But like every other beta who lived in the hustle and bustle of city life, she never appreciated what she had until it was gone. Now, instead of take-out meals and museum trips and movie nights, there was only endless drudgery with no one but her tormentor for company and nowhere to go. Nothing to do but work, eat, sleep, and survive however she could.
Alphas had no use for museums and movies, no taste for food that they didn't grow or kill. And omegas existed only to serve their other appetites. No matter how well constructed Cade's cabin might be, it would never look like anything but a prison to Emily.
She stuffed the memory of her former home back into the recesses of her mind and got out of the truck, since she couldn't exactly stay there forever. But as she took her first step toward the door, Cade appeared at her side and picked her up again without comment.
Emily should have known that he wouldn't let her hobble into the house, but he was only wasting his energy. Omegas didn't need to be coddled. She would soon heal on her own.
Of course, there was another reason she wished he'd put her down. Being carried over the threshold reminded her too much of a groom carrying his bride into her new home.
And that was definitely not what was going on here.
Like the outside of Cade's cabin, the interior was sparsely furnished and functional. At least it was clean. There wasn't a speck of dust to be seen anywhere. What few possessions were on display were neatly arranged on built-in shelves and a fireplace mantel carved from a single slab of burled wood. The only ornamental detail was the inlay work forming a border on the wood floors, more evidence of Cade's skill.
He carried Emily to a massive wood-framed chair angled toward the stone hearth, one of a matching pair, and set her down. She let out a sigh as she sank into the soft down cushions, but the moment she was out of Cade's arms, a heavy weight settled onto her shoulders.
What would happen now?
The alpha had been very clear about what he wouldn't do with her. But even if Emily trusted his word—something she was nowhere near ready to do—Cade had given no indication about what he had planned for her. The other alphas back at the bar all seemed to agree that he'd only taken Emily home to use her as a fuck toy. But Emily wanted to hear it directly from him.
Now was as good a time as any to ask. The ride home, especially the last stretch along the twists and turns of the gravel road, seemed to have settled Cade. In his own home, the dark intensity faded from his gaze, replaced by a sense of calm.
"So now that I'm here," she said, trying to keep her voice neutral and look Cade in the eye, "what do you expect from me?"
"Expect?"
He seemed puzzled, and Emily supposed she shouldn't have been surprised. Two months in the Boundarylands had taught her that alphas weren't prone to long-term strategizing.
Instead, they lived for the moment, doing what they wanted, rarely worrying about the consequences. Other than providing for their immediate future and storing enough in the warmer months to see them through the long winters, future planning wasn't a priority.
But it most certainly was for Emily.
And while she didn't expect Cade to pull a daily schedule out of his pocket, she did need a few clues so she could plan how best to avoid his wrath.
"I'm just asking you what my chores will be. For instance, Sloan liked his breakfast ready at the crack of dawn." Emily suppressed a shudder at the memory of learning this lesson the hard way, earning a slap to the face when he came into the kitchen the first morning and discovered that the stove was still cold. "I made him four eggs, a slab of elk steak, and fried potatoes every morning. You'll have to let me know what you like so I can have it ready for you."
Cade frowned, his eyes narrowing. "You don't need to make my breakfast."
If that was really true, it would be a relief. It had been months since Emily slept past sunrise. Even a couple of days of extra rest would feel like an indulgence.
"All right," she said carefully, wary of the kind of conversational traps Sloan liked to set, luring her into complacency only to pull the rug out from under her. "Then what about your laundry? I'll need to know where the creek and the basin are. And maybe you can show me the woodpile so I can bring in enough for chilly mornings. Also the storeroom and the root cellar and—"
"Emily, stop. I didn't bring you here to be my damn servant."
He hadn't?
Instead of feeling relief, fear tightened its grip around Emily's heart. Other than working their fingers to the bone, omegas only provided one other thing that alphas wanted. Sloan had taught her that lesson the first hour he brought her home, leaving her battered and bleeding in his bed with the bruises to help her remember her place.
But Emily wasn't the same compliant, confused girl she'd been then. She would face a thousand beatings before she'd let that happen again.
"I won't be your whore." Emily's voice trembled. She couldn't bring herself to look at Cade when she spoke, but at least she'd said it.
"Fucking hell," Cade muttered. "What did that sack of shit do to you?"
Emily forced herself to face him, taking in the furious intensity he'd displayed earlier. She didn't have any idea how to react to that kind of rage when she wasn't its target. How could she defend against something she didn't understand?
Cade lowered himself onto one knee, and still he towered over her in the chair. He gathered her hands in his massive ones. "Listen to me, Emily, because I don't want to have to keep telling you this. I have never forced a woman in my life, and I won't force you. You have my word."
Emily searched for the evidence of a lie, but there was nothing in Cade's manner to betray him. Every word out of his mouth rang with honesty and truth.
He seemed content to wait—cradling her hands, gazing at her face—for as long as it took for her to believe him.
And to Emily's surprise, she felt herself wanting to.
Daring to.
Her trembling eased; her heart found its steady rhythm again. And when at last she looked into his eyes, the gold flecks making constellations in their warm brown depths, Emily decided that either this alpha was very different from Sloan—or she was making the biggest mistake of her life.
"Thank you," she whispered. She still had so many unanswered questions. "But then why did you bring me here?"
"Because there was no way in hell I'd leave you with a pile of shit like Sloan," he said, as though it ought to be obvious. "An omega—especially one like you—deserves so much better."
One…like her?
Emily knew she wasn't anything special—not when she was a beta, and certainly not now as an omega. She'd seen those other omegas back at the bar: to a one they were thin and beautiful and vibrant, glowing with an inner fire that made you want to stare.
She, on the other hand, was nothing but a lump—not just physically but emotionally. All the spark and joy she'd had back in the beta world had long ago been snuffed out.
Out of all the omegas in the world, how did I get stuck with one who's fat, lazy, and ugly?
Emily's face burned as Sloan's slurred insults echoed in her head.
And still, Cade kept watching her intently, until Emily began to wonder if he could somehow see into her thoughts. She knew that alphas could detect emotions by their scent alone, but somehow the depth of Cade's focus went beyond that. She couldn't shake the sense that he didn't simply want to know what she was feeling, but why. Like he wanted to see into her soul.