Chapter 7
CHAPTER 7
brEE
She rarely naps.
Her mother would say it’s a waste of a day, and if she ever caught Bree doing it, she’d wake her up by yelling at her.
So she only naps when she’s feeling under the weather or extremely exhausted.
But, after her encounter with him and the near miss with the prison alarm, she decides to lie down for a bit.
She also plans to never do something that reckless again.
The alarm scared her, but the Alpha scared her more.
It wasn’t just the way he acted, either, like he saw right through her. It was the way she was affected by him.
If that alarm didn’t go off, she doesn’t know how long she would have stayed down in the musty prison basement with him.
At best, he’s an arrogant prick that enjoys smirking way too much, and at worst, he’s dangerous.
As she wakes from her nap, she still can’t get him out of her mind. She heads into the office and gazes out the window, taking in the view of trees.
She wonders where he’s staying.
She wonders what his name is.
And why the hell was he in the prison, anyway?
It doesn’t matter , she tells herself. Don’t let him distract you from what you’re here to do.
It’s not like she’ll ever see him again after this.
But her womb contracts, and she gasps at a sharp cramp in her gut.
That pain is entirely too familiar.
“Oh, absolutely not ,” she hisses, rubbing at her stomach.
It’s too soon for any type of Heat cramp, and she’ll be damned if that handsome creeper is the reason hers starts earlier than expected.
Lovely view of the outside forgotten, she heads into the bathroom and takes her suppressant, adding an extra dose just in case.
As long as she doesn’t see him again, she has nothing to worry about.
Her phone buzzes on the nightstand, and she makes a face as she answers it.
“Hey Mom.”
“Hi, Bree-Bree. I’m just calling to check in. How’s the town?”
Her mother never calls to just check in , and when she uses that horrid nickname, Bree knows something is up.
“It’s really pretty,” she says lamely. “It’s a little chilly, but not too much.”
“Oh, good. Then you can wear your sweaters.”
Bree blinks. “ Yup .”
“That’s good, Bree-Bree.”
An awkward silence falls, and Bree is the one to break it.
“Okay, well?— ”
“Did you know that the closest town is Elmwood? Are you going to visit there?” Her mother asks.
Bree frowns. “I mean, I haven’t considered it. Maybe, why?”
Silence.
“Mom, what ?”
“There were two murders there in the past month,” Carol says gravely.
“Wait, what? In Elmwood? How do you know that?” Bree’s stomach flips as she clutches her phone tightly.
“I did some research, and I called the sheriff?—”
“You called the sheriff ? Why?”
“I just wanted to make sure you were going to be okay, since you’re traveling by yourself! I told them my daughter was staying in Green Woods and I asked if there was anything she should know.”
Bree’s mouth hangs open in shock. “You didn’t need to do that, Mom. Why would you do that?”
“Because you’re an Omega, alone . And you’re my daughter. I just wanted to double check.”
Anger flares in her, and she bites her tongue to stop herself from saying something she’ll regret.
At Bree’s silence, her mother continues. “There were two murders in a town less than an hour from you. Yes, they were men, but it was horrific . They were chopped up into little bits, Bree. And they were found in barrels.”
Her stomach churns. “I’m going to be fine, Mom,” she says, softening her tone. “I promise.”
“I know,” Carol huffs. “I’m just telling you to be extra careful. If you get a bad feeling, just call the sheriff. Don’t go out at night alone.”
Bree rolls her eyes. “I know. I’ll be safe, I promise.”
“Okay. I just worry about you. Hank said if you need anything, we can drive up and get you. He doesn’t mind. ”
Bree closes her eyes and runs a hand through her hair. “You don’t need to bother Hank,” she sighs, not wanting to concern her stepfather unnecessarily.
“It’s not a bother. We could have both gone up with you. We could have covered the cost of the cabin, too, if you had just told us earlier.”
“Yeah. Well, maybe next time,” she lies.
“Just call if you need anything Bree, okay? And please be careful.”
“I will, Mom. I promise.”
She already broke that promise this morning, though, by being in an abandoned building with a stranger.
But she’s going to keep that part to herself.
She also doesn’t bother to mention Eugene. Her mother doesn’t need to worry about her.
Darlene is at the café counter again, and she smiles when she sees Bree.
“Hey! You here for lunch?” she says, and Bree grins.
“Yup. Is the veggie panini good? I’m a vegetarian.”
“Hell yes, it is. I eat it like every other day. You want your drink from yesterday, too?”
Bree raises an eyebrow. “Oh, you remembered it?”
“Of course. Green tea with honey. Trust me, I’ve seen way more complicated orders than that. Green tea with honey is nothing compared to what I’ve had to make. Someone brought in their own raw sheep’s milk for their latte.”
