long as we can, and no one would fault us for that. Then– only then, we will make the next decision that is best for you."

"But..." I couldn't come up with a good answer. They wanted to keep me.

Safe.

Healthy.

Here.

"If you don't want to be here once you are back on your feet and are healthy enough not to be a danger to yourself, then we will work something out. We will contact Omega Services and get you set up comfortably there, but until I am sure you are going to be a flight risk you are now going to stay here."

With all of them.

Still, it sounded better than being shoved somewhere else with all the other lost omegas where anyone could find me if they looked hard enough.

Anyone could find me once my name hit that system. It was one of the rules I had in my mind first when I ran away from home and jumped from place to place before finding my landing place here in the city and at Prestford.

If I left now, where would I go?

It had been a while since I was last on the run living off vending machine crackers and the kindness of strangers which was few and far between. I can only imagine it would be even harder now if I really couldn't go back on my suppressants.

All and all, after my episode today where I was lucky that it was only Mr. Wolfern who caught me and was able to call Liam, I doubt I'd get far.

If I did, I'd end up in an omega center with services breathing down my neck instead of the Prestford pack right now. They were starting to look more appealing by the second. And not just because they were insanely attractive.

My stupid omega hindbrain made sure to remind me that I was practically salivating over them every other minute.

If I stayed here with Cal and Liam and everyone, no one else would have to know where I went or that I was an omega. I'd already lost my job so that was one thing no one had to explain away because of my designation. I could start over again, but I guess I needed to be alive to do that.

That's what Peter would've wanted even if I screwed up Plan A and Plan B already. Plan A, is to hide my designation back home for long enough to find an escape plan. And Plan B, run and hide like hell.

Three times the charm?

"Okay," I agreed. "Deal."

"A deal it is."

"I'll stay here. For now."

"Under this roof," Liam added from alongside of the group. "I can only get so many calls from Mr. Perfect Pack boy and the rest of his crew before I feel like more of a screw-up since they came to town."

"Who?"

"Wolf Pack."

Demetri shut his eyes with a sigh while I heard a scoff from Marko behind me. I couldn't help but press my lips together so as not to smile at their put-out reactions.

Liam shook his head. "He already looked at me like I was an idiot for not knowing that an omega under our care was so close to heat or not heat since Ella attempted to go to work this morning."

Everyone turned to look at me. They gave me the look. It was one only Rita presented me with when she was both disappointed and maybe a little amused at my lack of care.

"So," continued Liam. "We should prepare ourselves for that check-in any day now too, though I'm sure with his omega and everything they went through, they will also be… discrete."

"It will be fine," said Demetri. "And as for any heat that does come or does not while you are under our care, Ella, we, of course, will not touch you or do anything you prefer not to unless you indicate otherwise."

"She's going to have a heat," Liam fought, turning serious. "Not right now."

"And we will cross that bridge when we come to it. If we come to it." Demetri remained firm, looking to me for confirmation. "We might not have to. Yes?

I looked down at my lap when I pulled my attention away from Cal who already knew that my mini-practice heat hadn't stopped me from groping Liam earlier. I was only thankful that he didn't say anything now.

Call now paced the side of the room and still was not looking at me. Something tight pulled in my chest.

"I'm sorry."

Demetri turned back to me with his face creased. "What was that?"

"I'm sorry for leaving. Coming here. I didn't realize... I didn't..." Realize just how nice they were going to be.

In my head, it honestly made no sense. Zero.

Alphas weren't nice or compromising. Yet here they were. Unless they planned to stick me in their basement in a moment, I wasn't sure what else I was supposed to think.

But for the first time, it wasn't dangerous.

Not even a whisper.

"You don't have to explain anymore," he stopped me as I struggled for words. "It's settled. Can we do anything for you right now? I can imagine it's been a hard day."

It was. But now, everyone was once again staring at me and now that I was staying here I can only imagine that so far I was not making the best impression so they didn't throw me back out on the street before I had a plan sorted of what I was going to do next.

Demetri stared at me as if trying to figure out what I was about to say before I did.

"I'm really tired."

Cal came back up next to me, helping me to my feet. "Come on, Ella. Let's get you back into bed so that you can get some actual sleep, okay?"

The rest of the pack watched us but didn't intervene. "You're coming with me?"

"I think we have a few things to talk about too."

I followed him back up the stairs towards the guest room I was in. It didn't smell like anyone else still, and I was grateful when Cal pulled back the blankets and waited for me to crawl into bed before he sat near my feet. A nervous look pulled at the corners of his eyes.

"You wanted to talk?" I asked, swallowing.

This was it. He may have been happy that I was okay, but he wanted to talk since I lied to him.

This was the first time I had seen him, just us two since the club the other night.

"We need to talk."