31. Chapter 31
31
Misery Creek thawed the same as us and it felt strange to be in town again. Mud churned down the main strip and I was careful to remain on the wooden boardwalks. We didn’t attend church, and there was not a lick of shame when we passed the small, rundown building.
“Careful,” Hale snagged my elbow to stop me from stepping onto a cracked board. His touch made me shiver, but he let go and moved away. “How did it go with Lucinda?”
We’d come into town to re-stock. Ruck was also meeting with a buyer, a human, who wanted to discuss breaking in some mustangs for him. I used the time with Lucinda to plan the Spring Dance. We mapped out the town hall and made plans for decorations and supplies. We both thought the theme of the midnight sky was unique. I said I would enlist the boys to help me make paper stars if needed. Anything to make this a night to remember.
“I need to plaster these about town.” I showed him the handwritten posters Lucinda, and I worked on. “Also, I need to go to Frontier Goods and order some dark blue material, if that’s okay?”
Hale smiled at the ground, and he shoved his hands into his pockets. Hale had been quietly contemplative in the days since Oliver and Ruck bonded me.
“You don’t need to ask me, Esta. Spend as much as you like.”
“Misery Creek has a budget put aside for the Spring Dance, but I really want to make it spectacular. I want it to be the best the town has ever seen.”
Better than anything Claudia ever organized. I wanted to hurt the omega where I knew it would most, her reputation.
Hale and I walked to Frontier Goods. The main strip wasn’t as busy today, not like it would have been yesterday, Sunday. How quickly I discarded human faith. I couldn’t sit and listen to the church extol the virtues of monogamy.
Not now that I was in a pack.
I believed more than ever we were being pushed apart to punish Designated for being different. Stronger. I thought on the strange trio of Designated Oliver and I met on the road, and how they’d inflamed a different sort of faith in me. This one fit my soul like it was made for it.
Hale’s boots slapped on the boardwalk. I never imagined silence being enjoyable. Even though I hadn’t forgiven Hale, there was a slow slide in my resolve. I wanted to know what he felt like inside me. The warmth of Ruck and Oliver nestled close to my heart was joyful release. The more they sat within me, the more I craved the solid touch of Hale. But I was terrified of what it would mean to let him in again.
How could I forgive him?
How could I be sure he would never turn on me like that again? These fears gnawed on me as I ordered a deep blue cloth, and a silver one as well. I could stitch stars, and they would glimmer under the oil lamps in the town hall.
“Is Ruck still in his meeting with the horse trader?” I asked as we stepped outside again.
Hale pointed, and I turned to the left, biting my cheek as I did. Ruck’s head lifted from where he stood in deep conversation with the buyer. My initial reaction was to run to my alpha, to have him wrap me in his arms and kiss me. Ruck smothered a smile, as if he felt my impulse.
“I need to pick up some packages from Frontier Goods so I’ll bring the cart around.” Hale brushed his palm over the small of my back. The human turned as I approached, the swish of my skirts alerting him. He was gaunt with age, his hair gray and white. His eyes narrowed with a shrewdness that made me bristle.
“Mr. Vears, this is Mrs. Hartlock. My brother’s omega.” Ruck swallowed on the title, hard, coughing to cover his discomfort. The man held out his palm, chuckling softly when I didn’t take it.
“Apologies, I’m still unused to the ways of Designated. I meant no disrespect.”
I didn’t like the way the older man stared at me. Not with heat or disdain, those were easier to reconcile. He looked at me like a merchant would wares. Checking for cracks or weakness to determine my worth. My stomach skittered with unease. Ruck rocked toward me subtly before re-adjusting his stance. I bit my tongue at the difficulty of the situation. My skin was extra sensitive today, and my bodice rubbed uncomfortably. Like I was swollen with need and the only source of relief was just out of reach. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Vears. I hope you know Ruck is the best horse trainer in the wildlands. Whatever deal you’ve made is well worth it.”
Ruck flushed at my compliment, but Mr. Vears didn’t seem to notice, too intent on unraveling me. His fingers hovered high in the air and he made a soft noise.
“Your hair, it’s like moonlight, and your eyes. Very unique.” He snatched away his hand and turned a sly look at Ruck. “You must rue the day your brother brought home such a pretty omega.” The man’s tone was low and goading. “I would find it hard not to react, and humans are known for their superior emotional control.”
My forehead creased, and it wasn’t until Ruck let out a soft hiss that the insult of his words became clear. I hadn’t dealt with any humans for some time, and I’d forgotten how dismissive they could be. Daniel used to poke at me with similar refrains, always searching for a way to needle me.
“This isn’t the city, Mr. Vears, and I suggest you apologize to my—my brother’s wife before I am forced to remind you of your manners. Designated are capable of those too, in case you were wondering.”
