9. Chapter 9
9
Ruck loitered by the entrance to the doctors, a frown creased his forehead. Hale offered to escort me, but another man wanted to discuss the wolf attacks with him. Several of them occurred recently, and the town was abuzz about it. Our stock remained untouched, thankfully.
“You can confide in me if there is something bothering you. We haven’t lived with another lady in some time, but if we are neglecting you—” He trailed off, worrying the lip of his hat between his hands in a manner so unlike Ruck. He was always surefooted, quick to action, but now he faltered. I loomed over him for once, hovering on the top step. His frown deepened in my growing silence.
“I am perfectly well. I only wanted advice on how to make myself ready for the marriage bed.” I regretted the words as Ruck’s cheeks turned pink. “I-I mean—”
“Hale is a very lucky man.” Ruck’s gaze was heavy-lidded, his voice low and rough. His fists squeezed around his hat, and he took a step backward. “I’ll wait outside for you.”
Why did I say that?
And to Ruck, of all people?
My spine was a hot poker of mortification, and I raced into the doctor’s office as fast as my skirts would let me. It wasn’t an appropriate thing to discuss with my brother-in-law, and why did I feel guilty about it? I was married to Hale. One day, we would consummate the marriage. So why couldn’t I get the hooded, almost devastated expression of Ruck out of my mind? I stamped my feet at the entrance, but it did little. The pervasive dust of Misery Creek already caked the hem.
“Well, if it isn’t Mrs. Hartlock. Are you here to see the doctor?” A pint-sized, weathered lady in a plain brown woolen dress appraised me with unveiled interest. Her nose was hooked and smattered with freckles. It gave her older appearance a sheen of childlike spark. Her smile was too broad for politeness, and her gaze direct enough to rankle.
“I-yes, how do you know who I am?” I pursed my lips together.
She waved a flippant hand as if we were old friends gossiping together. “Misery Creek doesn’t get very much excitement, and a striking beta on the same train as our new doctor already set the town aflame. I’ve been waiting for your arrival for weeks. Shame on those greedy boys for keeping you all to yourself. Usually, I would see you in church, but I’ve been looking after my brother on his farm. I’m Nella, by the way. My husband is the sheriff, and he said you had the prettiest hair he’d ever seen when he married you.”
Her stream of chatter loosened the slight fear I carried that she recognized me somehow. She wandered over to a heavy door, rapping sharply once before poking her head inside.
“You’ve a client, good doctor.” Her voice was saccharine sweetness, but the kind that made your teeth ache. There was an inaudible murmur, and she closed the door decisively. Her wide smile lost its tension as she turned, bustling over to me. Her beta scent was steeped black tea, and it filled me with comforting warmth. She clicked her tongue when she saw the dust that marred my hem.
“It’s a bluster out there, isn’t it? It gets even worse in winter. The mud is so sticky. I told Harry he needed to get the men together to fix the boardwalk between Frontier Goods and the clinic. My, you’d just fall right in the hole that’s gaping through the boards right now. Claudia pitched a fit about it, as she’s wont to do, and for once I agree—”
I coughed softly, trying to interrupt the furious flurry of information Nella was imparting. But the name she mentioned made the back of my neck prickle.
“Claudia?”
Bram refused to let me glean any more information about the omega after the pie fiasco. He’d raced out the door to the cool spring. I’d been roped into taking a quick dip, with all the men turned obligingly toward the house. I would have enjoyed it more, but the vision of another omega plagued me. It swirled in my vision, becoming a raven-haired, coquettish omega. The one who poisoned Hale’s opinion of my designation. Was he one of her suitors? Nella snatched up my hand and squeezed it comfortingly as she led me over to the row of empty wooden chairs. There were scratches on the legs, which Nella explained.
“That’s the handiwork of my sweet cat, Buster. The new doctor is allergic, so I’m not allowed to bring him in anymore.” Her eyes narrowed when she said allergic. “But you don’t want to hear about my darling boy. You asked about Claudia. I’m glad I don’t have to be the one to tell you the sordid tale. It’s been years, and it’s still all the town talks about.”
Sordid tale sent my imagination running with a dozen horrendous scenarios. My insides clenched, and I thought about how I could frame my questions. Hale hadn’t told me anything, and I was at a complete loss. Luckily for me, Nella was a chatterbox.
