3. TYRONE

“You know that it’s not only my decision, princess.” 

I glanced up at Michel as he entered the workshop with his phone pressed to his ear. Our eyes locked for a moment before his eyes darted away. Frowning, I turned off the machine and straightened. 

“Hold on, I’ll put the phone on speaker,” he muttered. 

Pulling the phone away, he pressed something on the screen before he placed it down on the table so both of us could hear clearly. There were a few minutes of silence before Bella spoke. 

“Is Ty with you?” 

“I’m here,” I told her. 

“Good.” She sucked in a breath. “I...A friend of mine needs some help. Draven offered for her to stay here with them but Lauren is being a bitch. She doesn’t want to stay here but she doesn’t have anywhere else to go.” 

“You want her to move in with us?” I asked her. “We all know why that’s a bad idea, Bella.” 

“I know,” she whispered, “but she’s not like that. I wasn’t thinking of her moving into the house with us. There’s the cottage that has everything she needs.”

“Who is this friend?” Michel questioned as he frowned down at the phone. “As far as we know you don’t have any friends except for some work-related ones who are all mostly bonded.” 

“Bella,” I warned when she remained silent for way too long. 

She huffed. “Okay! We just met a few minutes ago.” 

“So she’s new in town?” I assumed. 

“Not exactly,” she muttered. “Draven would have probably mentioned her to you, Ty. Her name’s Sin.” 

My frown deepened as I repeated her name in my mind. I was just about to tell her that I had no clue who she was talking about when the name clicked. 

Draven had briefly mentioned her but he never went into detail. The fact that he wanted the girl to live with them made me aware of just how much she must mean to him. I knew that she was an Omega which would explain why Lauren was being a bitch about her staying. 

“She’s an Omega, Bella,” I growled. “Do you want to start trouble?” 

“I’m trying to help someone who needs it,” she hissed. 

“Then call her family and—

“She has no family,” Bella interrupted. “I wish you would pay more attention to what goes on around you! Ask Michel about it.” 

I looked at him in question. He made a gesture, telling me that he would explain it to me later. Shaking my head, I walked away. Michel could handle her because I wasn’t in the mood. 

Changing directions halfway to the house, I headed to the stables instead. I could feel the need for an Omega pushing down on me. It’s been a few years since I felt it but it hadn’t been so strong then. I had Bella and I loved her even if she couldn’t take care of my needs. The last thing I wanted was to let them know that I needed an Omega. 

We tried it once and it nearly destroyed us. Our relationship was strong but I knew that it wouldn’t be able to survive if something like that were to happen again. I just had to push through this like I’ve pushed through everything else. 

One tiny fucking Omega wasn’t going to ruin the family we had formed. 

Michel found me hours later, brushing down my stallion. I tensed as I heard him approaching but remained silent. He stepped into view, leaning against the wall and crossing one ankle over the other. 

“Sin was found locked in a room with her dead mother at that Motel that closed up a few years ago,” he said softly. “She was twelve, bruised and severely malnourished. It wasn’t made public for how long they had been there but based on what she looked like when she was released, it had been a few weeks.” 

“You want me to feel sorry for her?” 

“No.” He rolled his eyes. “You do need to pay more attention to everyone around you.” 

Michel straightened. “They’ll be here tomorrow.”

With that said, he walked away, whistling under his breath like he didn’t have a care in the world. It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him that he was making a mistake, but I shook my head and focused on the task I was busy with. 

What he said stayed in my mind, making it impossible for me to focus on the task at hand. Giving up, I stormed up to the house and towards the office. It was empty, making me blow out a relieved breath. Taking a seat behind the desk, I switched on the computer but hesitated. What the hell should I care about the Omega? 

I knew that I needed to know and it was good enough for me. 

But I still found myself heading to the cottage to make sure that the cabinets were stocked with food and that everything else was working as it should. 

Maybe it was the Alpha instinct to care for an Omega or maybe it was just the hope that Bella would make a true friend.