Things That Belonged to Me

Milley’s Pov

“His family.”

The words kept coming back to me. Liam had said them to Hailey as though they were the most ordinary words in the world. She was a stranger, and I was a member of his Pack, and somehow that made me his family too. I knew better than to read too much into a few words. My old Pack had taught me that belonging to someone and belonging somewhere were two very different things. Still, I could not help smiling as I carried the empty breakfast tray toward the kitchen. For the first time in my life, someone had called me family without first asking what work I could do for them. Perhaps it meant little to Liam. Perhaps he had said it only to annoy Hailey. But the words had found a place in my heart before I could stop them.

I was still turning them over when his voice carried from the adjoining room. "Matthew, take Milley out tomorrow. Get her clothes and whatever else she needs."

I stopped walking.

Matthew sounded distracted. "Tomorrow? I have the patrol reports, the northern border inspection, and three meetings to get through."

"Then rearrange them."

"Of course. Why didn't I think of that?"

"Don't start."

"I'm not starting. I'm reminding you that I'm one person."

"And I'm reminding you that you're my Beta."

"Unfortunately, I'm aware."

I stood there with the tray in my hands, wondering whether I had heard correctly. Clothes? For me? Perhaps I was only tired. Perhaps I had spent so long imagining a different life that even an ordinary conversation could bloom into something wonderful in my head. Matthew appeared in the doorway and nearly walked into me. "Sorry, Milley." He glanced at the tray. "Did you hear what the Alpha said?"

I nodded slowly.

"Good. I'll arrange it for tomorrow."

"I don't need anything."

Matthew paused. I tightened my grip on the tray. "I have clothes. I'm fine."

He looked at my sleeves, which were too long and frayed at the cuffs, then at the hem of my skirt. Neither of us mentioned the patches. "Everyone needs clothes, Milley."

"Not new ones."

His expression shifted, but he did not question me. "Tomorrow," he repeated, more gently this time. "We'll see what we can do." He hurried off before I could refuse again.

I stood in the corridor staring at the space he had left behind. New clothes, shoes that were not someone else's castoffs, things chosen for me instead of things I was expected to be grateful for. The thought was so strange that I almost laughed. Then I remembered who had ordered them. Liam Sprouse did not even trust me enough to leave me alone near his papers, so why would he spend his money on me?

I was still puzzling it out when his mother walked into the hall. "Where is my son?"

I lowered my head quickly. "In the sitting room, ma'am."

She glanced at the tray. "You can leave that in the kitchen, dear. And please call me by my name when we're alone. I'm not fond of being treated like a visiting dignitary in my own home."

I did not know what to say, so I hurried off to put the tray away. By the time I returned, she was standing in the doorway of the sitting room, watching Liam pour himself another drink. "If you're done ordering everyone around, let's go."

Liam did not look up. "I'm not going anywhere."

"I wasn't asking."

"Then try asking someone who cares."

She folded her arms. "I'm telling you to come with me. You need to get out of this house."

"No. Thank you, Mother, but please try to understand."

"I do understand." She nodded toward the glass in his hand. "That's why I'm giving you a choice. You can stop drinking for the next twenty-four hours, or you can come out with me."

He stared at her. "That's my choice?"

"Those are your options."

"What if I choose neither?"

"Then I'll sit here and watch you until the twenty-four hours are up. I have plenty of time."

He let out a weary breath and set the bottle down. "Fine."

"Wonderful." She turned toward the door, then stopped and looked him over. "Now go and dress properly. You're an Alpha, Liam. You should at least look like one."

"I'm touched by your concern for my appearance."

"You should be. It's a full-time job."

Despite myself, I almost smiled, and she caught the movement from the corner of her eye. "Milley, would you help him find something suitable? Something that doesn't look as though he slept in it."

"I can do that, ma'am."

"And no black shirt with black trousers. I'm tired of seeing him dressed for a funeral."

"Mother."

"What? Am I wrong?"

He reached for his glass again, only to meet a pointed look from her, and with a muttered complaint he put it down. I followed him upstairs and laid out a clean shirt, dark trousers, and a jacket. He complained about the jacket, rejected one shirt, and finally settled on another without so much as a thank-you. It was almost reassuring. Liam was still Liam.

The rest of the day passed quietly. His mother eventually coaxed him out of the house, and I went back to my usual work. But I could not forget the clothes. By evening I had convinced myself that Matthew had probably forgotten the arrangement, and that would have been easier, because then I could stop wondering what I was supposed to do with something I had never been allowed to own. Then, just as I was finishing my chores, a servant came looking for me.

"Alpha Liam wants you in his room."

My stomach tightened. I wiped my hands on my apron and climbed the stairs. Liam stood beside his desk when I entered, and three shopping bags sat on the chair nearby. He pointed at them. "These are for you. If you need anything else, tell Matthew."

I looked at the bags, and for a moment I could not move. He had actually done it. He had spent money on me, not on the Pack or the house or some task I had to finish, but on me. I walked over, lifted the bags from the chair, and set them on the floor between us.

"I can't take these."

Liam looked from the bags to me. "Why?"

"Because I can't."

"That explains absolutely nothing."

I swallowed. "I'm only a slave Omega, Alpha. I can't take things like this. New things."

His expression hardened. "Can you just snap out of your old Pack for five minutes?"

I flinched.

"What happened there doesn't mean it happens here. The rules are different. You need to learn to adapt." I stared at the floor. "It's been nearly a month," he went on, "and you're still acting like the same frightened girl. Or are you pretending to be stupid?"

Something inside me stirred. "I'm not stupid."

The words were out before I could stop them. Liam raised an eyebrow. "Right. I can see that. You're a spy. How could I forget?"

"I'm not a spy. I'm a werewolf. That's all."

"Oh, thank you for the information. I had absolutely no idea."

I made a face at him.

For one brief, glorious second, I was too annoyed to remember who he was. I was simply angry at a man who kept calling me stupid when he was the one who refused to believe a word I said. Then I saw that raised eyebrow, and my stomach dropped. What had I just done? I had argued with him. I had contradicted him. I had made a face at an Alpha standing right in front of me.

I snatched up the bags so quickly that one nearly slipped from my fingers, and I did not wait for him to say another word. I turned and fled the room with the bags clutched against my chest.