Page 13 of The Comfort of Pain (The Black Market Omega #1)

Beth

We step inside the house, and I’m immediately greeted by a large white wall of…warmth!

The whole house is toasty, but I don’t see a fireplace anywhere. Maybe they have air conditioning. My beta father, Scott, frequently talks about the machines. They make houses cold or hot depending on the season. He always says he misses those little comforts, but it’s hard to imagine something that can warm an entire house.

“That way is the living room and kitchen,” Jeremy points left. All I can see is the edge of the floor-to-ceiling window. Outside, there are several branches of the big oak tree and a sliver of mountains in the distance. But that’s it. “And this way is everything else.” He leads me to the right, holding my hand softly in his.

I slowly wiggle free, and thankfully he releases me. He doesn’t scare me or anything like that. I’m just a little overstimulated at the moment.

Following the beta closely, I scent the air around him as we move down the long hallway. He smells subtle. Like sage and lemon. It’s uncharacteristically bright for a beta…or at least that’s what my mom says. Omegas smell sweet, alphas smell strong, and most betas are subtle. My own beta father smells like a faint spring breeze, but Linden smells like nothing.

My mom always said to be wary of betas that have no scent. It means they aren’t compatible with pack life, but I think that’s bullshit. Linden is a good man with a good heart.

He’ll make a wonderful mate one day.

“Do you like hot tubs?” Jeremy looks over his shoulder at me. I don’t respond, keeping my expression blank. I don't want him to know how clueless I am. The beta’s smile pulls a little tight when I don’t answer, but he doesn't linger on it. Instead, he doubles down on his bubbly energy and begins to talk excitedly about the pieces of art hanging on the walls. They’re nice—lots of flowers, deer, and mountain ranges—but why put that on your wall? You can see all that stuff by looking out the window.

We hit the end of the hallway and turn the corner. My eyes go wide as we pass a long glass wall with a few weird machines inside. They’re all black with levers and cords hanging off of them.

“That’s the gym.” Jeremy points at the weird machines. “Obviously.” He lets out a little laugh. “The hot tub is in a little room in the back.”

Gym? I silently repeat the word, trying to figure out what it could be. I assume a hot tub is a wash bin made for extra hot water, but “ gym ” is a totally new word. Not wanting to give away how little I know, I turn and stare at a little door tucked beneath the long staircase.

Jeremy follows my gaze and rushes to the door. “This is the laundry room,” he says excitedly. Then he pushes it open to reveal a spacious tiled room with two large white boxes. One of them has a circular window in the front. It hums and spins, flinging around something wet inside of it. Clothes?

“Oh,” I say, suddenly feeling very overwhelmed.

I’ve been here all of ninety seconds and I’ve already seen a dozen things that make no sense. I thought I knew what the world outside of my little home was like. I’ve read tons of books, and I always ask my mother and Scott all kinds of questions about their life before meeting Burke. But I’m quickly realizing that I don’t know anything.

“All the bedrooms are up here.” Jeremy moves to the steep staircase and I slowly follow. The railing is sturdy and none of the steps creak or bow. They’re well made with a glassy sheen on the dark wood.

“These rooms belong to Basil and Tristan,” the beta points at two side-by-side doors, “but we all pretty much sleep in Killian’s room.” He leans down, and whispers, “But don’t worry. We won’t crowd you two tonight.”

Dread settles in my belly as I realize what he means—Killian probably expects to rut me tonight. It makes sense. That’s why alphas want omegas, but there’s a chance Killian won’t. After all, I’m still bruised and sore. I can play it up. Pretend to be in a lot of pain. The pack alpha was very considerate last night. It’s not ridiculous to think he will be tonight too.

“And this is Killian’s room. It’s where you’ll sleep.” Jeremy flicks a little switch on the wall and light erupts overhead. I stare at the fixture on the ceiling, taking in the bright, clean light. It’s like daytime, but inside. Linden said it was easy to use electricity, but I honestly didn’t believe him.

Curious, I reach out and flick the switch. The light instantly turns off, casting us into the dark. I flick it back up and the light is back. “Wow,” I whisper.

Jeremy’s eyes crinkle along the sides as he smiles widely. “It’s kind of fun. Isn’t it?”

I am in awe and completely forget to keep my expression blank. “Yes.” I smile, flicking the switch up and down a few more times. “Did you grow up without electricity, too?”

His nose scrunches as he gives me a jerky shake of his head. “I did grow up with electricity, but I understand how it can be fun,” he quickly adds, and I realize I’m being ridiculous. Of course, he had electricity.

And air conditioning.

Hell, I bet this pack even has a fridge. I really hope they do. While I plan on waking up and getting the hell out of here before anyone else tomorrow morning, I’d still like to see how a fridge works. This might be my only chance.

“What do you think?” Jeremy takes a few steps into the room.

Leaving the light on, I scan the large space. It’s huge, like everything else in the house. The ceiling is insanely high with a dark beam that runs along the center, the carpet is squishy and the far wall is one massive floor-to-ceiling window. In the corner, I can see the top of the oak tree. We must be right above the living room.

