Page 101 of Defiant Beta

She blinks at me.

I gesture toward the buildings. “This place is supposed to prepare you for …” I blink. “Uh, actually, whatdoesthis place prepare you for?”

“Obedience,” she whispers. “To be meek and submissive. To eliminate all but those qualities. To be graceful, seen, but not heard.”

No fucking wonder Della was trying to set this place on fire.

“So why stay?”

She looks away, picking at her fingers. “Because that’s what you do in my family. All the Harrington girls are omegas. We come to Haven, learn grace, get matched with a rich alpha, and continue the same.”

“Could you do something else?”

She scrunches her nose. “Like what?”

I shrug. “What do you want to do? If you weren’t an omega, what thing would you be out there doing right now?”

She stares at me, her brown eyes blank. “I never thought about it.”

I get up. “Maybe you should think about it.”

“And if I choose wrong?”

I grin at her. “Welcome to the real world, sweetheart.”

She studies me for a bit. I have to go, but she doesn't look like she’s done yet.

I smile encouragingly at her. “Go on.”

“My big sister Juniper mated with a pack of alphas.”

I cock my head. “And?”

“That’s what I’m afraid of. You seem nice, but maybe the alphas I match with aren’t like you.”

I frown. “They hurt her?”

“I don’t think so. I haven’t seen any bruises on her, but…”

“But?” I prompt.

“She was so happy when she first matched with Pack Wells.”

“Then what happened?”

“They took her happiness and crushed it beneath their shoes.”

Shit. I need to speak with Lucas Security about that. Maybe they can break her out or something.

“That won’t happen to you,” I assure her. Whatever it takes. I’ve had my eyes closed for too fucking long. It’s time I started doing more to help the people around me.

She peers up at me. “You can do that?”

“If that means breaking you out of here or setting fire to the school, I’ll get it done.”

She smiles. “You sound like…” Her amusement fades. “Delilah.”

Fuck.

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