“Thank you, sir.” He ducked his head, unsure of how much this shifter wanted to hear his voice.
The beta grunted and moved past him to leave. “Go ahead and take as long as you need. Use my soap and shampoo, too, of course. I’ll see about throwing something together for dinner.” With that, he left, shutting the door behind him.
At first, Ben felt paralyzed. The dizzying change in his circumstances left him unmoored. He’d spent the last year in survival mode, doing as told, trying to be good and earn rewards, not punishment. Now he was being offered up a shower and the promise of food. His stomach rumbled at the idea. He wasn’t even sure when he’d eaten last. The day before, probably. It didn’t seem, either, that he was going to have to do much of anything for either gift.
Except obey. He knew that for sure. It meant moving, peeling the filthy clothes clinging to his body and piling them on the beige tile floor as ordered. Next he stepped under the spray. It was wonderfully warm and strong. The water pounded down on his sore body, making him wince and sigh in equal measure. Ducking his head, he soaked his hair and let the water dribble into his parched mouth. He was almost as thirsty as he was hungry.
The simple pleasure of it all seeped into his body, and it felt as if a tight band that was wrapped around him snapped. He bit back the first sob, knowing that tears were never acceptable unless specifically coaxed out of him by harsh punishment. Otherwise, he needed to take anything and everything with quiet acceptance.
Crying at this point was stupid anyway. No one was hurting him. Quite the opposite. Yet the tears came, rolling down his cheeks to mingle with the spray. He couldn’t hold them back, nor the sudden racking sobs that tore out of his throat. He swayed, planting his palms flat against the tiled wall to hold himself up. His wolf, always curled up in hiding, whined in echo of Ben’s human misery.
He stayed bent in on himself under the pounding water, crying himself raw. It was only when he suddenly became aware of how long he was taking that he found the strength to straighten and hush up. Thank the Gods the water remained hot. He didn’t want to think about what punishment from this new beta would look like if he drained the tank. Knowing that the shifter who now owned him was waiting, he quickly washed himself.
The shampoo and soap were nothing special, yet way better than what he was used to finding in motels. They smelled wonderful to him and left him feeling clean for the first time in forever. With the occasional shudder claiming his body, he finished up and stepped out to dry off. The towels the beta had given him were big and soft. Again, much better than the worn, thin scraps he was used to.
He took a second to wipe the bathroom mirror to glance at himself while he finger-combed his shaggy hair. A bruise where Kurt had belted him was visible even under the flush of pink from the shower. Well, that was nothing new. He turned to get a look at his back and ass. At least the marks from recent punishments had faded a bit. Maybe the beta wouldn’t assume him to be too disobedient. Ben wanted badly to make a fresh start and show the beta how good he could be.
Daniel. He liked the sound of the name, and the man had a nice smile. Unlike Kurt, he was gorgeous, as well, with his curly brown hair skimming below his ears. His mouth wasn’t set in a perpetual snarl the way Ben was used to dominants looking. And while the guy looked to be solid muscle, his body was sleeker than Kurt’s. Overall, he was the kind of shifter Ben had been eying in his old pack before Kurt had taken him away. Being fucked by someone he was attracted to might make all the difference.
With time ticking away, he did his best to dry off enough not to drip. He had nothing to put on except a towel. He didn’t know yet if he had the right to cover his body while indoors, so he folded both of them over the shower railing.
He was as presentable as he was going to get and as much as hiding in the bathroom appealed to him, the beta was waiting. Plus, Ben’s stomach had growled again. He really wanted to eat something before being dragged into the beta’s bed for servicing.
Soft music played in the apartment, and the beta stood in the kitchen by the stove. A tantalizing scent hit Ben’s nose, making his stomach clench. Keeping his hands clasped behind his back, he crept forward to get the beta’s attention.
“Sir?” He forced the word out of his mouth even though a large part of him didn’t want to be noticed.
The beta turned, a smile on his lips, before his mouth dropped open. He gave Ben a wide-eyed stare, then barked out a strangled cough. “Hey, there you are. Hungry?”
