Page 10 of Omega Chattel
“You will meet them in good time.”
He said nothing to that, and opened his door, getting out and standing under the garish light of my garage. It was sparkling clean, just as I liked it, everything in its place.
As we walked into the house through the door that led to the kitchen, Alli’s mouth opened as he took in my massive black and silver counters and cupboards, and the vast dining room and living room beyond.
Even as he looked around, though, I saw his feet dragging. His pack hung loose on his left arm. He was exhausted.
“How about I give you a tour in the morning?”
He looked at me, eyebrows down. “I thought you might be rich. But—wow.”
“What? Did my car give it away?”
He shook his head. “It wasn’t even your clothes, but the way you walked. Even the way you held yourself around the Omega Trench boys.”
“I’m an Alpha,” I said as if that explained it.
He shrugged. “And when you first spoke. Like the words felt more proper or something.”
“How many Alphas have you met?”
“Not many.” He ducked his head. “Not any, actually.”
“Really? I never would have guessed,” I said.
He shut his mouth into a tight line.
“Come on. Let me show you your room. You’ll have Kee’s room until he returns.”
“Who’s Kee?”
“Just someone I was looking for tonight. But I don’t think he’ll be back. You’ll like the room. It’s the nicest one upstairs. The other boys live in the two bedrooms downstairs.”
Alli followed me up the stairs, his steps slow and controlled. Three days on the streets might not sound like a lot, but to an innocent, farm-raised boy it could feel like a year. He had been starving and now found himself in a strange place. Oddly, I wanted to sweep him into my arms and carry him, but that would have been completely ridiculous.
I opened the first door in the hall to my upstairs guest room and turned on the light. “It still has some things in it from the other boy in the closet. Please don’t touch them. I’ll get you your own clothes. Otherwise, it’s been recently cleaned top to bottom.” I had a housekeeper in twice a week.
Alli’s mouth opened wide again to see the sumptuous pillows on the bed, the décor all sea greens and blues, Kee’s favorite colors.
“You have your own private bath,” I said. “Check the drawer under the sink if you need a toothbrush and comb and other stuff. They’re new. Do you shave? Most Omegas don’t, but some do.”
He shook his head.
“Towels are hanging. They’re clean. There are shampoos and soaps on a tray in the shower.”
“Wow.”
“In the bathroom closet you’ll find a spare, clean robe.”
It wasn’t Kee’s. He never wore robes. And around me, in our closed rooms, he often went naked.
“Do you need anything else?” I asked.
As if in a daze, Alli shook his head.
“I’ll bring you up some ginger ale. All right?”
He nodded as I turned to leave, keeping the door slightly ajar as I went.
