“Tell me how you ended up with Kurt.” He squeezed his fingers to both comfort and compel the boy.
“M-my, um, sire needed a new truck. He does, ah, contracting work for humans, so he couldn’t be without a truck.”
“Go on,” Daniel urged when the boy hesitated, although he had an idea he was really going to hate the rest of the answer.
“Kurt wandered into our pack lands with a pick-up truck. It was old and beat-up, but useful.” Ben stopped and grimaced, then continued after a second. “My sire made a fair trade—me for it.”
“The fuck he did!” The vehement response came bursting out of Daniel’s mouth before he could stop it. He immediately regretted his lack of control, not because the information didn’t deserve his fury, but because of the way it made the omega cringe. The boy dropped the cold pack onto his lap and clenched the edge of the couch with both hands.
“It’s okay.” Daniel pulled Ben against him, and held the compress back in place himself. He ghosted his lips across the top of the boy’s head before saying, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.”
Ben’s breath hitched. “It’s the truth, sir. I swear it.”
Oh, shit, I’m fucking this whole thing up. “I believe you. My outburst was over the idea that trading his pup for a truck—of any kind—was appropriate. I mean, sires aren’t supposed to do that.”
The omega remained stiff in Daniel’s hold. “He needed the truck to make money and feed the other pups. My dam is an omega, so there are a lot of them.”
Of course she was and of course there were. Omegas, both male and female, often were whelped by other omegas. Equally typical was a sire breeding as many pups as he could. Daniel’s sire had discouraged that kind of mindless reproduction. While a pack needed lots of members to be strong, too many would lead to straining resources. He’d always told Daniel and his brothers that it was a delicate balance and only the alpha was in a position to strike it for all concerned.
Not that Daniel had listened much. He was never going to lead a pack, and didn’t even want to be a beta in one. Still, he knew that what Ben’s sire had done was wrong on so many levels. The first being that Kurt had been a fucking asshole who’d whored out an omega to make a living.
“Wasn’t your sire worried about sending you off with someone that wasn’t mating you?”
Ben shook his head against Daniel’s chest, the movement making his nerves tingle and his cock twitch. “It wasn’t important. Trading me meant getting the truck and having one less mouth to feed. It was a win-win in his view.”
“Didn’t the alpha object to losing a breeding pack member?”
Ben’s body rose and fell on a deep breath. “My sire was the alpha, sir.”
Of course he was.
“I was never going to breed for his pack anyway, and Kurt saved him the trouble of making a trade with another one.”
He should have seen that answer coming a mile away. Ben’s sire had likely seen him as a commodity from the moment of his birth and had always planned on making the best deal he could when the time came. It killed his last spark of hope that he could return Ben to the pack and the protective arm of a perhaps previously clueless alpha. Nope. He needed to move onto implementing Plan B.
Just as soon as he figured out what that was.
Because there was nothing more to be done that night and the feel of Ben in his arms was becoming too comfortable, he gently replaced his hand over the cold pack with Ben’s and disengaged their bodies.
“That’s enough talking for now. Let’s get you settled. I bet you’re tired,” he added with a tight smile that he hoped hid his discomfort.
“Yes, sir.” Ben’s meek demeanor increased. He blinked down at the floor with rapid flutters of his lashes. His cheeks pinked up, and that leg of his restarted its rapid jiggling.
Daniel resisted the urge to stop it. Touching Ben was not good for either of them. Not with darkness having fully descended, making the room softly dim and thoughts of what one might do with an omega swirling around unbidden in his head. “Come on.”
He stood and so did Ben, his slender body stiff and huddled in on itself. Daniel wordlessly turned and headed down the short hallway into his bedroom. Everything in his apartment had been perfectly sized for him up until a few hours ago. Now it seemed impossibly small. With both him and Ben standing in the bedroom, it felt almost comically so. If not for the fact that there was nothing funny about the look of fear on the omega’s face. The boy’s gaze flicked back and forth from the floor to the queen-sized bed.
