Page 14 of The Comfort of Pain (The Black Market Omega #1)

Killian

Basil passes Tristan, carrying a large platter loaded down with the most delicious-smelling roast. Jeremy really outdid himself.

“Fuck that looks good,” Tristan growls before popping the last bite of his sandwich into his mouth. He swallows almost instantly. “I’m gonna go get dressed.” He gives me a sharp nod before walking out of the room. He’s been hanging out in a towel for the last thirty minutes. I think he was hoping that Beth could come down and see his impressive form. I don’t blame him.

All alphas have muscle, but Tristan’s strength and size are a work of art. Big barrel chest, massive pecs, and biceps the size of tree trunks, all wrapped in beautiful, swirling black tattoos.

I’m a little sad Beth didn’t finish her bath in time to see him.

“I think that’s everything.” Basil sets the roast in the center of the table. He places his hands on his narrow hips, looking over all the dishes and place settings. He looks amazing in his fitted jeans and snug black polo. And he smells phenomenal. The gentle alpha has a usually subtle scent of freshly fallen rain and linen, but it’s especially noticeable after a shower. “I'm thinking, you at the head of the table,” he says, pointing. “Beth on your right, me next to her, Tristan on your left, and Jeremy next to him.” He looks up at me, asking with his eyes if that’s okay.

“It’s perfect.” I step up to the alpha, slipping my hand up his back. I feel the grooved muscle along his spine and up his shoulders. “I’m sure Beth will be very impressed.”

A nervous smile pulls at Basil’s lips. “She’s been through a lot,” he says, squeezing his hands together. “I want her to know that we’ll take care of her.”

I lean in, pressing my forehead against his. “She knows.”

Basil’s smile lifts, genuine happiness making his eyes crinkle around the edges. But then his energy shifts, a little more serious. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Of course,” I encourage him. I always welcome my pack’s questions and opinions.

“Are you going to rut Beth tonight?” He looks hopeful.

“I’m not sure,” I say honestly.

“For some omegas, it’s the only way to settle them,” he says. “Plus, it’ll help her bond with the whole pack faster.”

“I know,” I say, making it clear that I’m well aware.

Thankfully, Basil doesn’t say anything else, dropping it.

His desire makes sense. He wants us to bond quickly so Beth can accept her new life faster. But I’m worried about her physical injuries. She’s still hurt, and I’m honestly not sure if her body can handle being rutted by an alpha right now. She’s a virgin in that sense.

“Alright.” Tristan’s voice arrives before he does. “Is this okay?” He breezes around the corner, having dressed in record time. He’s wearing a pair of black slacks and a white T-shirt with short sleeves, allowing the tattoos that cover his upper arms to peek out. The ones on his chest are barely visible through the thin fabric.

“You always look good in a V-neck.” Basil lets out a breathy rumble, staring at the edge of the tattoos around the alpha’s collar.

“You look perfect,” I tell Tristan, and he stands a little taller.

With the table set and my pack dressed and presentable, I’m suddenly very restless. Not sure what to do with myself, I make my way to the head of the table and pull out my chair. But not two seconds after I sit down, Jeremy and Beth appear. I instantly jump up, thrilled to see the pair standing close to one another.

Omegas thrive when they bond with their betas.

“We’re clean and hungry.” Jeremy clasps his hands together. While alphas and betas don’t have the intense mental bond that alphas and omegas do, I can still feel my mate’s faint emotions when we’re near one another. And right now, Jeremy is nervous with a touch of fear and disappointment.

I wonder what happened.

Beth’s dark eyes sweep the room as she walks through the space between the kitchen and living room. We don’t have a very big home. The shared living space is pretty much just one giant room. While we do have a small gym with a few machines and a pretty decent hot tub, most everything in this house was built with second-hand supplies or at repossessed auctions.

But the view outside makes up for a lot.

“Wow,” Beth whispers under her breath as she stares out the floor-to-ceiling window. The sunset does look stunning tonight. Pink and orange light erupts from behind the mountain’s peak, making the valley below appear to shimmer.

It’s my favorite time of day.

“Oh my.” Jeremy’s mouth falls open with pleasant surprise as he steps up to the table. “Basil.” He looks up at the alpha as if in awe. “You set the table.” He places his hand over his heart.

Tristan presses his lips together, fighting an obvious joke. He frequently teases Basil for being the “good alpha” out of the three of us, but it’s obvious he doesn’t want to do that tonight in front of Beth.

“You were busy, so I thought I’d help.” Basil gives his signature boyish smile. He’s such a considerate mate, always trying to give Jeremy a hand when he can.

Beth watches the pair’s interaction carefully. I can’t help but notice the suspicious look on her face. I’m quickly realizing she comes from a completely shit family. The fear, the trust issues, and those fucking bruises. I’ll never get over the fact that her own father put those marks on her.

But I’m determined to show her what a good pack is.

