For the first time in a long time, I gave my touch freely.
And in return, he made a violent promise.
The memory of it lingered in my mind, dangerous to believe.
Could these men really help me?
A shift was taking place inside me. Maybe it was the steady rhythm of my new routine, the absence of threats, or simply that no one had harmed me. My mind was beginning to recognize I wasn’t in immediate danger anymore, loosening the constant edge of fear.
In turn, my body had started reacting again, in ways it hadn’t in years. I recognized the instinctive responses as ones omegas had to alphas. My eyes tracked Silas and Knox without meaning to, aware of where they were at all times. I sought out their alpha scents which coated everything and acted like a sedative, dulling the edge of my panic.
I didn’t know when it happened exactly, but I had also started to find comfort in knowing they were nearby while I slept. Both handlers took turns, sitting on the floor at a distance that felt safe, even if their attention fixated on me in a way that seemed obsessive.
At first, their constant presence had terrified me. My guard stayed up as I could feel the weight of their focus, heavy and unrelenting. Now, that weight anchored me, allowing sleep to come deeper and more peacefully than it had since before my captivity.
Everytime I left my room, Silas and Knox would leave something behind. When I returned, there was always a gift waiting for me. A pillow here, a blanket there. I found myself looking forward to their presents, testing the textures, adjusting them, and positioning each item into place until it felt right. I knew what drove me to do those things, even if I didn’t want to name it. My nesting instincts were resurfacing, piece by piece.
I couldn't help reaching for the blankets or pillows that carried their scent the strongest, pulling them closer and breathing them in. Sometimes I caught myself rubbing the fabric along my arms, my neck, my chest, trying to mark my skinwith their scent.
And then something else would follow.
A warm pulse low in my body that made my breath catch and my thoughts scatter. No matter how much I tried to ignore it, my mind drifted, unbidden, to them.
To their hands.
Their bodies.
Their mouths.
I would grip my blankets tighter and wonder what it would feel like if it wasn’t just fabric beneath my touch.
It was terrifying.
And worse… it wasn’t entirely unwelcome.
But despite everything, there was another instinct, too.
A louder one, coiled at the edges of my mind.
These men will hurt you.
Don’t trust them.
They’re alphas, just like Marco.
The warning rose louder and louder, drowning out everything else. I had learned to survive by listening to that warning. It had kept me alive when hope was dangerous and attachment was a liability.
Along with the warning, Marco’s venomous words replayed in my head.
There is no future for you that doesn’t circle back to me.
What if he had been right?
What if the moment I let these men in, truly let myself believe in them, someone tore them away from me too? Theycould be taken, killed, or turned against me. I was terrified to trust, because nothing hurt more than having hope ripped out.
So I stayed balanced between instinct and terror, between the urge to lean in and the need to keep my guard raised, knowing that one wrong choice could cost me everything.
Knox’s fingers brushed my arm, and I reared back on instinct, flinching hard.
