"He's always worrying," Paige said, making her way up to Mia.
It wasn't hard to see why. The omega huffed and puffed with every step.
Mia rushed down the stairs so that Paige wouldn't have to climb up them to meet her. Turned out, she shouldn't have worried. The woman might've been pregnant, but she definitely wasn't frail. The moment she was in arm's reach, Paige embraced Mia and squeezed her tight.
"Welcome," the omega said before finally releasing her. "You have no idea how happy I am that you're here in the Boundarylands with us."
Despite her defensive nature, Mia felt some of the tension melt from her body. And why not? Those were the first genuinely welcoming words she'd heard since being dropped here.
The omega rested her hands on Mia's shoulders, seeming perfectly at ease with the intimate gesture. She shook her head slowly as she looked Mia up and down.
It was apparent she wasn't impressed with what she saw. Though, to Mia's amazement, the omega knew precisely who to blame.
She shot a disappointed frown at Ty.
"Really?" Paige said. "And here I was just starting to think better of you, Ty Wick."
Ty's brows pulled together in confusion. "What?"
"You're telling me that you were lucky enough to find your soul mate walking on the side of the road, and this is how you treat her?"
"What are you talking about?"
"The poor thing is wearing one of your old T-shirts."
"That's because her only dress was…damaged."
Paige didn't look swayed by his argument at all. "Ty, she's barefoot."
"She was wearing heels when I found her," Ty tried, starting to sound a little sheepish. "Broken heels."
Paige lifted her eyes heavenward as if praying for patience. "Let me get this straight. You run the only trading post in a hundred miles, but you can't order decent clothes for your omega because…?"
"I don't know if you've noticed, Paige," Ty protested, "but Evander's has been all but taken over by beta authorities."
To Mia's mind, Ty's answer made sense, but the other omega wasn't letting him off the hook easily.
"Too bad you don't know any other omegas who might be able to help out," Paige said. "Like me, for instance. Or Gail."
Ty stared at the ground, his eyes hooded. It was an expression Mia hadn't yet seen on him. He almost looked…ashamed.
But that couldn't be the case. Mia didn't think Ty—or any alpha for that matter—was capable of that emotion.
"It's okay," Mia ventured awkwardly. "Ty has been…dealing with a lot."
Paige gave Mia a skeptical look, turning her back on the alphas.
"You're sweet," she said. "But let me give you a piece of advice. Don't let these alphas off the hook so easily. If Ty had wanted to find you clothes, he could have done so."
"It's truly okay," Mia said, wanting to get past this subject without another tense confrontation. "I don't mind."
"Really?" Paige asked, not sounding convinced at all. "You're telling me that you wouldn't like some real clothes, decent shoes, some hair ties, maybe a little makeup?"
Mia let out a breath she hadn't realized that she'd been holding. Of course she wanted those things. She hadn't realized how much she missed them until Paige listed them out loud.
Given the tension between her and Ty at the moment, however, the chances were good that she wouldn't be seeing any of them any time soon.
"Yeah, that's what I thought," Paige said with a smile. She turned on her heel and started waddling back to the car. "Fortunately, some of us think ahead. I picked out a few things for you to borrow until you get settled."
Kian raced to help, retrieving a large bag from the bed of the truck. Even in the alpha's grasp, it looked heavy. Clearly, it was weighed down with far more than just a few things.
"This is too much," Mia said, feeling her tears change from ones of despair to gratitude. Apparently, she hadn't realized how much she missed life's little luxuries. "I can't possibly borrow so many things from you."
Paige shook her head as her alpha carried the bag into the house. "Don't be silly. It's not like I fit into any of it right now," she said, gesturing toward her swollen belly. "Did you know that even your feet grow when you're pregnant? 'Cause I sure as hell didn't."
Mia bit her lower lip, not trusting herself to speak. Fortunately, she didn't have to. Paige shuffled back up the path and slung her arm over Mia's shoulder.
