4. DAISY

“Honey, can we talk?”

Nothing good ever came from my mother starting a conversation with those words. 

I nodded as I slipped the bookmark in between the pages and closed the book I had been busy reading before she interrupted. 

She hesitated by the door for a few seconds and then entered my room. Her eyes darted around, taking it all in. 

We used to be close, but everything changed the day Dad died. Now all she cared about was the money and what people thought of her. She was a perfect fit for my step-father John, but I wasn’t going to tell her that. 

“I didn’t think it was important to join the after-dinner drinks,” I muttered. “Isabella does well on her own.”

“I know. It’s not what I want to talk to you about.” She took a seat on the edge of the bed and silently studied me for a few seconds. “You know I love you right?”

I nodded.

This was definitely going to be bad. 

“John…he ran into some trouble at work. There was a project he was working on but the investors pulled out at the last minute. The owner canceled and now demands John to pay back the money he already paid.” Her eyes dropped to her twitching hands on her lap. “It’s more than we have. John managed to make an arrangement with him. He has a month to pay the money back, but for…insurance, the man wants you to go stay with him.”

My eyes widened, my heartbeat increasing as fear filled me. The asshole wanted me to go live with a damn stranger? 

“You can’t be－”

“John will have the money in two weeks,” she interrupted me. “He has done so much for you, the least you can do is－”

“Why can’t Isabella do it?” I questioned. “She will be jumping up and down in joy at the opportunity to snag a rich alpha.”

“I…” she trailed off. “Look, I don’t know all the details. This is important otherwise he would have sent Isabella, but you know how much she screws things up.”

Throwing the book aside, I got to my feet and started pacing. 

This stupid room was my safe place. She knew it. John knew it. I hated leaving my room. I hated stepping foot out of the house and now they demand that I go live with some stranger?

I shook my head as panic filled me. 

“Daisy－”

“No,” I interrupted her. “Let his daughter go.”

I spun around, hurrying to the bathroom, but she caught me by the arm before I could make it inside. Spinning me around, she stepped closer until we were nose to nose. I instantly tried to shrink away from the anger in her eyes. 

“John took you under his wing when he didn’t have to. He paid for school, for the clothes you’re wearing and the damn roof over your head and you have never once thanked him,” she hissed. “When has he ever asked for anything in return? Never! This is the first time and I don’t give a damn how you feel about it or what you think. You’ll be downstairs with your bags in two minutes or I will come up here and drag you into that car myself with just the clothes on your back!”

She gave me a push when she let go of my arm and then stormed out of the room. 

I stared at the door, shaking. How could she demand this of me? Have I not been the perfect daughter she always wanted me to be? 

How could she expect me to go live with strangers until John paid off whatever money he owed? What if the man was an alpha who abused omegas? What if he was a beta who hated omegas?

There were so many questions racing through my mind, making the panic worse. 

Before I knew it, one minute had passed and I still stood in the same spot. 

I knew from experience that my mother would keep to her word of dragging me out of the house if she had to. 

After a trip to the bathroom to empty the contents of my stomach, I grabbed an old school bag and stuffed some clothes into it. She said he would have the money in two weeks, and although I doubt that he would, I made myself believe that he would keep to his word. Which was why I only packed enough clothes for that duration. 

Just as I zipped the bag closed, the was a knock on my door. 

I stood frozen. 

The door opened a second later and a maid stepped into the room. 

“The car is waiting for you,” she said. 

I spotted two men hovering behind her. They would drag me to the car, kicking and screaming if they had to. 

Wiping the tears from my cheeks, I grabbed my phone and gripped the strap of the bag as I followed them down to the front door. None of the guests were in sight but I could hear them. 

For a moment jealousy filled me. Why couldn’t I be like them? Why couldn’t I be a heartless bitch like my mother? Why did I have to be a stupid omega who can’t even leave the house to buy her own stuff?

A sleek black car was waiting by the bottom of the steps, the back door already open. 

Was I ever going to see daylight again?

More tears slipped down my cheeks when one of the men gripped my arm firmly and forced me to walk forward. My legs felt like jelly otherwise I would have tried to make a run for it. 

But what was I going to do when I ran away? I wouldn’t be able to survive a day in the city on my own. 

“Get in.”

I bit my lip to stop the sob from escaping. My eyes darted back to the house. I was expecting to find my mother standing by the door, watching me leave with tears in her eyes, but instead, I found the door closed. 

“Get in,” the man repeated. 

Jerking my arm out of his hold, I climbed into the car. 

I wasn’t a weak omega. I was strong. I was going to fight if anyone tried to hurt me. I wasn’t going to allow the past to be repeated. 

The little pep talk helped ease some of the fear and panic, but it faded the moment the door slammed shut behind me and the car started moving. 

“Jesus Daisy, you’re shaking like a leaf.”

My eyes snapped open and locked with familiar green eyes. 

“He owes you money?” I breathed. 

“He owes us money.”

I turned my head to look at Alexander lounging in the seat next to me. He watched me with narrowed eyes. I turned my focus back to Valiant. 

This wasn’t so bad. I already met the three alphas and despite the fact that I felt a little uncomfortable around Alexander, I was okay staying with Valiant and Elias. They seemed like good people.

“How much does he owe you?” I asked softly. 

Valiant glanced at Alexander. “Do you have a month’s worth of clothes in that bag of yours?”

“M-month?” I breathed. “Mother said two weeks.”

“Your father said that he would pay it in two weeks, but I doubt it,” Alexander muttered. 

“Step-father,” I corrected him. “How much does he owe you?”

Clearing his throat, Valiant leaned forward slightly. “Two hundred thousand dollars.”

There was no way that he would be able to pay that amount or even half of that amount in two weeks. He might be rich, but we didn’t have close to that amount of money coming in. My eyes dropped to the bag I was clutching to my chest. 

“Turn around,” I demanded. “I need more stuff.”

Valiant chuckled. “We can pick it up tomorrow.”

“What if I need it now?” 

“We’ll buy it before we get home,” Alexander said. “What do you need, omega?”

I flinched. “Don’t call me that.”

“Is there anything you need now, Daisy?” Valiant repeated Alexander’s question in a nicer way.

“A miracle,” I whispered.