Time to give the omega some relief from the presence of a dominant shifter practically standing on his toes.
“So, here’s where you’ll be sleeping.” He gestured toward the bed as if there could be any doubt about what he meant. “The sheets are mostly fresh. I washed them yesterday and don’t have a spare set. Feel free to use the bathroom any time you need to. I’m a pretty heavy sleeper, so no worries about disturbing me.”
Ben’s head nodded in jerky movement. “Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.” His chest stuttered on fast, shallow breaths. “Shall I get undressed now?”
“Ah, sure, just give me a second to leave.”
“Leave?” The omega’s tone sounded alarmed and confused.
“That’s right.” In contrast, Daniel tried to keep his own calm and measured. Reassuring. Yeah, like that was his strong suit. He really sucked at being a beta, which was one of the reasons taking off to live in the human world had held such appeal. “You’re sleeping here, and I’m taking the couch.”
Now Ben looked up at him. “I’m sorry?”
Daniel inched his way around the boy. “I’m not Kurt, and I’m sure as shit not any of those humans he rented you out to.” He immediately regretted his choice of words when they made Ben flinch. “You’re safe with me. From me,” he emphasized. “Get some sleep, and we’ll talk more in the morning.
He didn’t even wait for a response. He simply turned and fled his own bedroom, shutting the door behind him.
****
Ben hadn’t slept well. Then again, he hadn’t since being sold off from his family and his pack. That first hideous night with Kurt had left him too jumpy to keep his eyes closed for long. Something bad always happened if he didn’t stay vigilant. Something bad always happened even when he did.
He’d learned to be quiet, though. Sneaking out of bed without waking the man next to him had become second nature. Creeping past one sleeping on the couch was even easier. Having woken before the sun showed through the blinds, he’d lain in bed as long as he could before need forced him to the bathroom. He also knew how to be quiet there, except the flushing sound had been so loud, he’d worried his new master would wake.
Except no, the beta had continued to sleep, huddled on his side with nothing more than a throw blanket to cover him. Such a strange guy. Ben didn’t know what to make of him. Nothing about him made sense. Why would a beta steal him away from Kurt only to pamper him with a shower and food, and leave him to sleep alone. In his bed, no less. Instead of making Ben take the sofa or even putting him on the floor, the beta had inconvenienced himself.
And, he’d been comforting. That simple touch of having his neck cupped by the beta’s large, strong hand had settled Ben’s nerves more than anything had in the last year. He’d felt safe, although not from the beta’s assurances. Words meant nothing. Actions did, and the beta’s hand had conveyed security, not menace. Ben had been forced to shove down tears threatening to leak out. He’d become good at doing that, at least.
This beta, Daniel—yeah like Ben was ever going to use the guy’s name—was clearly playing a more subtle game than Kurt had ever done. That dumb gamma had only two modes—off and on, with “on” being the one that scared and hurt Ben the most. He figured the beta would get around to that eventually. He’d start demanding things from Ben, and if he wasn’t careful, the beta would probably prove more inventive in his punishments than Kurt had been. Betas were smart and cunning an
d ultimately scarier than gammas’ brute strength.
Too nervous to stay in bed, he dressed in the oversized clothing that smelled like the beta. The scent, alone, somehow managed to wind up his fear and calm him down. He supposed he’d have to adjust to the conflicting feelings because this was his new home. His role was to serve the beta, and even though the guy hadn’t made use of his body yet, there were other needs to meet.
With stealth he’d perfected over the year, he crept past the sleeping beta and went into the kitchen. He quietly slaked his thirst straight from the tap, not daring to use any of the beta’s things without permission. Then he took inventory of the kitchen to see what his new master might like for breakfast. He found eggs and mini-steaks that would fry up quickly, along with a hearty loaf of bread, butter and jam. A coffee maker sat in the corner of the counter. It was the kind where you could brew a whole carafe, which told him the beta liked drinking it. The lack of milk or cream in the refrigerator indicated he took it black.