"Come on," she said, guiding Mia toward the house. "Let's get you dressed. After that, maybe we can take a little break from the guys and get to know each other."
"I'd like that," Mia said, almost shyly. The jealousy that she'd felt upon seeing Paige for the first time had vanished entirely. It was obvious that her new friend brought out the best in people, even someone as tough as Ty.
As if he'd been reading her mind, her alpha's voice rang out behind them.
"Paige," he called.
"Yes?" She turned, smiling.
"Thank you."
Paige's grin widened her expression at once genuine and knowing.
"You're welcome," she said. "If there's one thing that I've learned in my short time here in the Boundarylands, it's that we all do better when we help each other. All of us."
* * *
Mia pulled the flat brush through her thick hair over and over, stroke after stroke, until it finally began to feel like hers again. Running her fingers through the soft strands, she pulled it back into a long ponytail, securing it with one of the elastic bands Paige had brought.
Even though the hairstyle didn't really call for it, she slid a marbled blue clip near her right ear, just because she liked the way it caught the light.
She couldn't hold back a sigh of contentment as she gazed at her reflection in the mirror. She looked like herself again. Her actual self. Not some stranger who was simply trying to make so and survive.
"See," Paige said behind her, her voice light. "Isn't that better?"
Oh God, it was. So much better. The omega had no idea.
Or maybe she did.
Mia was curious to know what had brought Paige to the Boundarylands. Whatever it was, she guessed it wasn't good. How could it be? No beta woman came here of their free will.
Mia smiled in the mirror at her new savior. "Thank you again."
Paige returned the smile. "My pleasure. From what I heard, you didn't exactly land here with tons of luggage."
That was certainly an understatement.
Still, Mia didn't want Paige thinking poorly of Ty for not providing her with clothes right away.
"You know," she said, trying to keep her tone casual, "Ty really has been trying his best."
"Oh, I know." Paige gave a light laugh. "It's just that when it comes to alphas, in some situations even their best efforts can fall a little short."
Mia's jaw dropped. She'd never heard anyone talk about alphas that way.
Ever.
Not even back in the beta world where everyone tended to think of alphas as mythical creatures rather than real people. Despite—or perhaps because of—their reputation for brutality, there was always a strange air of respect when alphas came up in conversation. Only an idiot thought that they could survive a one-on-one with an alpha.
And Paige didn't strike Mia as an idiot.
Mia spoke in low tones. "You know they can hear you, right?"
Paige laughed, loud and hard enough to make it clear she didn't give a damn who was listening. "Yeah, I'm aware."
"And you don't care?"
Paige smoothed back a tiny tendril of Mia's hair that had escaped its elastic, a gesture both thoughtful and tender. Her smile didn't leave her face, but it became more serious.
"Come on," she said. "Let's go for a little walk. I think you may have been cooped up in this cabin a little too long."
Mia nodded. Paige was right. She hadn't realized it until now, but she'd badly needed company and a change of scenery. Someone other than Ty to talk to. Someone who didn't
fill her with a baffling mixture of emotions all at once—fear, defiance, and lust.
Paige took Mia's hand as they walked out of the cabin past the alphas, who were sitting and talking on the porch just as Ty and Samson had earlier.
"We're going for a walk," Paige declared.
Kian and Ty both got to their feet. "That's not a good idea," they said, practically in unison.
Paige laughed. "Are you two sure that you're not biological brothers? 'Cause you sure as hell act like twins."
"I don't like the idea of you getting lost in unfamiliar territory," Kian said, his voice stone-cold serious.
Paige's smile widened as she shook her head in mock exasperation. "Kian, it's a walk, not a three-day hike into uncharted wilderness. Neither one of us is going to get lost. Besides, a little exercise is good for both me and the pup. Not to mention good for Mia here. Do you realize that she's been stuck in this cabin for over a week now?"
"That's because beta authorities are searching for her," Ty said, just as firmly as the other alpha. "She's safer inside."