“You look lovely.” I greet the omega with a bow of my head, pleased when she looks me up and down. She takes in my pressed white dress shirt and relaxed jeans. I swear her pupils dilate as they land on my belt buckle, but she jerks and quickly looks away. “Please, sit.” I pull out her chair.

Beth’s gaze darts away from me, sliding over the food, then her chair. She almost looks like she’s not sure what to do. “Um. Thank you.” Her tone is flat. Guarded. Then she moves slowly, inching forward, until she finally sits down. It’s almost like she’s expecting one of us to attack her.

It’s gutting.

I push Beth’s chair in, and the rest of my pack takes their seats. Once everyone is ready, I pull the roast toward me to serve everyone.

Beth takes her time really looking around while I carve our dinner. She looks over the large gray couch and matching armchairs in the living room, the hardwood floors, the kitchen island, then the white cupboards. The countertops are made of reclaimed oak. They look amazing with the dark wooden beams overhead. Beth’s gaze lingers on the fridge, then on the pantry door next to it. I’m not sure what kind of luxuries she had in her old home, but it feels rude to ask right now.

“Ladies first.” I place some roast on Beth’s plate, before serving Jeremy.

I’m not big on “traditional” pack etiquette. I always feed my beta before the alphas. Most packs force them to scavenge for food at the end of the meal, but I refuse to do that to someone I love. Especially someone as gentle as Jeremy.

“That’s not enough,” Tristan says as I place a large chunk of meat on his plate, but he’s not looking at his food. He’s looking at Beth’s. “Here.” He stands and reaches across the table, replacing his plate with hers. “This cut is better. More tender.”

“Oh.” Beth freezes momentarily as she looks up at the alpha. “Thanks,” she mumbles and her brows pull together with confusion.

Basil and I share a glance, both of us having the same unspoken concern.

I finish serving everyone while Jeremy fusses, making sure that Beth has plenty of side dishes. The omega objects a few times, saying it’s too much, but I notice that she doesn’t say a word when the buttered carrots are piled on her plate. She must really like them.

We chat while we eat, talking about a few things that need to be fixed around the house, as well as our next grocery trip into town.

“Town?” Beth sits a little straighter, her fork suspended in mid-air.

“Yeah.” Jeremy leans over the table, trying to pour some water into Beth’s glass, but the reach is too far. Tristan ends up taking the pitcher from the beta, filling the glass for him. “Greenwood is about forty-five minutes away,” Jeremy continues, taking his seat. “Oak Hollow is a little over an hour in the opposite direction.” He hitches a thumb the wrong way, making me smile. The beta has no sense of direction.

“Have you been to either town?” Basil asks, trying to make conversation.

Beth shakes her head. “I’ve never been anywhere.” There’s a note of sadness in her voice.

“I understand.” Jeremy lets out a heavy sigh, frowning. “My grandma was an omega,” he says softly. “She was never allowed to leave the house either.”

Beth nods like that’s normal, shocking me. I had an omega mother who ventured out of the house all the time. Of course, she was never by herself, but she still enjoyed going pretty much anywhere she wanted.

“It’s dangerous for omegas to go too far from home,” Beth says the words like she’s heard them a thousand times.

“It’s dangerous for omegas that have packs that don’t command respect,” I say a little too forcefully, making Beth flinch. “But when you take care of your family and your community, people are eager to help protect what’s yours.”

Beth’s dark brows pull together. I can’t tell if what I’ve said has offended her or not, but I want her to know what I think of an alpha who would lock up and beat his omega daughter so brutally.

“Do you have any brothers or sisters?” Jeremy asks, changing the subject.

Beth chews her food slowly, before setting down her fork. She’s clearly working up the courage to say something, and I’m pretty sure I know what it is. “I need to go home,” she says calmly, looking straight at Jeremy. And it takes everything in me not to pinch the bridge of my nose.

Jeremy pushes out a nervous laugh. “What?” His brow wrinkles with confusion. “But this is your home,” he says as sweetly as he can.

“No.” Beth’s tone is a little too forceful for my liking. “It isn’t.”

“Omega.” I take a deep breath, trying to keep my temper in-check. “We talked about this. You belong to us?—”

“No. I don’t,” Beth snaps. Her loud outburst instantly has Basil and Tristan on edge, but neither one of them speaks, allowing me to handle this.

“You can’t even tell us where your family lives.” I carefully set down my utensils, determined to calm the distressed omega. “How am I supposed to take you home if you don’t know where that is?”

“That way.” Beth points out the window at the mountains in the distance. “I live on the other side of that valley. I recognize that skyline. I live there.”

“That’s unbelievably vague,” I say flatly. I should be more understanding, but she keeps demanding something I simply can’t give her.

“Please.” Beth licks her lips as she shifts in her seat. “If you’ll just let me go. I can?—”

“No,” I cut her off, making it clear there’s no room for discussion. “I’m not letting you go.”

