Page 17 of The Runaway
Connor had been a little dismayed to realise that Dante would not be joining them for dinner. He ate with the alphas in the main house, Dante had told him earlier, before sending him off to help the cook prepare the evening meal. He’d spent most of the day with Dante in the stables, cleaning the horses’ tack and helping to sort the apples, and he felt conspicuous and out of place now, not knowing which of the omegas might be friendly or who were the mean ones he should avoid. So he’d taken a seat right at the end of the table, hoping to avoid too much attention.
Though it wasn’t like the others would just fail to notice he was there, and without any official status on the estate, he braced himself for snide comments, harsh accusations, and most likely, for someone to steal his food from him.
But for the first few minutes of the meal, no one paid him any mind. Everyone was hungry after a long day’s work, and they concentrated on putting food in their mouths and catching up on important news – the repair to the roof in cottage number two was holding up nicely under the rain; a fox had tried to break into the chicken house, but thankfully hadn’t got through the wire before Max had chased it off again; there was a tree down in the back paddock that needed to be cut up for firewood.
Connor watched the others, only beginning to eat once everyone else had. He’d already been given one meal after his bath, and he was apprehensive about being given another one now. Perhaps it was a mistake? Perhaps the others hadn’t been told that he’d already eaten today?
But for as long as the food was there, he wasn’t going to turn it away, so he ate quickly and quietly, keeping his eyes on the table.
But his attempt at peaceful solitude was not to last. “So, Connor,” Max said, a few minutes into the meal. “You’re a runaway, huh?”
“Leave him alone,” Helen said immediately. “Poor kid’s been through enough shit lately without you grilling him on it.”
“I’m just saying hello,” Max defended himself, then he grinned at Connor, like they’d just shared a private joke. “How was your first day?”
“Fine,” Connor said, before quickly returning to his meal. So far, no one had tried to take any of the food off his plate, but he wasn’t sure how long the reprieve would last.
“Where are you from?”
“Nowhere,” Connor said.
“Leave him alone,” Helen said again. “Mind your own business.”
“Why?” Henry was the one who spoke next. “He’s got the alphas in a right state. What the hell are they thinking, keeping a runaway here? It’s bound to cause trouble. No offence,” he added, glancing at Connor. “Honestly, I’m glad they’re letting you stay, but you can’t tell me this isn’t going to cause a mess down the track.”
“If it does, it’s Antoine’s problem,” Helen said. “I’m glad they let him stay, too. God knows there’s enough problems for omegas in the world already. I say that if there’s anything we can do to help, then we should be doing it.” She turned to Connor. “If you need anything, just let us know.”
Connor was taken aback by the friendly offer. “Thank you,” he said, though he didn’t dare take the words to heart. Words were all too easy to say, but when trouble hit, he didn’t expect any of these omegas to lift a finger to help him.
“Speaking of alphas, what’s Gabriel been up to today?” Max asked.
“Minding his own business for the most part,” Helen said. “Last I heard, he was going through the accounts with Niles.”
“Gabriel’s new here,” Max said, glancing at Connor. “Just arrived a couple of days ago.” He grimaced. “We haven’t quite worked out what he’s about yet.”
“Dante says he’s nice,” Nicole piped up. “Quiet, respectful. He doesn’t think he’s going to cause any problems.”
Max snorted. “No offence, but I’m not sure Dante’s rightly qualified to be saying if he’s a good sort or not. It’s not like Antoine would put up with anyone giving him a hard time.”
“He’s still had more to do with Gabriel than the rest of us, so he knows more than we do.”
“Dante wouldn’t stand for Gabriel to harm any of the rest of us,” Helen said. “The instant he steps out of line, just tell Dante about it, and he’ll have Antoine up in Gabriel’s face in a heartbeat.”
“We’ve said before, we can’t just dump all our problems in Dante’s lap,” Michelle said. “Just because he’s bonded to Antoine doesn’t mean he wants to spend his life playing snitch for the rest of us. But back to Gabriel. Carolyn says he’s more like a beta than an alpha. Hardly ever gives her orders, and she said he seemed quite embarrassed about being waited on.”
“Yeah? Well, Sabine said he’s a grumpy bastard,” Helen said. “Never smiles, hardly says two words to the betas if he can avoid it.”
“What about Cirroc?” Henry asked. “What does he say about him?”
“He’s sitting on the fence,” Claude replied. “Can’t say I’m convinced, either. It’s easy enough to play nice for a couple of days, but that’ll wear off soon enough. Then we’ll see his true colours.”
The easy conversation was a surprise to Connor. Back on his own estate, the omegas rarely chatted, and none of them would have dared even question any of the alphas’ motives. It was all too likely that one of the others would report the gossip and the omega who’d spoken would be punished for their impertinence. The fact that they were willing to voice their opinions here, out of earshot of any of the alphas or betas, implied a level of trust and camaraderie that he wasn’t familiar with.
“What do you think?” Max asked, turning to Connor. “Gabriel was the one who found you, right? How did he react?”
Connor thought about brushing off the question, but then reconsidered. He didn’t want to appear standoffish. And after spending so many years keeping all of his ideas to himself, it would be a relief to be able to speak his mind now. And perhaps make a few friends? He hadn’t had a real friend since Jackelyn. He thought back to that terrifying moment when Gabriel had first spotted him hiding in the stable and recalled the strange, almost fearful surprise on Gabriel’s face. And then there was the way he’d protected Dante without even thinking about it, and apologised for his roughness a moment later.
“I think I’d agree with Carolyn,” he said eventually. “He’s more like a beta. Most alphas I know are rough and angry, but he wasn’t like that.” Even during his questioning, as scary as that had been, Gabriel had been calm and controlled. He’d asked pointed questions, but hadn’t issued any insults or reprimands.