Paige's brows arched. It was clear that she wasn't buying that argument at all.
"Well, she's not safe from cabin fever, I'll tell you that," she retorted. "She needs some air. Some space to breathe and someone to talk to."
"I'm someone," Ty said, crossing his arms.
Paige shot him a pointed look. "Someone who understands what she's going through."
The growl that rumbled through Ty's chest only caused the omega to glare at him, wholly unintimidated.
A second later, Ty sat back down.
"Don't go far," he said, defeated. "Stay close to the cabin."
"We will," Paige promised. "Though it's not as if anyone would dare come onto your land uninvited."
Giving her hand a squeeze, Paige led Mia down the path that led away from Ty's cabin. The pair walked in companionable silence for a while. Mia took the time to admire the dense, old trees and the wildflowers that dotted the open spaces.
"Better?" Paige finally asked once they were deep into the woods, serenaded only by birdsong.
"A little," Mia admitted with a shrug. "Though I'm sure they can still hear us."
"Oh, without a doubt," Paige said. "That's probably the only reason they agreed to let us go. But it's not all bad. If they can keep track of us, then they can also track anyone who might be after you."
Mia swallowed the lump in her throat. She hadn't thought of that. It wasn't just that Ty was keeping an eye on her. He was keeping an eye out for her.
And his ears.
And nose.
She might not be able to get away from Ty… but that meant that neither could anyone else.
Mia drew in a deep breath, filling her senses with the beauty of the lush green world around her—the scents of clean pine and damp earth, the crisp air gently raising the fine hairs on her arm, the soft background noise of their footsteps and wind rusting through needles and branches.
A little more of her tension melted away.
But not all of it.
The crushing reality of her situation wouldn't allow her to relax completely. Not now. Maybe not ever.
So what was the point in pretending?
"I take it you've brought me out here to try to talk me into claiming Ty as my alpha," she said.
Paige shot her a glance out of the corner of her eye but kept a steady pace on the path.
"Kian asked me to try," she admitted without a hint of apology or shame in her voice. "Is it that obvious?"
Mia smiled. "You're not exactly the subtle type."
"No, I guess I'm not," Paige said. "Though I used to be. This life has a way of… changing a woman."
Mia had no trouble believing that. She'd already changed so much in so little time. If it wasn't for the clothes that Paige had generously loaned her, Mia wasn't sure she would even recognize herself.
"Whether we want it to or not," Mia said.
Paige squeezed her hand. "Oh trust me, I get it. I sure as hell didn't ask for this life. But sometimes the best things come along when we aren't looking for them."
"And sometimes they get shoved down our throats," Mia said—then instantly regretted her words.
Paige stopped in the middle of the path and turned toward Mia. All humor had disappeared from her eyes, replaced by worry and concern. "You don't want Ty? He hasn't hurt you, has he?"
Mia shook her head, wondering how to explain. "No, it isn't that."
Paige took both Mia's hands in hers and gave them a squeeze. "Then tell me what it is."
For a moment, Mia thought about brushing off the other omega's concern. It would be so easy to insist that it was nothing. That she was just emotional and confused because of hormones or some other bullshit.
But she didn't.
Deep down, Mia was sick of all the hiding—physically, socially, emotionally. All of it. There was only so much she could bottle up before she broke.
"I'm pissed that I don't get to make a single choice. Not one. I didn't choose to come to the Boundarylands; I was dumped here. I didn't choose to come to Ty's cabin; he brought me. I didn't choose for the FBI or the army to threaten everyone when they came looking for me. I sure as hell didn't choose for every alpha and omega in the Boundarylands to know my most intimate business and make it their own."
Paige bit her lower lip as Mia spoke, nodding now and then, never letting go of Mia's hands. She didn't seem angered by Mia's words—quite the opposite.
"Now, you feel like the only thing you can control is to withhold your claiming bite from Ty."