Ben stared at the floor. “Yes, sir.” Always answer honestly. It didn’t necessarily save you from a beating, but it was still the best course.
“Great.” The beta gestured toward the living room. “I put some clothes for you on the couch. They’re going to be too big. It’s all I have, though, until I get you new ones.”
“Thank you, sir.” The response was automatic even if his brain had trouble processing the idea that the beta intended to spend money on him.
He found a long-sleeved T-shirt, boxer-briefs, and a pair of sweat pants with a draw string all in a neat pile. Of necessity, he turned his back to the kitchen while he picked up the underwear first. There was a gasp behind him, then footsteps. Ben froze.
“What happened here?” The question was almost at whisper level, and fingers lightly skimmed his back and buttocks.
“I was bad, sir.” He didn’t know what else to say. It was obvious anyway. Did the beta expect a detailed explanation and an apology for pissing-off Kurt enough to make the gamma beat him?
The beta said nothing for the span of ten seconds or more. The fingers dropped away. “Finish getting dressed and come eat.”
Ben fumbled in his haste to comply with the order. Everything was way too big, as predicted. He didn’t care. He only wanted to cover up his shame and earn his meal. The drawstrings on the pants closed enough to keep them hanging on his boney hips. The sleeves of the T, however, were so long, he had to roll them up or risk dragging them over his plate. He felt as if he were a pup again, dressing in his sire’s old hand-me-down clothes.
Self-conscious, a bit terrified of the beta, yet eager to please and desperately hungry, he padded into the kitchen. The space was small, but neat and clean like the rest of the apartment and the smells made his mouth water and his head swim with hunger.
The beta gestured toward the two-seat table by the window. “Go ahead and sit. I hope you like beef stroganoff.”
Ben ducked his head. “I’m sorry, sir, I don’t know what that is. I’m sure I’ll like it,” he hastily added.
“It’s beef with mushrooms in a sour cream sauce over egg noodles.” The beta took down plates and reached for tongs. “I was planning on making it anyway, and there’s plenty for two.”
It took Ben’s foggy brain a second to realize the beta was going to serve him. “Please, sir, let me do that.” He reached for the utensil.
The beta held it aloft and shook his head. “No. You’re obviously tired and hungry. Sit. Go on,” he added when Ben hesitated.
What was he supposed to do, argue with the guy? Guilty as he felt, he nevertheless went and sat. A few seconds later, a small plate of food was put in front of him along with a glass of water. He tamped down the disappointment at how little he was going to get to eat after all. The beta’s big pile was twice as much. Of course it was. What did he expect? Dominant shifters always got the larger portions. He was lucky to be getting his own plate and not expected to eat the beta’s leftovers.
The beta slid into his seat. “I’m starting you out slow. You don’t look like you’ve had a lot to eat lately. I was afraid you might get sick if you had too much food in one sitting.” Picking up his fork, he added, “If you’re still hungry after you eat that and think you can handle more, there’s plenty left.”
Oh. Well, that was different. “Thank you, sir.” He didn’t know what else to say and still wasn’t sure he believed the beta was that kind.
The overwhelming need to eat occupied his thoughts anyway. He tucked into the me
al and had to bite back a moan. The food was delicious. He practically choked in his haste to fill his empty stomach, and had to gulp much of his water to ease the way.
“Careful. You don’t have to scarf it down. I promise there’s no hurry, and no one’s going to take it away from you.”
Ben blushed at the reassurance, embarrassed because the beta could read him so easily. He forced himself to carefully chew each subsequent mouthful. When his glass of water got low, the beta grabbed it and refilled it. The attention made Ben nervous, but he accepted the help because his hunger and thirst, constant companions, were slowly going away.
The dinner ticked by in quiet minutes. He didn’t dare look anywhere other than at his own food, and the beta studiously ignored him, as well. I didn’t take long before Ben’s stomach started to feel full. He hadn’t quite cleaned his plate before he worried that he wasn’t going to be able to finish. Damn, the beta had been right about overeating.