Beth’s face scrunches with frustration, and her little fists curl tight. “Jeremy.” She turns to the beta, desperation clear in her voice. “I was kidnapped.”

Shock rips through Jeremy and his mouth falls open. He believed the same as we did—the Morder omegas were wayward creatures that needed the help and love of packs that couldn’t get a mate the traditional way.

“My family is looking for me,” Beth continues, her voice rising as her distress grows. “They need me. I have to go home.” She jabs a finger at the window. “They’re out there looking for me.”

“Killian?” Jeremy looks at me with deep lines settled between his brows. “They kidnapped her?”

“Yes!” Beth answers before I can. “I wasn’t abandoned or surrendered,” she grits out the words Basil said to her this morning. “I was taken. The Morder abducts the omegas they sell.”

“I don’t understand.” Jeremy’s terrified gaze darts from me to Tristan, then Basil, and back again. He looks completely gutted.

“Omega, please,” Basil moves to place his hand over Beth’s but she flinches, growling high in her throat.

I can’t say that Angelica didn’t warn us. Northern Omegas are wild, and it’ll take time to train her to trust us. But this is still so upsetting. None of us has tried to hurt her.

“That’s enough, Beth,” I say, trying not to raise my voice. “I know you’ve had a rough few days, but we didn’t steal you.”

“No.” Her face twists with rage. “You just bought me,” she hisses, and my hackles rise. “And now you refuse to return me.”

“I have nowhere to return you to!” I yell, finally done with her shit. “And even if I did, there’s no way in hell I’d take you back to a father who beat you!”

Beth goes still and her fists loosen. Tears gather in the corner of her eyes and her hands tremble.

Fuck .

I shouldn’t have said that…even if it is true.

“They are still my family.” Beth’s voice is shockingly firm, despite her sadness. “I was still taken.”

“Were you though?” Tristan speaks up, shocking all of us. He tends to steer clear of emotional conversations. He’s shit at expressing himself and always ends up saying things that upset Basil or Jeremy. I’m used to his blunt nature, but it’s only because he and I are similar in that way. The only difference is that I can keep my opinions to myself.

“What did you say?” Beth looks at the burly alpha, shaking her head.

“You weren’t kidnapped.” He takes a big bite of his dinner, chewing quickly. “You ran away.” He leans back in his chair, looking right at Beth. “You told me you were trying to run away. You weren’t kidnapped.”

Beth’s throat works as she shifts in her chair. I can practically see the gears in her head turning. “I was upset,” she says softly, trying to pull in her spiraling emotions. But it’s too late. I can smell it on her. She’s in a full-on panic. “I left my home after this happened.” She holds one hand over the bruised side of her face, struggling to look at us. “I just needed some air, and I got a little turned around.” Her jaw tenses and her chin quivers. “I was found by two men. They refused to let me go. The alpha…he…he…” A single tear falls down her soft cheek and my rage triples.

“What did he do to you?” Basil asks, his pale green eyes filled with an intense rage.

Beth shakes her head, refusing to answer. “They dragged me to the Morder.” She keeps her head down, staring at the water in her glass as she speaks, lost in her memories. “They stripped me down and drugged me up.” More tears fall, and Jeremy sniffles loudly.

“Beth,” the beta sucks in a shuddering breath between tears. “I’m so sorry.”

But I’m not buying it. Angelica warned us—this omega has killed an alpha. She also got the jump on Tristan and managed to plunge a blade into his arm. There have been grown alphas that haven’t been able to get the better of him. And then lying about being snatched from her family, when she already admitted to being lost in the woods.

I simply don’t trust that she has a loving family out there looking for her. Hell, she might not have any family at all. She might truly be wild and just wants to return to the woods, but I’m not doing that.

“How you ended up at the Morder doesn’t change anything.” I toss my napkin onto my plate. “We still don’t know where your family lives, and you’re still in my care.” I look deep into the omega’s eyes, making sure she hears the alpha command in my voice. “You belong to us.”

Beth stares at me. There’s so much sadness in her watery eyes, but there’s also rage. And lots of it. Then, as if a switch is flipped inside the omega, Beth moves. She grabs the fork off her plate and lunges at me. I see her aiming for the center of my chest in plenty of time. I reach out, easily grab her wrist, then squeeze.

“Let go!” she struggles, trying to break free. I tighten my hold and she finally drops the fork.

“I think it’s bedtime.” I stand, then bend, forcing the struggling omega over my shoulder. “Say goodnight, Beth.”

“Fuck you!” she growls, kicking and screaming. Trying to bring the whole house down.

I turn to check on Jeremy, devastated to see him pressed against Tristan’s side, crying as quietly as he can. Basil gets up and moves around the table, kneeling next to the beta. I walk off, leaving my alphas to handle him. I’ll check on the beta later, but for now I have to deal with our feral omega.

Beth needs to be settled. She needs to be claimed. Basil is right—it’s the only way to calm her.

I hope she can handle it.