“I told Harry the mayor should never have let his daughter near town on the edge of her heat. It was bound to cause trouble.” She scented the air delicately, “Not that we have to worry about that as betas, do we, darling? No doubt Hale was quite specific in wanting a beta bride. You know, he never let the imprisonment keep him from coming home and taking responsibility for his family.”
My eyes widened, and Nella faltered for a moment, her lips moving against each other. She continued like she couldn’t help herself.
“Oh, but you know it wasn’t his fault, don’t you? Perhaps you’ve never seen an alpha lost to their primal self, but it can be truly barbaric. He tried his best to fight, but Claudia gave him no choice. It’s no matter. She didn’t get what she wanted in the end. And you have yourself a wonderful alpha husband if you don’t include his handsome brother and Oliver, of course. Three fine young men. I’d dearly love to see them all find happiness, but there aren’t many ladies out in Misery Creek.”
The doctor poked his head out with a scowl.
“Mrs. Peris, I would ask you to refrain from chattering so loudly in the waiting room.” He straightened, an expression of glee warming his dour face. “Why, Miss Smythe, what a pleasure.”
My stomach sank. I already knew Misery Creek’s new doctor. Dr. Goodman joined the carriage I was in for the last day and spent an inordinate amount of time pestering me with questions. As he ushered me into the office, I half expected him to pull out his notebook again to jot down hasty notes about me.
“It’s Mrs. Hartlock now,” I informed him in a soft tone. He was tall for a human, but it was the pervasive absence of scent that jangled my nerves. It reminded me of Daniel, and how difficult he had been to understand without the added knowledge scents offered. Sweet or sour, it always gave me some sign of mood. Dr. Goodman steepled his hands behind his desk, his gaunt cheeks bright with color.
“I must admit, I often wondered how you fared after our train trip together. Having learned you married Mr. Hartlock and his history of violence.” His limpet gaze narrowed. “Is that why you’re here? Has he harmed you?”
My breath became solid, choking my throat with a heavy mix of indignation and confusion. Hale’s history of violence? An icy shiver wracked through my body, and I wrapped my arms around myself.
“No—I—what do you mean violence? I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Dr. Goodman scratched at his sideburns and grimaced. His office desk was covered in piles of paper documents, haphazardly stacked files with an ink pot balancing on the top. I quelled a strange desire to pluck it off and put it on solid wood again. I wished someone would do the same to me. His words left me dangling out in a cavernous expanse of terror with no sense of reprieve.
“Your husband was imprisoned for public enragement several years ago. He spent a good two months locked up in Breton City. The charges were dropped and he was let off with a slapped wrist, partly because of the uproar of support Misery Creek gave him, including the omega affected.”
I wrung my hands together. Hale was imprisoned in Breton City. What did that even mean?
“Public enragement, that sounds like a…” I trailed off, and Dr. Goodman was eager to fill in the blanks. He darted around the table and snatched at my worrying hands. Pinning them between his clammy grasp. My stomach revolted at the touch. Too familiar for a stranger. His fingers brushed against my scent glands and I tasted the crusted salt in the back of my throat.
“You don’t deserve to be chained to such a beast. I could help you. When we spoke on the train, I recognized a sweet, innocent spirit. I know I’m a human and my knowledge stops me from understanding how things feel to be Designated, but to explode in a public space? To try and claim a young, innocent omega? He should have been punished much harsher, and if it occurred closer to civilization, he would have been locked up for good.”
A beast? Not the alpha I knew. Tenderly cupping my pricked finger and wiping off the blood. The softness in the sharp edges of his face, the sweetness amongst the brutal muscles. The straggly bunch of flowers he placed on the table, hoping to please me. I could sense the hysteria in Dr. Goodman’s words, of a story plumped and painted with drama over the years.
I knew Hale, and there was more to it.
I’d seen a man in a rage, felt the tear of his teeth on my skin, and he hadn’t been an alpha.
He’d been a human.
Monsters came in many forms. No matter what stories I was bound to hear in Misery Creek, I would wait for the truth from Hale’s own lips. I extricated my hands from Dr. Goodman’s sweating grip.
“He has been a good husband to me.” I offered a wan smile, trying to manage my thundering heart. “I was here to ask another question.”