“The bathroom is this way.” Jeremy turns slightly, then waits, obviously wanting me to follow him.

I stare as we pass the biggest bed I’ve ever seen in my life. The dang thing faces a large window and looks big enough to fit my whole family, kids and all. I stare longingly at the dark green comforter, wishing I could skip the bath and curl up under it.

I miss my nest.

“This is the closet.” Jeremy opens a narrow door, showing me the tiny room. “These are yours,” he points to a stack of clothes next to the door. I eye them, but don’t look too closely. I’m sure they’re fine. “And here is the bathroom.” He touches the door next to the closet. He pushes it open, then points to the switch on the wall. He lets me flick it on.

I can’t stop my eyes from going wide as bright light fills the clean, white room.

This is nothing like my house. My bathroom at home has a wash basin and a small sink. While we do have running water, it comes from only one spout in the sink, but this room has multiple spouts—one in each of the sinks, one in a fancy-looking bathtub, and then some weird-shaped ones hanging from the ceiling.

“Is this a shower?” I ask, admiring the white, shiny tile.

“Yes,” Jeremy says, watching me closely. I know he must find my reaction to all of this kind of silly, but I don’t care right now.

Resting my fingers on one of several silver knobs, I wonder what each one does. “I’ve never seen a shower like this before.” It’s only a partial lie because, in truth, I’ve never seen any shower before. But I’ve read a few books where the characters take a shower. It was described like a tiny waterfall, but even with my mother’s insistence that they were real, it was still hard to believe.

“Would you rather take a shower?” Jeremy asks, reaching for one of the knobs. His fingers brush over mine, warm and gentle, and I yank my hand back. Jermey pretends not to notice and turns the knob. Water erupts from a silver spout overhead. It blasts down, and I scramble back. It looks kind of violent. Not relaxing at all.

“No, thank you.” I stare at the forceful splatter on the tile floor.

“No problem.” Jeremy turns it off, then moves to the washbasin. He gets to work, turning one knob, then another. Water bursts from the spout, and my eyes go wide.

“That water pours directly into the tub?” I ask, wondering how the hell they heat it up.

“Yes.” Confusion pulls Jeremy’s dark brows together. “How did baths work in your old home?”

“You heat the water up on the stove, then pour it into the washbasin,” I say. “Do you not warm up your water first? Do you only take cold baths?”

Jeremy’s expression softens as if understanding what I’m saying. “Come here.” He takes my hand, bringing it to the spout. The second my fingers touch the rushing water, I jerk back.

“It’s already hot!” I gasp loudly.

Jeremy laughs. It’s a sweet sound. Not judgmental. “We have a fancy water heater that makes the water hot for us.” He touches both knobs.

I’m not sure what a water heater is either, but I think I can figure it out based on the name.

“It can come out hot or cold,” he continues. “And if you turn on both at the same time, the water comes out somewhere in between.” He twists the right one, then touches the water again. “It can take a minute to get the temperature just right.” He fusses for a bit longer, trying to make it perfect for me.

I just stare at the back of Jeremy’s head, curious as to why he’s being so nice to me. He clearly wants something from me, but I don’t know what. Alphas are only nice to omegas so they can fuck them, but betas aren’t wired that way. They're complicated.

“Okay.” Jeremy stands and clasps his hands together. “I’ll go get you something to wear while you get in.” His gaze lingers on my face for a second, and he lets out a happy sigh. “I’m so happy you’re here.” Thankfully, he doesn’t wait for me to respond, gliding around me back into the bedroom.

I move quickly, stripping off my dirty clothes and socks. I leave them in a pile on the floor, eager to get in the water before Jeremy returns. But before I can move to the tub, my reflection over the bathroom sink catches my eye. I stop and turn, really looking at myself for the first time in days.

I’m wrecked.

Black and blue splotches litter my hip, knees, and wrists. There are puffy dark circles under my eyes, but the side of my face isn’t as bad as I expected. The bruise on my cheekbone is relatively small. Maybe the size of a quarter. My fingers graze it, feeling the slightly raised mark. I let my hand fall, brushing over my collarbone down to my breast. I have a few dark marks dotting my flesh. They’re from Stone. Memories of how he groped me flash in my mind. My stomach churns as I’m forced to relive the way his wet tongue pushed its way into my mouth. Touching me. Feeling me. Tasting me.

Bile rises in my throat and I stumble, catching myself on the bathroom counter. I breathe deeply. In through my mouth and out through my nose.

“He’s dead,” I whisper to myself. “You're safe.”

Am I though?

Killian and his pack have told me about a million times in the last two days that I’m safe, but they’ve made it very clear that I’m not going anywhere. They bought me to be their mate, and won’t accept anything less. A wild thought grips me and I can’t help but wonder what they might do if I run.

Will they hunt me? Hurt me? Kill me if I refuse to let them mate me?

“Beth?” Jeremy knocks on the bathroom door and I run to the bathtub.

Trying to be quick and careful at the same time, my legs shake as I climb into the tub. The water is a little too hot. Sloshing, making me hiss.