Bree chuckles, her anxieties from earlier easing. “There’s no way that happened.”
“Hey, I told you, this town can be a little strange. I love it and all, but yeah. I don’t recommend sheep’s milk.”
Darlene wrinkles her nose, and Bree feels a twinge of sadness that she won’t see her after the next couple of days. She has a feeling they could have been good friends if she got to know Darlene better.
Bree takes the furthest booth in the corner, sitting on the inside of it and pulling out her notebook from her bag. She writes down a couple of questions she plans to ask Doctor Porter, different from the interview questions she already planned out.
She also dedicates a page to Erik and Ellie’s relationship.
The Alpha prisoner and Omega social worker.
Thoughts flit through her head faster than she can write them down, and her hand starts to cramp by the time her tea and sandwich are placed in front of her.
“If it’s not good, I’ll remake it,” Darlene tells her. “I added extra avocado, too.”
“But no unpasteurized sheep’s milk, right?”
Darlene wrinkles her nose. “Gross.”
The café door opens, and Darlene stiffens. “Shit,” she hisses, and Bree follows her gaze.
Her stomach sinks when she sees Eugene walk in, his gait slow and his face bloated.
“That guy came to my door the other night,” Bree mutters. “He was drunk and asking about someone named Helene.”
Darlene turns her gaze back to her, her eyes wide. “No fucking way. Eugene’s your neighbor?”
“Excuse me. I would like to order ,” Eugene says loudly as he heads to the counter.
“Yeah. He’s weird,” Bree says.
“Okay, listen to me,” Darlene says quickly under her breath. “If he shows up again, don’t answer your door. You call me . Helene is his dead wife, who everyone thinks he killed. ”
“ What ?” Bree drops her cup, and it clangs loudly against the saucer.
“ Darlene! Can I order?” Eugene yells.
“Yeah, he’s also the sheep’s milk guy,” Darlene shrugs. “I told you; this town isn’t perfect. I’ve got to help him before he throws a fit.”
Darlene heads to the counter, leaving Bree slack jawed.
What the hell?
She keeps an eye on Eugene from her corner booth, unable to enjoy the panini as he mutters to himself and leans against the pastry display for support. The other customers don’t even bother to pay attention to him.
Apparently, nobody else is phased by the town drunk that supposedly murdered his wife.
She huddles further into the booth and continues working through her notes, occasionally stopping to take a sip of tea.
She had mostly forgotten about her creepy neighbor until she glances up and sees him walking toward her.
He’s in the same shirt from yesterday, and his face is bloated and red.
He opens his mouth to say something just as the booth dips with the weight of another person, and the forbidden, familiar wash of a scent wafts over her.
She locks eyes with the Alpha from this morning, who is now sitting only inches from her, sharing the same side of the booth.
The dim prison lights downplayed his looks.
His eyes are an endless light blue, burning with intensity as he smiles at her. Up close, she can see light lines around his eyes, but it only adds to his charm as they crinkle.
“Hi, darling,” he says playfully, and she almost chokes.
Eugene pauses when he sees the Alpha. “Oh, so this is your husband, huh? ”
She pauses for a moment, caught between the stranger’s stare and Eugene’s question.
“No—” she says, but she’s interrupted.
“Yes, I am,” the stranger says confidently, placing his arm around Bree’s shoulder. She stiffens at the contact, mortified. “Cole,” he says, nodding at Eugene.
The Alpha in front of her, who is now pretending to be her husband , is named Cole.
Cole’s hand is warm as he grips her shoulder, tugging her possessively toward him. “You two have spoken before?” he asks the drunk man pointedly.
“Yeah…uh, showed up the other night,” Eugene grumbles, taking a step back. “Surprised she didn’t tell you.”
This isn’t happening , Bree thinks to herself. This is just a bad dream.
“Well, since we’re on the topic, Eugene ,” Cole says with a hint of malice, “if you have anything to say to my wife, you can do it through me from now on.”
His fingers gently stroke her shoulder in what would be a reassuring, soothing touch if it was done under any other circumstance. “She’s lovely and far too polite to tell you to fuck off. So, I will.”
Bree’s stomach flips as she takes in a sharp breath.
Eugene has the good sense to look chastised and takes a step back. “Look, I’m not trying to cause trouble?—”
“Then don’t, by leaving her alone. Am. I. Clear?” Cole growls.
The Beta man backs up slowly. “Yeah, sure,” he mumbles. “Sure.”
And with that, Eugene leaves the café as the customers watch.
Once he’s gone, Cole crosses to the opposite side of the booth so he’s facing Bree, who stares at him in shock.
But he looks just as smug as he did that morning.
“You’re welcome, by the way,” he says.