Dr. Goodman’s expression didn’t ease, but he stared down his nose at me until I shrank under its sharp point. He tugged a yellowing handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed it against his forehead. I took his careful silence as an invitation to continue, although any slight optimism I might have drained away the moment I stepped into the room. A human couldn’t help me with my dwindling tea stores. How could a man with no scent understand the precariousness of my situation? It was like the human doctor my mother saw when I found out I was an omega. No real knowledge.
“Do you know of anything that can block scents?” I sucked in a fortifying breath, and Dr. Goodman leaped to his feet. He scurried around his desk and opened the squeaking doors to his cabinet.
“My dear, I have just the thing.” He rummaged through the cabinet. Hope climbed in my swelling lungs, burning with anticipation. Hale couldn’t find out I was an omega yet, not when we’d fallen into such a beautiful beginning. If the reason he hated omegas was as dramatic and sordid as everyone kept eluding to, I didn’t want to tell him the truth. Not yet.
Dr. Goodman spun on his heel with a flourish, brandishing a wax paper-wrapped block. “This soap is perfect, steeped with green leaves. It cuts through all offensive smells. I know you Designated have your tender noses.” He tapped the side of his with a congenial wink. He passed the package over to me, and I took it with a weak smile. I clamped my teeth on my tongue to stamp out the despair coursing through me. Dr. Goodman knew nothing about how to treat a Designated, let alone how to mask a scent.
A scent that would give me away to my new family. A scent that would destroy the fragile peace and joy I wanted so desperately to keep.
I brought the package to my nose, sniffing obligingly. “It’s lovely, exactly what I needed.” I ruffled my skirts and hurried to take my leave, but Dr. Goodman wasn’t content to let me go without the last word.
“I meant what I said. If your husband is too much for your delicate sensibilities, I'll step in to protect you. I’ll insist Mr. Hartlock be locked away. Misery Creek would be better for it. There are far too many alphas and not enough humans. They need a reminder of where power actually lies.” He collected himself on the edge of a rant, opening the door instead.
“Thank you, doctor. It’s good to see you again.” The words were empty platitudes. I don’t know why I said them. I wasn’t pleased to see him at all, and the doctor’s office seemed too small and dark now. My lungs hitched in stale air and sifted dust.
Nella rose from her table, hurrying over to me. “Your brother-in-law, Ruck, popped in not five minutes ago. He said to tell you to stay put and he’d return momentarily.”
“Did he say why?” I asked, looking out the streaked window to the main street.
“Horse business. Told him to convince Harry to get me a little spritely horse with pretty legs for a cart. I do enjoy riding around town, not that it’s big. I’m sure we’ll see much more of you now that the summer harvest is done. I’d love to see the polka dot dress you wore into town, Harry said—”
I held up my hand, her earnest tone ringing like a bell between my ears. I couldn’t pretend to be polite any longer. There was too much unease rolling in my stomach, and if I didn’t get out of here, I was going to lose it over the scuffed floorboards.
“Thank you. It was lovely to meet you, Nella. We will see you at church. Speaking of which, I must get a bolt of fabric to sew Bram an extra shirt.” I strode out the door, ignoring her splutters. A hot wind whipped a fresh sting of dust into my face, and I coughed as the taste of earth clung to my lips.
There was no sign of Ruck, Hale, or Oliver. Bram was at home sulking because he hadn’t been allowed to come. I could see the gaping hole in the boards Nella mentioned and made my way there. I tucked the useless soap into my pocket and wandered. Each breath in Misery Creek filled my lungs with thick smoke or dust. The horizon was hazy through the clouds of dust that obscured any clear line. Beyond the town was an unforgiving land, wild and hungry. I’d heard enough stories about the dangers to be wary of it.
And yet, I couldn’t tear my eyes away, wondering what could be out there.
I walked past a building with velvet-edged curtains. The sound of jaunty piano spilled out on the street. I could barely see anything inside the dim, but a woman stepped out with a painted smile.
“Well, now I understand why Mr. Foxhound was so set on wanting a tumble with Betsy.” A buxom lady slapped open a garish red fan and fluttered it over her ample bosom. Her smile widened as my eye dropped to the soft, sensuous flesh. Her dress matched her fan. The rich crimson velvet clung to her curves. Ornate clips pinned back a mass of dark curls, and two tendrils framed her narrowed, calculating gaze.