“Have you had enough?” Naturally, the beta had been paying attention and had noticed Ben slowing down. Betas were smart. He’d kind of forgotten that. What must it be like to notice so much and be able to reason things out?
Putting his fork down, Ben nodded. “Yes, sir. You were right about my stomach.”
“That’s okay. We’ll leave it for later.” So saying, the beta stood and picked up their dishes.
Ben pushed back his chair and stood. “Please, sir. Let me do that.”
“Nope. Go sit down on the couch while I put this away and wash up. You still look like you could use some down time, and we need to talk once I’m finished.”
The beta didn’t wait for a reply, likely didn’t want or expect one. What he expected was obedience from a lowly omega, so that’s what Ben gave him. Returning to the living room, he perched on the far end of the sofa as ordered and waited for their “talk” to begin. He really wasn’t looking forward to what that meant and his leg jiggled from nerves no matter how hard he tried to stop it. He knew that sometimes talks began and ended with pain and tears rather than words.
Borrowing trouble never got him anywhere, though, so he sat and waited. But he didn’t hope. That was always futile.
Chapter Two
Daniel took more time than was strictly necessary cleaning up after dinner. He really was acting cowardly because he didn’t want to have the talk he needed with Ben. Questions ran through his head as he tried to compose an agenda for finding out what the omega’s story was. Daniel had to determine what pack the boy belonged to and who could take control of him now that Kurt was out of the picture.
Had Ben run away with the gamma, and if so, would Ben’s pack take him back? Surely they would. Omegas were never to blame for the decisions they made. No one expected them to know what was best for them, and certainly they weren’t allowed to gainsay a dominant shifter like a gamma. Kurt could have literally stolen Ben from his pack and been keeping him prisoner.
His fingers tightened around the container of food in his hands when he recalled the various bruises marking the boy’s body. Hitting Ben had obviously been a common sin of the gamma. Daniel couldn’t imagine what the guy had used as a justification for treating a vulnerable shifter like an omega with such cruelty. For that reason alone, he wished he’d taken the time to pound Kurt into the ground.
Answers were waiting for him out in the living room. There was really no reason to dawdle, except for the gnawing in his stomach brought on by concern. Not to mention that having the beautiful omega so close was disconcerting. He hadn’t thought through the implications of taking the boy into his home. There hadn’t been time to, frankly. Now, he was stuck facing a long night—the first of likely many—with an omega who notwithstanding his underfed and bruised body, still presented an alarming temptation.
He could, of course, simply choose to mount the boy and make use of him while he lived under his protection. There was no sire or alpha to stop him, and Ben’s virginity had obviously been taken already by Kurt. A stray omega was fair game to many shifters’ way of thinking. As a beta, Daniel was in no danger of tipping the boy into heat, either. There would be no pups to worry about.
The idea was ludicrous, all the same. Daniel might have made the strange choice of living and working among humans, but he was still a shifter. His sire had pressed upon him the notions of duty and honor. Daniel had learned those lessons well. They were ingrained, and part of how he lived a human existence was by keeping close the ways of his people. His path was clear—take care of the omega and keep him safe until he could turn him over to someone more senior than he.
Steeling himself, he grabbed a reusable gel pack he kept in the freezer and went to join Ben. The omega sat on the edge at the far end of the couch, clearly nervous. He jumped up and even though his gaze was on the floor, and not on Daniel, his fear was written clearly on his face. It was going to take a lot of patience to undo the damage inflicted by Kurt.
“Here.” He kept his voice gentle as he approached and held out the cold bag. “Try putting this on your cheek. It might help with the swelling. Are you in any pain?” Even as he asked the question, he cursed himself for not thinking of that sooner. Eating must have hurt.
Ben took the offering and placed it against his bruised face. “I’m fine, sir.”
That’s not even remotely believable. “Sit down.”
Returning to the kitchen, Daniel grabbed a couple of ibuprofen and a glass of water. He’d forgotten how deferential omegas could be, even to their own detriment. Asking and cajoling were only going to make them both miserable. As much as he hated his beta status, he needed to pull rank if he was going to help Ben.
“Take these.”