Ruck tucked his hands under his armpits and raised a thick eyebrow. Inside, frustration jangled through me, from him. Mr. Vears lifted his palms up in a placating manner, laughing off the tension. There was something dangerous about this man, even though he was no threat physically. His presence shuddered the solid base I’d made in Misery Creek. His smarmy smile reminded me of the rich humans in Breton City. How they could eviscerate you with a benign expression and carefully packaged words. The hair on the back of my neck stood up.
“I meant no offense. It was a compliment, but if those are unwelcome in Misery Creek, I will learn to hold my tongue.”
“There’s no harm done.” I reached out and pressed my palm to Ruck’s chest, halting the rough, quickened raise of it. His anger was an ember in my heart, burning with indignation. But according to anyone else, he had no right to it.
Ruck was my brother-in-law.
He couldn’t defend me the way he wanted, by lying Mr. Vears flat on his back. It would have ruined our first outing before we’d even tried. With great effort, my alpha controlled his anger.
“It’s quaint in the wildlands. Everyone is so much closer than in the city. I won’t keep you. I’ll expect the two horses we discussed at the Spring Dance. If they’re at the level you say they are, I’ll pay you in advance for more.”
Ruck gave the human a curt nod and Mr. Vears tapped his finger to the rim of his hat and sauntered away, holding our attention even though he didn’t realize it.
“How rude that human was.” I let my hand drop from Ruck’s chest with a reluctant sigh.
Ruck made a noise of disgust. “He’s a human used to the protection of the Hierarchy Laws. He’s a man who comes out into the wildlands in search of something untamed to break. In his case, he even has someone else break it for him.”
I relaxed when Mr. Vears turned the corner, heading toward the doctor’s office.
“Must you work with him?”
“We need the money. Scruples don’t keep us fed through the winter, or warm. I wish it were different, but we never know how the next crop is going to yield, and I want to build up a buffer. I don’t like it either, but if he’s happy with the horses, he might introduce me to more of his snobby peers in Breton City.”
A shiver rattled my spine, and my ribs tightened around my lungs.
“He came from Breton City?” A wave of dizzying terror washed over me, illogical as it was. I couldn’t expect to avoid any human who lived in Breton City and with the railway gaining popularity, it was only a matter of time before more, braver humans flocked to the wildlands. Ruck’s gaze softened and his fingers curled in the air for a beat too long, before he dragged them back to his side as a fist.
“You don’t have to worry, Esta. Not with us here to protect you.”
I rocked onto my toes, sucked in by his scent. Like a loft filled with hay, one that beckoned us to sink into it. My fingers itched to thread under his shirt, to unbutton it and taste the safety of his skin. To urge him around me like a living shield. But we couldn’t. I checked the empty streets and caught my lower lip between my teeth.
“What worries could an omega have?” A prim voice made me turn, and I faced Claudia. I wouldn’t have known she was pregnant, except that her hand drifted underneath her bump. Ensuring I saw the bulge in her powder blue skirts. The color became her, spring bright and bursting with life. Her cheeks flushed dark pink, but her eyes glittered like cool stones. The set of her mouth was tight, down-turned, and her shoulders hunched. No number of bows in her dress could mask the slow change. She should have looked the picture of vitality, but she didn’t. She was a gem losing its shine, not on the outside, which was as beautiful as ever. But the inside.
“Claudia, I didn’t know you were one to eavesdrop.” I couldn’t keep the reprimanding sting from my tone.
Her upper lip curled for a moment before she smoothed it into a congenial smile. It was tired from overuse. “I only meant to enquire how the Spring Dance was coming along. I’ve heard you’ve been struggling.”
What did she mean? Lucinda and I were just at the hall, and everything was going ahead as planned.
“You must be mistaken.”
Claudia’s lips spread in what I’m sure she thought was a smile. But to me it was a challenge, and her tinkling laugh raised the stakes. A plume of dust drifted toward us as Hale pulled the cart opposite the street. His stare burned, but he didn’t approach, and I was glad of it. My instincts were scrabbled with intense dislike of this woman and knowing her history with Hale only exacerbated it.
“You know I’ve organized every Spring Dance for years, don’t you? I’m sure that’s stressful for you. Don’t be dismayed when your efforts aren’t as well done as mine always are.” Her hand fluttered to her throat. “Maybe my history with Hale unnerves you? I suppose it must sting to know you were a second choice. Did you know how fiercely he wanted to mark me? So much so that he almost beat a man to death.”
Ruck made a choking noise of disbelief, but society and its rules stopped him from refuting the omega. I doubted anyone ever disagreed with her in her life, except when Hale turned her away.
How dare she think Hale had ever been hers.
He was her one failure, the alpha she’d wanted for her own. She tossed a quick look in Hale’s direction, as if the show was all for him. I was doubly glad Hale lingered at a distance. I stepped forward and jammed my finger into her chest. Her beautiful eyes widened.