“Sorry?” I tried to dart around the woman, but her skirts whipped in front of mine.
“There’s only one blonde at Madam Silver's, and Mr. Foxhound was prepared to wait for her. Now I know why.” The bold red lipstick on her lips widened as if she was sharing a joke with me. She wore the scent of dried flowers, overlaid with a thicker one of jasmine. It wasn’t a true scent. The chemicals tickled the back of my throat. It emulated the potent perfume of an omega.
“I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean, but if you’ll excuse me.”
“Come back to Madam Silver's whenever you please, poppet. I’d give my left arm to have an omega like yourself in my books.”
My back went rigid, and I turned back to her, color eviscerated from my face.
“I’m a beta.” My words didn’t sound convincing, even to me. The woman’s lips twitched as she looked me over.
“You might fool the big dogs you live with,” she snatched at my hand and took a meaningful sniff. “But this is too generic for someone like you. I should know. I’m sportin’ a knock-off myself. It’s stale, manufactured perfume, and it makes me wonder what a sweet thing like you is hiding?”
My knees trembled, and I tried to break free of her grip, but she only clenched tighter.
“No omega comes to Misery Creek, not unless they were born here or running. You need to go to the general store and get yourself something plain. You stick out like a sore thumb in that fancy dress.”
“Who are you?” I asked as she let go of my wrist. She’d rubbed against my scent gland, and she knew it, watching as I tried to wipe it against my skirts.
The blatant scent transfer wouldn’t have bothered a beta. Her eyes flashed with victory.
“I’m Madam Silver. I run the brothel in town.”
I didn’t know what a brothel was, but I was certain it wasn’t something I should step foot in. The smell of smoke wafting out was pervasive, carrying with it low laughter and mixed tones. I ducked my head and hurried away. The back of my neck stung from her mocking laughter. I took her advice, though, making my way to Frontier Goods. There were bolts of fabric at the entrance, and I fingered a cream wool one. It would have been warm, but the color was impractical. I ventured further into the store, running my hand over a velvet bowl hat with a red-dyed feather.
“Don’t tell me, Mrs. David, you might finally have a buyer for that horrid hat you accidentally ordered.” A petite brunette reached around me, plucking the hat from my reach. Pinned, glossy ebony curls peeked from under her bonnet, but they still looked lush. The girl turned the hat over in her white-gloved hands as if searching for the hat’s merits. A silvery bite marked the slim column of her neck, and a self-assured smile played with her lips as she noticed the direction of my gaze.
Breton City printed a magazine called Omega’s Fancy, and the front cover always featured an omega. Curvaceous nymphs plucked from pages of myths, shapely, coquettish, simpering under long lashes and secretive smiles. This woman would have been right at home on the pages, and that was how I knew.
She was Claudia. The town’s one and only omega.
“We have more hats this way.” Mrs. David waved her hands, and I skirted around Claudia. The shopkeeper was middle-aged with a kind smile and a soft, husky voice. But it was the omega I couldn’t stop staring at. This woman was the reason Hale hated omegas. She followed us to the back, her skirts whispering.
“I need some cloth for a good suit. And some plain, sturdy wool for dresses.”
“Why ever would you want wool?” Claudia cried, cutting off Mrs. David. “This dress is so fine, and I’m sure you must have others equally lovely. I heard about your great trunk of clothes you struggled to lift off the train.”
“You seem to know me, but I’m afraid we haven’t been introduced.”
Her bright green eyes were marbled with fissures of gold, and they widened at my cool response.
“Why, of course, I forget not everyone knows who I am. I’m Claudia Robbins, my father is the mayor, and my husband manages the bank in Misery Creek. You should know that any fresh face is going to be talked about endlessly.”
Claudia’s smile lacked warmth, but she was the type of woman who didn’t need it. Smiles were tools one used to get what they wanted. Which I could understand, except what about her connection to Hale? Had she aimed that smile at my husband enough times for him to lose control?
“I’m sorry, I’ve been so busy with my husband and settling in. There’s been no talk of Misery Creek at all.” I flattened my lips.