Okay, he could work with this. Cooking was a skill his dam had taught him early in life. With so many pups hanging off her at any one time, the older ones had to help with household chores. Ben had held off Kurt’s fury more than once by whipping up a good meal on the most basic equipment in those dumpy human motels they’d stayed in. This kitchen was much better, even if the larder was a little sparse. He set everything on the counter, loaded up the coffee maker and waited, with butterflies plaguing his stomach, for the beta to show signs of waking.
It started with little things, like it always does. The beta’s breathing changed, becoming less deep and regular. Then there was a stirring of his body, flipping onto his back. A little moan, almost as if he were in the throes of a blowjob, before a grunt and a smacking of his lips. Ben was well-versed in the signs of a shifter coming awake. A frisson of fear shot up his spine before he whirled toward the coffee maker and started the drip. Then, he stood meekly by the counter, waiting and kind of hoping he’d been wrong and the beta would fall back into a deep sleep.
No such luck, but when had he ever had any? The beta stretched his arms over his head and yawned loudly before sitting up. The first thing the guy did when he opened his eyes was to stare straight at Ben. Startled, Ben kept their gazes locked for a few seconds. He saw the naked sexual need in the beta’s eyes before he banked it and looked away. Gods, that had never happened before. A dominant shifter didn’t break contact first. That was a lower pack member’s duty. He did so now, although it was pointless.
“Good morning.”
The hearty greeting made Ben jump. He was so startled, he almost forgot to return it. “Good morning, sir.” He looked at the beta from under his lashes, the way he’d learned as a pup. It allowed him to be attentive without showing boldness. “May I get you some breakfast?”
The beta padded forward, wearing only his jeans, unsnapped at the waist. His bare chest was beautifully sculpted, and a line of hair descended past the open jeans. “Have you been up for a while? Did you eat yet?”
The almost non-sequitur threw him for a second before he realized it was a test. “No, sir. I know better than to eat without permission.” There, except did that sound too prideful? He flinched at the beta’s approach.
“Oh, well, I guess I should have thought of that and laid down the ground rules a little better. You never have to wait to eat. Whatever I have, you can take. Got it?”
“Yes, sir.” He said the words automatically, but he really didn’t get it at all. What was “it” anyway? Did the beta really expect him to act like a guest or something? Was this a trap?
The worrisome thoughts rattled around in his head until the beta reached out and cupped the back of his neck. “Easy. You’re stressing out again and there’s no reason to.”
The touch did help. The sight of the bulge straining the front of the man’s jeans did not. Ben knew what that meant and what lurked behind the fabric. A hard dick in the morning usually meant a blowjob at the very least. It was the best way for an omega to earn his breakfast. Just as he worked up the courage to drop to his knees to handle it, the beta let him go.
“Hey, you made coffee.” The beta’s delighted tone caught Ben off guard, yet also eased the tension in him.
“Yes, sir. Please, let me get it,” he added when the beta reached for a mug. In his haste to be useful, he ended up careening straight into that hard, mostly naked body.
Strong arms wrapped around him before he landed on his ass. “Easy.” The beta’s warm breath wafted over Ben’s hair, and the heat of the larger body enveloped him.
Ben almost leaned into the man, instinctively sensing comfort instead of anger. The backs of fingers brushed across his bruised cheek. “This doesn’t look as bad as I’d feared. Does it hurt much?”
Ben shook his head because it was the truth. He’d suffered worse. Much worse. He’d actually forgotten that it was there. “No, sir.”
The beta let him go and stepped back. “That’s good. You know, I need to go to the bathroom and shower. Why don’t you whip up some breakfast. For the two of us.” Looking at the counter, he added, “You seem to have it all ready to go, and I eat everything. Anything at all will be fine with me. Really,” he added before beating feet out of the kitchen.
The relief made Ben’s knees weak. Left free of the beta’s unnerving presence along with having clear orders made it easier to breathe and think. He set about making a breakfast fit for an alpha because in his fucked-up world, the beta was his alpha. This was the shifter who dictated whether Ben ate or starved, cried or smiled, lived or died. He’d do anything to please him, and nothing was simpler than cooking.
