As soon as the words left his mouth, he worried Vanessa’s generous offer of answering questions didn’t extend to others. A quick glance at the Enforcer showed her smiling, and she nodded encouragingly when he looked at her.
Ms. Beth started to answer, but Callie interrupted with a whimpered, “I’m hungry, Sammi.”
“Shh, sweetheart, don’t be rude.” Sammi was quick to hush Callie and grimaced apologetically at Ms. Beth and Vanessa. “I’m sorry. She, um, well…”
Kai put his hand on Sammi’s shoulder. She was so used to not asking for anything, of being afraid to ask for anything, and it was fighting with her instinct to care for and protect Callie. The same instinct Kai had for all of them.
He cleared his throat. “We had some formula stashed away in case of emergency for Henry, but the rest of us haven’t eaten since…” He tried to remember. “Yesterday morning? I think.”
Ms. Beth slapped a hand over her mouth, and her eyes filled with tears. Even though he knew he shouldn’t feel embarrassed over something he’d had no control over, he felt his cheeks heat. The last thing he wanted was her pitying him and his siblings. He was surprised when Vanessa reached out and gripped the back of his neck, like Alpha Kincaid had done, and pressed her forehead to his temple. His whole body stiffened at the touch and the sudden awareness that she could snap his neck in a second if she wanted to.
He felt something slide down his face, just in front his ear, and Vanessa sniffed. She rubbed her cheek lightly against his before pulling away, and he stood there, stunned. The only people he had ever scent-marked—or who had ever scent-marked him—were his siblings. It was… intimate. It meant family in the most basic way. He stared at Vanessa’s tear-streaked face and tried to form words of some sort, but nothing came.
Ms. Beth finally broke the silence. After dabbing at her cheeks with a handkerchief, she wrapped an arm around Sammi and one around him and gently herded them toward the door. “Well then, let’s get you something for those empty bellies, hmm?”
Vanessa loped ahead and opened the door for them but didn’t follow them through. “I’ll call Doc.”
Ms. Beth gave a quick nod but didn’t slow her pace, even though Kai and Sammi had both tried to stop and gape at the hall they were crossing. “Thank you, dear. Have Carter stop by as soon as he can.”
“Sure thing.”
After being led through a maze of rooms and hallways, Kai and Sammi eventually found themselves parked at a cozy booth-shaped area in the industrial-looking kitchen. They sat there in the pristine room—covered in dirt and probably smelling awful—as Ms. Beth quickly brought over a booster seat for Callie and a high chair for Henry. Kai hadn’t even seen where she’d pulled them out from.
“Ms. Beth, can I—” Kai started to ask.
“Thank you, dear, but no. I don’t need any help.” She opened cupboards and pulled out ingredients and pots. “You just sit there and relax as best you can. I know this must all be… a bit of a shock.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he and Sammi said together.
Ms. Beth chuckled. “Well, try not to worry. Rick and the others will take care of you now.”
Rick… as in Garrick Kincaid? Lord, a part of Kai wished that were true—the part that still shivered remembering the look in the man’s eyes when he’d given Kai an order and expected him to follow it. But the bigger part of him knew the alpha had to have much more important things to do than babysit them.
“We’re very appreciative of Alpha Kincaid allowing us to stay here while we get things together for our own place.” Kai spoke with a confidence he didn’t feel. Keeping his family together was the only thing he could focus on at the moment, but hopefully after some food and some sleep, he’d get a better idea.
Humming but not commenting, Ms. Beth continued moving around the kitchen in such an efficient manner, it was obvious she spent a lot of time in it. Across from him, Sammi finished getting a fussy Callie into her booster seat and kissed her temple, giving her the same rub afterward that Vanessa had given him.
Sammi looked around and saw Ms. Beth was across the room and humming to herself as she worked. “We can’t stay here,” she whispered.
“Sammi…”
“No, Kai, you know as well as I do the kinds of things packs like this do to unmated females.” Her voice was sharp but still quiet. They both glanced at Ms. Beth, but she wasn’t paying them any attention. “If we stay, that brute of an alpha will… force me to…”
Kai reached over and covered one of her hands with his own. “Sammi, look at me.” He waited until her soft brown eyes settled on his face. “I will never let that happen. You hear me?”
“But—”
“Never.” He tried to project certainty and calmness, but he could still see the fear in her eyes.
“We should take the pups and go,” she whispered fiercely, one eye on Ms. Beth. The smell of whatever she was making was starting to cause Kai’s stomach to growl. “We can’t trust anyone but each other.”
His heart ached for his little family. They’d lived in a state of constant fear for so long… He couldn’t blame Sammi for being too scared to give the Kincaid Pack a chance. He gave her hand a squeeze. “I know you’re scared; I am too. But Callie and Henry need this. They need a pack, and the stability and love and safety that come with it. We can’t really give them that with just the two of us.”
She flinched like he’d struck her, and he swallowed an apology. It was the truth. Even if they could sneak out of the manor and off pack lands without being detected, they didn’t have anywhere to go. They didn’t have any money or real skills. They’d lived… sheltered lives.
“I know, but—”
“Here you go, my dears.” Ms. Beth made the announcement from the other side of the room before moving toward them with a tray, and Kai couldn’t help but smile at the woman. She’d purposefully given them plenty of warning before approaching. As she passed around bowls of what looked like broth and a piece of bread, Kai felt a pang of disappointment. He’d been hoping for something a bit more substantial, but he knew they couldn’t be picky as guests.
“Thank you, Ms. Beth. Everything smells wonderful.” He made sure to look at her and smile. He was trying to decide if he should wake Henry to try and feed him some broth when she pulled a bottle out of her apron pocket.
“I know it isn’t much, but I didn’t want to upset your stomachs with something too rich or filling. We’ll ask Dr. Carter about dietary needs when he gets here.” Before he could ask what she meant, she was holding her arms out. “I can take him, sweets, so you can eat.”
He ignored Sammi’s wide eyes and decided to put his money where his mouth was. He carefully passed Henry over and told himself it didn’t matter that Ms. Beth was the least intimidating person he’d ever met. He was still trusting someone outside his immediate family to care for Henry. Sammi made a small noise when Ms. Beth took a step away from them, but she only grabbed a stool tucked under one side of the kitchen island and pulled it over. She was nearby but not blocking either of them into the enclosed nook.