“I still can’t believe Hale Hartlock got married.” Claudia turned her shoulder, directing her comment to Mrs. David. “I don’t hold it against him, what he did to me, you know. It’s a burden to be an omega. My scent was just too overwhelming for him to resist.”
She gave a little sigh at the end, patting her hand over her heart. Her scent was midnight-soaked jasmine, mingled with a warm summer breeze. The kind Madam Silver tried to emulate with her perfume. There was a metallic undertone to it, though. It weighed the sweetness, shackled it. That must have been her mate. I didn’t know how she wanted me to react, but I was saved from replying when the door flung open. The bell crashed against the wall with a jangling crunch.
“Esta, I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” Hale stalked through the store with a growl, wrapped his arms around me, and crushed me to his chest. His fingers wound their way under my bonnet, and he pressed me further into his feverish skin. “Ruck thought he’d lost you.”
Pepper tickled heavy against my nostrils, thick and sharp with distress. Hale pulled me back and ran his hands over my body, unheeding my surprised gasp.
“Why didn’t you wait at the doctor’s office?” Ruck loomed from behind with a heavy frown. “Nella said you looked upset when you left, and I couldn’t find you. You can’t wander off by yourself in Misery Creek.” Worry etched the lines of his stiff shoulders. Behind him was Oliver, who only banded his thick arms over his chest and glowered at me. One of his buttons was askew as if he’d dressed in a hurry.
“I’m perfectly fine,” I assured them all, perplexed by their appearance. Hale leaned in and brushed a kiss on my forehead like his lips needed the taste of me to know I was real. His hands around my waist heated, and I squirmed at the mounting desire it built in me.
“Don’t do that again, wife. You must wait for one of us to escort you.”
“How absurd. I traverse through Misery Creek without my husband, and I am perfectly well.” Claudia’s breathy laugh permeated the intense bubble of their gazes locked on mine. Hale stiffened, a vein in his forehead throbbed. His hazel eyes turned murky as he looked up and beheld Claudia.
“Mr. Robbins may not care to protect what’s his, but I’ll never make the same mistake. Good day to you, ma’am.”
Hale laced my fingers in his large palm and tugged me toward the door.
“But Hale, I still need—” I protested as he marched us through the door. He caught me against him, sighing into the crook of my neck. We pressed so close I could feel the thunder of his heart.
“Is it urgent?” he mumbled, his fingers clenched at my hips. We’d never been close like this before, and I was infinitely aware of how it looked. In public, being manhandled by my husband; it was vulgar. But Hale wouldn’t relinquish me.
“I’m sorry you had to set eyes on her,” I said as Hale pulled abruptly away to frown at me. Ruck and Oliver pressed in behind me, too close for politeness, but I couldn’t bring myself to remind them. Something about us all crowded together felt right.
“What the devils are you talking about, woman?” Hale stroked his hands down my face.
“Claudia, I don’t know what happened, but I know there was something.”
Hale’s forehead puckered, and I tensed for the show of temper my prodding earned. But he chuckled. It was like the first call of a sparrow in the morning, bright and filled with wondrous hope. His scent thickened, making me dizzy.
“I don’t give a damn about that feckless omega. She pursued me for years and each time I turned her away. After she did something unforgivable to me, I swore I would never be in the same room as her again. She stole my last months with my father. That omega manipulated her biology, and it still wasn’t enough to make me claim her. But you? My sweet, wonderful wife? All you had to do was smile. And when Ruck told me you were missing, I thought my heart was going to fall out of my chest. So, is what you need urgent? Or can we please go back to the ranch, where I know you’ll be safe?”
His words filled a hollow part of my chest, one I didn’t even know was empty. Now it was full to the brim with soft warmth, making me sway against my husband. Had he meant what he said? Or were the words to placate me? I decided it didn’t matter. He hadn’t spared Claudia barely any attention before he whisked me away.
“Maybe we could pop in for a moment. I’m missing two shirts and a pair of socks,” Ruck scratched his head, and his attempt at a joke only flooded me with more heat. I knew exactly where his missing clothes were. I’d amassed a pile of clothes that didn’t belong to me in my bed, and I couldn’t return them. Hale pinched my chin between his fingers, and I was lost in his intense gaze once more.
“Let’s go home.”