So Paige did understand, Mia thought.
Except…she didn't know the entire truth.
"It was the only choice I had," she said bitterly. "Ty took that away from me too, about five minutes before you and Kian pulled up."
Paige's brows knit together. "What do you mean?"
Mia gazed up the tall trees that surrounded them, hoping that the dappled green and blue canopy of the forest would calm her surging anger. It wasn't Paige's fault, after all.
But it didn't make her feel any calmer.
"Ty gave me an ultimatum," she said, biting off the bitter words. "Either I give him the claiming bite, or he will kill two betas who used to be my friends."
"Oh, that shithead."
Mia looked at Paige in surprise. She wasn't sure what kind of response she'd been expecting from the omega—sympathy, maybe, or even some soft chiding to resign herself to Ty's plan for the good of the pack—but it certainly wasn't shared anger.
"What did you say?" Mia asked, just to make sure she'd heard right.
Paige was shaking her head in disgust. "And here I thought the way that Kian manipulated me into claiming him was bad." Paige let go of Mia's hands and started walking down the path again, this time with more determination in each waddling step.
"Kian blackmailed you too?"
"No," Paige said quickly. "Nothing like that. Just a little light emotional exploitation. But what Ty did, that's awful."
"So you don't think I should do it?"
Paige tilted her head thoughtfully, weighing the choices. "No," she finally said, "I still think you should."
Mia felt the heavy weight of discouragement settle on her shoulders. "Because he doesn't make empty threats."
"No," Paige said. "Because you'll be a thousand times happier once you do."
Wait. What?
"You want me to believe that I'll be happier once I give my autonomy away?"
Paige looked at her in bemusement, the faintest hint of a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
"Who said anything about giving away your autonomy? What exactly do you think claiming is, Mia?"
"Allowing Ty to be my alpha. My master. My ruler." Everyone knew this. Mia had learned it in her beta elementary school, for God's sake. It was Alpha/Omega 101.
"That's only one part of it," the other omega said. "There are other aspects you may not have considered. Things that the beta world doesn'
t want us to know about."
"And how do I know those aren't just as bad?" Mia asked.
Paige smiled gently. "You'll just have to trust me."
Mia shook her head. She was way past trusting anyone on their word alone.
At least Paige seemed to understand that without being told. She considered her words before trying again.
"Think about it this way—is Ty acting like an asshole?" she said. "Yes. Obviously. But there is a reason, a powerful one. An alpha's entire life is devoted to protecting his beta. It's what every instinct in his body and mind is telling him to do. It's more important to him than his own life, and he'll do anything to ensure that you're safe. Always."
"But what good is physical safety, if I'm just exchanging one miserable situation for another?"
Paige's reassuring smile slipped. "You're miserable here?"
"Not exactly," Mia admitted. Her thoughts and emotions were far too muddled, too complicated, to sum up in a single word. And they changed from moment to moment, ebbing and flowing without warning. It was far easier to say what she wasn't than what she was. "But I'm not happy."
Paige gave her a knowing look. "That will change."
"After I claim him, you mean?"
"And after he claims you," Paige said decisively. "Everything changes after that. It's as though all the changes in your body chemistry suddenly settle down. You start to think straight again. Start to realize that you're in the right place. You're with the right alpha."
Mia hunched her shoulders as she continued walking. She wanted to believe Paige's words, but she wasn't so sure. She couldn't imagine anything that would make her feel that way. But in the back of her mind, a thought nagged at her.
Mia had been fighting her body's instincts during every step of this process. It had never occurred to her not to resist. Back home, in the life she'd left behind, surrender meant giving into misery and pain. Settling for the shit too many people had dished out and, eventually, coming to believe that it was all she was worth.
But here…with Ty…was it possible that surrender could mean something else? That it could be a good thing for her? That she could find happiness—real happiness—in surrendering to something bigger than herself?
Ty (The Boundarylands Omegaverse Book 2) Page 9