“Liar. You should be ashamed to speak so when another alpha’s mark is on your skin. Hale didn’t want you, he turned you down. But it didn’t stop you, did it? You put an alpha in an impossible situation with a purpose. And that still didn’t work, did it, Claudia? Even lost to his primal senses, he didn’t choose you.” I tugged my collar aside, so she could see the silver edges of Ruck’s mark. I wanted this omega to know she was powerless. Needed her to understand how little her words meant. She was raised in a town where she was the jewel, but she wasn’t the only one now. “He belongs to me.”
My veins boiled with fury and under my skin bubbled a heat that made my chest heave. Claudia reeled back a step. Like my threat was a physical thing. Her lips lost color, and she sputtered out protestations.
“This is my town, and Hale—” she gasped with outrage.
“Mr. Hartlock to you,” I snapped.
“It’s your father’s town,” Ruck said, his hand flattening against my lower back. I leaned into the comforting touch, my lips parting on a soft sigh. He nodded down at me, and my chest warmed. Claudia looked between us, deep disgust twisting her features. She jerked her head so hard in disbelief that a curl shook loose and shivered against her cheek.
“We missed you in church yesterday. What goes on at Hartlock Ranch, I wonder? Your scent is a mess of alpha.” Her nose wrinkled. My heartbeat thundered, and it was on the tip of my tongue to argue with her, to defend my pack. But I swallowed the words with a desperate choke.
“How dare you,” I whispered, not wanting her to see how right she was. “Look at your own marriage, Claudia. You’ve spent too long worrying about other people’s alphas. What of your husband, and your unborn child?”
Claudia trembled all over, the words hitting their mark. She didn’t cup her stomach, not now the bulge was a weakness rather than the barb expected.
“You don’t want to make an enemy of me. My father still does whatever I ask of him.”
I let out a hearty laugh and snapped.
“That was because you were the only omega in Misery Creek, but there are two now, Claudia. Remember, judgment comes harshest from those who are most guilty. You seem so intent on finding fault in others.”
I ignored Ruck’s tug on my sleeve and stared down at Claudia. Let her say what she wanted to say, let her try her weapons against mine. She was a spoiled omega, used to getting whatever she wanted. Not anymore. She deserved to spend a cold winter in a cell for what she’d done to Hale. A couple walked down the street opposite us, slowing to listen in on the conversation. Claudia saw them and her lashes fluttered with a becoming show.
“All I want is for the Spring Dance to be successful, like it has been every year I organized it.” She changed tack, simpering with a soft, insincere tone.
“I have a feeling this will be the best Spring Dance the town has ever seen. Have the day you deserve, Claudia.” I stomped across the muck in the street to the cart, uncaring about the mess it made on my hem. Ruck helped me up and made a shushing noise at Hale when he tried to question.
“Please, take me home,” I begged my husband, and he shook the reins with a creased brow.
“What happened?”
The cart rumbled over the steel lines, and I let out a violent sigh. I was shaking with fury, and part of me wanted to turn back into Misery Creek and tear Claudia apart with my bare hands.
“Claudia tried to nettle Esta.” Ruck summed up the interaction. I wrapped my arm through his and he disentangled himself. The chances of us being seen were slim, but not impossible. Still, it hurt, and I needed comfort right now.
“It’s important to seem civilized.” His apology stung, and I snuggled up to Hale instead. My husband stiffened but shifted so I could press against him easier. The wind made the tears pricking my eyes dissolve quickly, but I couldn’t stop the wave of quiet sniffles that came. I knew Ruck couldn’t risk being seen touching me, but I’d give anything for a hug.
“But we’re not,” I tossed at him, tone heavy with hurt. “We’re not civilized. We’re animals living as a pack. Sinners. We’re everything she accused us of.”
Hale pecked the top of my head and warmth spread from the gentle comfort.
“I would rather sin with you for millennia than spend a minute being civilized with Claudia.”
Oh.
The twisted, throbbing anger faded.
The thought of Claudia and Hale made me prickly with jealousy and his comment smoothed away my omega concerns. Now all that was left was a lazy possessiveness. Hale put his palm up, offering me his scent gland, and I rubbed my wrist across his. He knew what I needed before I did.
“Thank you.” My lips barely moved, but Hale nodded, attuned to every small thing that I did.
Now we were further out-of-town, Ruck reached his hand out, a silent offering I took. With both of their marks on me, my muscles relaxed, and the tension eased.
“Esta defended you fiercely. She shamed Claudia thoroughly in your honor.”
“Did you now?” Hale eyed me with intense curiosity, his lips twitching upward.
“She was far too bold for someone who has no claim on you.”
“No claim at all, wife. That belongs solely to you.”
Claudia was a bump in a successful first trip to town, and I didn’t regret the sharp way I’d spoken to her. She needed to know who I was to Hale, even if I didn’t claim him as thoroughly as she believed. I pressed myself against Hale the entire ride and was reluctant to let him go when we arrived. I might not have forgiven him, but today was a reminder that I wouldn’t let anyone come between what is mine.