By the time the beta came out of the bathroom, wearing a different pair of jeans and toweling his wet hair, Ben had finished. He’d even set the table, filled a mug with hot coffee and put it next to the fork. He stood by the stove, filling a plate.
“Hmm, smells great.” The beta slipped the towel over his shoulders and came over to sniff at his food. “Is that a fried egg inside a hole in the toast?”
Ben tightened his grip so that his trembling wouldn’t cause the beta’s breakfast to fall on the floor. “Yes, sir. The humans call it egg in the basket. I hope you like it.” He swallowed hard while he waited for an answer.
“Of course, I will. Anything I didn’t have to cook myself is always welcome. Here, I’ll take it.” He snatched the plate from Ben’s fingers before he could react. “Go ahead and fix your own.”
Ben quickly did as told, his stomach grateful to get to finally eat. His portion was smaller, naturally, but plenty for him. He stood awkwardly once he’d plated it because he wasn’t sure where he was supposed to eat. The beta had said to cook for both of them, yet hadn’t specified anything more.
“Hey, Ben?”
He looked over at the table, where the beta now sat in front of the place Ben had set. “Yes, sir?”
“Why isn’t the table set for two? Did you not understand you were to eat with me this morning the way we did last night?”
Feeling foolish for not realizing that, he hung his head and shook it. “No, sir.”
“Well, come on over. I don’t expect you eat on the floor like a dog,” the beta added under his breath.
Ben had heard it nevertheless and his cheeks burned as he gathered up his glass of water and utensils. Often, that was exactly how he’d eaten, not only with Kurt, but in his sire’s longhouse, too. Chairs were for dominant shifters when there weren’t enough to go around. He sat awkwardly across from the beta and waited for a signal to start eating.
It came in the form of a pointed look over the rim of the mug. It wasn’t a mean look, just a firm one. Ben didn’t hesitate to comply. Normally he barely tasted the first bite of food for the day, ravenous hunger making him too hasty. The full dinner from the previous night made this one different. He was hungry, not starving, so he was able to savor the taste. Not bad, if he said so himself. The real test of his feat would come any second now when the beta started in on
his own. Ben tried not to be obvious in his watchfulness.
“Hmm, this is delicious. The coffee, the eggs, everything.” The beta smiled around his mouthful. “Your mom taught you well.”
The praise and the casual reference to his dam made his skin break out in pleasurable goosebumps. “Thank you, sir.” He tucked his chin and concentrated on his own eating.
Breakfast was quiet other than the clinking of cutlery against stoneware and the normal smacking sounds of food and drink being consumed. Ben didn’t mind. He was used to not being talked to. Kurt had been much like his sire in that regard—intent on pleasing himself and paying little attention to others around him unless he needed something.
This beta wasn’t quite like that, however. Ben could feel him watching from time-to-time, not in a menacing way. At least not that Ben could detect. It made him nervous, though, and he practically jumped out of his skin when the beta stood to refill his mug.
“Please, sir…” Ben started to plead and rise.
“Nope.” The beta made a “sit down” gesture with his free hand. “You made the coffee, which I really appreciate. I don’t need you waiting on me, too. I’m not Kurt, remember?”
He came back to the table and slid into his seat. “I’m not even much like your typical beta, either.” Taking a slug of his coffee, he looked over the rim again with raised eyebrows.
“Yes, sir?” He wasn’t sure what, if anything, he was supposed to say to that pronouncement.
The beta put his mug down and picked up his fork and knife. He cut off a piece of steak, shoved it into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. “See, that’s why I left my pack and came east. My sire is also an alpha and my mother is the de facto head sigma. Everyone loves and trusts her, especially my sire. I think if the guy were a little more progressive, he’d recognize that she’s really a beta herself.”
He shook his head. “But, no. Anyway, everyone expected me to join the alpha’s council when I reached majority. I mean, it was a given, you know?”
Omega in the Middle (The Rogue Pack Book 5) Page 3
