Page 20 of Forget me Knot
Jack makes a noise of amusement, and I glare at him over the counter to shut it. His macho ‘tude right now isn’t helping. Although he did tell that arsehole where to go and could probably panel him into the pavement if it came to it.
“My pack. They’re controlling. Overbearing. They want to…”
“Want to what?” I croak, getting a very, very bad feeling about this. I clench my hands into tight fists as I wait for her to say the words, I know will come.
“… make me undergo the Omega Trials,” she whispers.
I let out an involuntary hiss as she confirms what I already knew. Jack is by my side in an instant, crouching down next to me and placing his hand reassuringly on my back. I nod, giving her a reassuring smile as she gives me a curious stare. “You’re safe here. What’s your name?”
She hesitates before whispering, “Emily.”
“Well, Emily,” I say gently, not pressing her for a last name, “you can stay here as long as you need.”
Emily gives a small, shaky nod. I can see the relief flood her eyes as she clutches at the hem of her sleeves. Poor thing is terrified, and with good reason. The Trials are… in a word… horrendous. My own experience with them will never truly goaway, and even now, five years later, it still affects me. It still gives me anxiety and panic attacks and forces me to remain surrounded by every pungent scent nature has to offer, so no one can track me down.
Jack stands up, stretching slightly before looking around the shop. “I’m going to check the back and make sure everything’s secure,” he mutters.
“Okay, thanks, Jack,” I reply, already feeling more at ease knowing he’s here. Jack heads off towards the back of the shop, his presence reassuring.
I focus back on Emily. “Do you want something to drink? Tea? Water?”
She shakes her head again, still looking skittish. “No, thank you.”
“Okay,” I say. “Do you want to come upstairs?”
She looks up at the ceiling as if it might fall on her head.
“My flat is up there,” I explain.
“Oh,” she murmurs. “You don’t have to?—”
“I want to. If you want to stay, of course.”
Jack returns and says before she can reply, “All clear. I moved the cactus in front of the garden gate, so if he tries to come over that way, he’ll be in for a prickly surprise.”
Despite the seriousness of this situation, I burst out laughing, my nerves taking over momentarily. “Oh, good. Well done.”
He snickers softly but sobers up quickly, as do I.
“Cactus?” Emily asks, clearly wanting in on the joke, or maybe just wanting to know her security isn’t down to a prickly plant.
“Uhm, yeah. Size mishap.”
“Can I see it?”
“Sure,” I say slowly, helping her to her feet, my legs stiff from crouching for so long. Emily is fragile, only eighteen years old, if her involvement with the Trials is anything to go off. Theytake them young, barely into their first heat and force them to undergo a set of humiliating Trials all in the name of pack-matching. It’s archaic, and there are nasty elements to the so-called “service” that would leave you feeling sick with disgust.
Jack leads us out to the back garden where Emily eyes up the five-foot cactus with wide eyes. “Thank you,” she says and slips back inside, leaving us to follow.
“No need to thank us,” I assure her. “We’re here for you now, Emily. Let’s get you settled upstairs.”
I lead Emily up the narrow stairs to my flat above the shop. Jack follows behind, his presence like a warm shield against the world.
“Make yourself at home,” I say to Emily as I gesture around the space. “The bathroom’s through there, and you can sleep on the sofa; it pulls out.”
Emily looks around, taking in her surroundings with wide eyes. She finally sits gingerly on the edge of the sofa, as if it might swallow her whole.
Looking every bit the protective alpha he is, Jack gives me a concerned stare. I know what he’s thinking because I am as well. If Emily is running from the Trials, and she is here, that means they are close, setting up their next event in the area, and that means trouble for me. If it hadn’t been for Jack five years ago, I would probably be chained up in someone’s cellar now, living out a nightmare existence.