It was gratifying when Ben did exactly as told without hesitation, juggling the pills, the glass and the cold pack with an impressive and obvious effort to follow both orders. This could be easy, after all, so long as Daniel took the initiative and didn’t hem and haw his way through the questions.
He flopped down on the old recliner next to the couch because there was no way he wanted to get closer to Ben. The boy was as tempting as he was pitiful, sitting there all hunched in on himself. “Where’s your pack?”
That seemed to take the omega back. He hesitated, licking those pretty lips of his, before answering. “Down south, sir. In the Blue Ridge Mountains.”
“You mean the Blue Hills in Massachusetts?” This might not be so bad. He could get Ben back to his people in a few hours if that turned out to be the best solution.
Ben swallowed hard, visibly. “No, sir. Blue Ridge in Virginia.”
“Oh.” There went that hope of convenience. “How did you end up in Maine and with a gamma who isn’t even your mate?”
Ben didn’t answer right away. He kept staring at the floor with the fingers of one hand clenched tightly around the cold pack. His leg was jiggling a mile a minute. He wasn’t simply afraid. He looked terrified. The need to comfort the boy overwhelmed Daniel. Without giving it any thought, he jumped up, went to the couch and sat next to him.
“It’s okay.” He placed his hand on the boy’s knee to stop the nervous movement. “I need the truth, that’s all. To help you.” That last part sounded lame even to his own ears.
Ben opened his mouth and closed it again a few times with nothing in the way of an audible answer coming out. A shudder ran through the boy’s body strong enough for Daniel to feel, as if in keeping Ben’s leg still, the movement had transferred everywhere else.
A disturbing spark of panic flared within him before he squashed it. Nothing would be gained if they both freaked out. Daniel needed to be the strong one here. He pulled from his memory something he’d seen his sire do with upset sigmas and omegas. Moving his hand from Ben’s knee, he cupped the back of the boy’s neck underneath his damp hair and squeezed gently.
“Easy, Ben. You’re safe here.” He didn’t say any more than that, simply kept up a steady pressure to hopefully soothe the boy into a quiet state.
For a few minutes, Ben’s
harsh, quick breaths were the only sounds inside the tiny apartment. The omega’s gaze was fixed at some point across the room. Slowly, though, his breathing evened out and his whole body relaxed. His thick lashes fluttered closed for a while, a pretty, dark fan across his pale, sharp cheekbones. The boy was exquisite. Now that it was clean, his hair’s light brown color showed. It fell in a shaggy mop down to the boy’s shoulders. His lips were full and curved upward despite the fact that he wasn’t smiling.
Staring at the omega’s beauty while touching his soft skin was doing inappropriate things to Daniel’s lonely dick. It had been ages since he’d touched one of his own kind, let alone found relief inside a shifter partner. An occasional blow job by a human at a club wasn’t nearly as satisfying, either.
He ignored the throbbing impulse working its way to the surface and tried again to get some answers out of Ben. “That’s it,” he crooned. “Good boy.” He added the praise because, again, he’d seen how effective his sire had been when lavishing it on those of the pack destined to serve.
It seemed to do the trick. With a little sniff, the omega nodded his head. “I’m sorry, sir.”
“There’s nothing to apologize for. You’ve had a rough couple of hours that I can see, and I bet there were worse ones earlier. And,” he added with an internal frown, “you don’t need to call me ‘sir’. I’m Daniel, remember? That’s my name, and I want you to use it.”
Ben’s gaze flicked sideways at him for a second before returning to its previous spot. “Ah.”
Daniel could feel the stress rising in the omega again. “Never mind. Call me whatever is easiest for you.”
Ben sagged with obvious relief. “Thank you, sir. I don’t mean to be disobedient.” Breath rushed out of his nose. “I try to be good. I don’t like being punished.”
Daniel’s heart lurched at that simple declaration. Now he really wanted to go find Kurt and rip his throat out. But, that was a selfish thought. Ben needed care, not more conflict. The best thing he could do to help the omega was get him back to his pack where he’d be safe, except…
Omega in the Middle (The Rogue Pack Book 5) Page 2