Chapter 12
DAWN
Iwas shacked up with murderers. Sure, they were legally sanctioned murderers, but should that make a difference morally?
This would be an actual question if I’d been a normal woman. Instead, I’d once watched my Alpha beat the previous Omega to death just because he could, so I was morally A-OK with what Franklin told me.
Some people were born bad and beyond redemption.
Romance novels liked to convince people that every man could be saved if you loved him enough, but some people were born broken, and nothing in their long, miserable lives could fix it.
Those people needed to be put down like the rabid animals they were, but still, it was hard to reconcile that with the soft, doting man in front of me.
He watched me eat like it was the most amazing thing he’d ever seen, and it made me self-conscious but also content.
I was so stuffed that I was sure my stomach was going to explode, so Franklin was picking at the plate in front of us.
I was happy about that, because if I’d thrown stuff away when there were cubs back home in my pack legitimately starving to death…
I couldn’t handle that kind of guilt. I was already dealing with the knowledge that I was here, safe and warm, while they were probably cold because the Alpha refused to pay for the heat to stay on.
I was happy, and being happy felt like the greatest betrayal of all, but there was something about these bears that made me feel lighter.
“So, is that all okay?” That was the most hesitance I’d ever heard in the normally cocky bear’s tone.
I frowned at him, realizing he was still talking about them being mercs. “You don’t need my approval, Franklin.”
He squeezed me tighter, and I squirmed on his lap. He made an odd hissing sound, as if pleasure was leaking out of him like an overfilled balloon. “I don’t need it, but I’d like it anyway.”
I turned so I faced him. I’d originally come here because this was the only place I knew where I’d be safe.
The Shifter Council might have sent me back, but I knew Vance, Franklin, and Talbot would keep me safe forever, if that was what I wanted.
In a weird twist of fate, though, they could keep my entire pack safe too.
“If anyone understands the darker side of people, Franklin, it’s me.”
He squeezed me tightly, which threatened to make me vomit, considering I’d overeaten. He picked up the last dried fig. “Do you want the last one?”
I shook my head and was happy when he popped it in his mouth and then stood, sliding me off his lap and taking the plate back to the corner of the dining hall where a huge, industrial dishwasher sat. He scraped and rinsed his plate in a bucket of soapy water before putting it in the dishwasher.
I was suddenly aware of everyone’s eyes on me. I knew our conversation hadn’t been private, but I’d briefly forgotten that Franklin and I weren’t the only two people in the room, and I was actually in a room filled with other predators.
My Omega whined, but I held it behind my lips. It was okay. I was safe. It was okay. I was safe.
I chanted it to myself until Franklin reappeared.
He pulled me up, tucking me close to his body, and led me from the room.
I tried to convince myself that he didn’t know I was suddenly looking at his den mates as possible threats, because the last thing I wanted was to be booted from my new safe haven.
There was nowhere else for me to go, no one who would take in a broken and beaten Omega who was useless for everything.
Panic gripped me. I’d staked my life on the goodwill of a couple of boys who didn’t even really know me…
who weren’t even the boys I remembered anymore.
Franklin slowed, leading me into a small alcove in the rough stone walls. “Easy, sunrise. I’ve got you. I won’t ever let anything hurt you again.” He cupped my face, his fingers surprisingly gentle, and tilted my eyes up until I met his warm, caramel gaze. “Do you believe me, Dawn?”
What remained of my battered heart believed him, but my brain wasn’t so easily convinced. She knew that happiness always came before pain.
“Dawn?” he whispered, waiting for an answer.
I could only nod. I couldn’t make myself say the words, but I could give him that.
He sighed like he could see the inner workings of my brain, then he pulled me into his arms. “It takes time. I know that, but I can wait.” He dipped forward and kissed me softly. “We can wait.”
Unlike when he kissed me in the hospital bed, this kiss wasn’t laced with desperation. This was a gentle promise.
He finally stepped away and led me down the hall toward my temporary room.
At least, that was where I thought we were going.
The winding tunnels in this cave were a little confusing.
I could tell that nature had carved out the majority of the open spaces, but there were definitely parts that were man-made.
“Does your entire pack live underground?” I asked, trying to break the silence that hung over us.
Franklin shook his head. “No. Some live in town, and some have moved to other cities, but we aren’t like wolves.
We don’t need to live in a pack to survive, so a lot of the young males move away and experience the human world, then they’ll either return, because they always have a place here, or they’ll find a mate or a career or, like, I don’t know, a cat they really love, and settle down outside the sleuth.
We just want everyone to be happy and safe.
” He shrugged. “The females tend to stay, especially the ones who have young cubs. Their need to keep their young safe tends to override the urge to wander, but we’d never try to stop them from leaving. ”
He sounded like he was trying to convince me, and quite frankly, it was unnecessary.
He didn’t beat the shit out of his den mates for looking at him wrong, food was literally everywhere, and the cubs I’d met were smiling and happy.
I knew they were good leaders, because I knew what being beneath the boot of a bad leader felt like.
The doors in this part of the den looked more familiar, and I realized we were nearly at the rooms.
This was confirmed when we turned the corner and saw Vance and Talbot leaning against the cool stone wall. Vance smiled softly at me, like he was overjoyed that I hadn’t just been a dream.
Talbot was frowning and staring down at his phone, but he looked up when we stopped, giving me a quick grin.
I dragged my eyes back to Vance and realized his gaze was slowly cataloging me, his Alpha power almost like phantom fingers I could feel traveling along my body, searching for any injury or weaknesses. It was invigorating and terrifying in equal measure.
His eyes finally returned to my face. “We should talk.”