“Can I come in?” The door cracks open, and I grab a bar of soap, rubbing it up and down my arms. “Is everything okay?” Jeremy pokes his head inside the door. His bright blue eyes find me, and he smiles widely. “I hope you like pink.” He pushes open the door, then holds up a flowing nightgown for me to see before putting it on the bathroom counter. It looks kind of like a T-shirt, but incredibly long.

“Pink is fine,” I say as I pull my knees up to my chest. I pretend to wash my legs and feet, but really I’m trying to hide my body the best I can from the beta. He doesn’t feel like a threat, but it’s weird being naked around him. The only people that have seen me bare are my mother and Linden…or they were.

Basil and Killian saw me naked in the stream. They touched me, too.

I think about the way they held and washed me. The way they purred. Some of the tension falls from my shoulders and a shiver cuts through me as I think about their gentle hands and loving words. I kind of wish Basil was here now so he could wash my hair. His hands felt like magic as they worked me over.

“Is that soap okay?” Jeremy eyes the bar in my hand.

I look at it, not sure what he means. It’s soap. “Yeah,” I say, turning it over in my hand. It’s white with no smell, very similar to what I used back home.

“It’s unscented,” Jeremy says as if excited to share. “It’s also balanced to work with an omega’s delicate system without masking pheromone production.” His face scrunches up and he snorts loudly. “I sound like an ad.” He laughs and I can’t help but smile. He’s just so… bubbly .

He has an infectious energy that makes me want to snuggle up next to him and gossip while we sip hot chocolate.

He’s not your friend, I remind myself. He’s your captor.

“Do you want me to wash your hair?” Jeremy asks as he kneels next to the tub. He keeps his eyes on my face, and not my body. He doesn’t leer or smirk as he waits patiently for me to answer. And the truth is, I really want him to wash my hair. I want my scalp scratched and massaged, like Basil did. But I need to keep my distance. Bonding with this pack will only upset them more when I leave.

“No, thank you,” I say.

A flash of disappointment flickers in Jeremy’s pale blue eyes, but he doesn’t pressure me. Instead, he smiles. It doesn’t quite reach his eyes. This beta smiles a lot.

“Let me know if you change your mind,” he says, before stepping back into the bedroom.

Turning my head, I listen carefully for his footsteps, but he doesn't go far. I hear the beta take a long, calming breath, then he whispers to himself, “It’s okay. She’s just scared.”

I hate that I feel bad. The urge to comfort the beta is so strong.

Stupid omega biology.

I wash my hair with the bar of soap, then I rinse. By the time I’m done, the bath is filled with dirt and fragments of leaves. I was pretty gross.

“All done?” Jeremy sticks his head back into the bathroom.

“Yes.” I cross my arms to cover my chest. The murky water hides everything else.

“Okay,” Jermey’s vibrant smile is back in place as he grabs a very puffy, black towel off a rack on the wall. It’s thick, like a blanket. “Let’s get you fed, omega.” He turns his head as he holds out the towel.

Trying not to slosh the dirty water, I stand up and quickly snatch the towel from him. To his credit, Jeremy doesn’t look at me. He turns his back, letting me dry off without his prying eyes on me.

“Ready?” Jeremy turns his head toward me, but his eyes are closed.

“Yes,” I say, not sure what I’m ready for.

“Okay.” The beta jumps to, grabbing the nightgown off the counter. He rolls the end up, then holds it up to me. “Arms up.” I do as he says and he slips the oversized nightgown over my head. The material is heavenly. Soft and light. Like wearing a cloud. “It’s a little big,” he laughs, looking at my legs.

“It’s not bad.” I squeeze my arms, hugging myself. The sleeves pool at my elbows and the hem is a good three or four inches past my knees. I love it.

“Beth?” Jeremy’s bright tone turns quiet. Almost serious. He takes my hand, stroking over the back of my knuckles.

I should snatch my hand back, but I'm so tired and he’s so nice.

“I really am so happy you're here.” He looks at me with those big blue eyes, genuine joy pouring out of them. “I know I keep saying that, but we’ve waited a long time to meet you.”

I feel awful.

Why do the nicest betas end up with the worst packs? Scott is so sweet despite how horrible Burke and Tony are, and now Jeremy. I feel like we could have been friends if we had met any other way. But I have to get back to my mother and brothers. They need me to protect them.

I was such a fool to leave.

But there’s no helping it.

I can try to reason with Killian to let me go. Maybe Jeremy will help me leave if he understood how I ended up at the Morder. Maybe . But if this pack refuses to let me go, then come morning, I’ll wake up early, like I always do, and I’ll sneak out. I’ll collect what supplies I can, then I’ll find my way back home on my own.

I’m not stupid. I know that I’ll be viciously punished for running off, but I’ll never forgive myself if I don’t go back to make sure that my mom and brothers are okay. Maybe I’ll get lucky. Maybe the Frolens won’t care that I left and will have peacefully moved on. Maybe my absence has calmed Burke. Maybe I’ll be welcomed back with open arms.

Not likely, I think to myself . Burke’s just going to beat you senseless then sell you off the second he can.

It’s a bitter truth, but there’s no dwelling on it right now.

I just hope the pack alpha didn’t kill anyone in the short time I’ve been gone.