Page 89 of Claimed

Gage shakes his head as he steps out of the panic room. “I don’t think it’s worth it.”

“Hey!” I say, narrowing my eyes at him.

Gage pulls me in for a hug as he explains, “You’re an omega, Cherry. From everything I’ve read, they are literally made weaker. If we trained you every day for a year, any alpha shifter would still outmatch you.”

It might be true, but it doesn’t mean I like hearing it. Nobody wants to be called weak.

“Come here, sweetheart,” Maddox says, pulling me from Gage’s grasp as he sits on the bed and lifts me into his lap. “I want you to listen to me very carefully.”

I stare up into his mesmerizing green eyes and nod.

“You are not weak.” He sends a small glare over my head at Gage before he focuses back on me. “You are the strongest person I know. Do you think any one of us would have lasted ten years at that facility?” He shakes his head before continuing.

“We couldn’t have done it. And you managed to escape on your own. A weak person couldn’t have done that. And you ran, for weeks, while at death's door. And then after everything that’d been done to you, you found it in your heart to trust us, and let us help you. That takes a different kind of strength, one you can’t learn from working out or training.”

He rubs his thumb over his mate bite on my neck, sending a small pulse of desire through me. “Every time I think about what you’ve been through, I think about how remarkable and strong you are to have gone through that and come out on the other side so sweet and unjaded.”

My heart swells in my chest. I had no idea he thought about my past like that. I don’t. Every time I remember being locked up, it makes me feel small and weak.

“Who cares if your wolf doesn’t know how to fight, or if you can’t open a bottle of water. That’s why you have us. We love protecting you and taking care of you. We don’t want you to fight.”

I glance at Chase, as he’s the one who brought it up. He presses his lips together, looking rather chastised before he apologizes. “I’m sorry, pretty girl. Mad is right. I don’t want you to fight. I just worry about you.”

It’s probably a little harder for him since he can’t sense my emotions yet. So I stand from Maddox’s lap and step over to him. As soon as I’m within range, he pulls me to him and hugs me. My head barely comes up to his chest, making me feel small and protected in his arms.

“Don’t worry. While they’re gone, I know you and Hunter will protect me.”

“Damn right we will,” Hunter says from our side. When I glance at him, he gives me a wink, making me smile.

“Chase, I think the groceries you ordered are here,” Gage suddenly says, making me pull back from my hug as Chase pulls out his phone.

“Not yet, they’re close though, just turning onto our street now,” Chase says before frowning at Gage.

“Weird, I swear I heard their tires,” Gage says, tilting his head.

“I can hear them too,” Maddox confirms as Hunter steps across the hall to look out the window.

“I still don’t see it.”

“I hear it,” Bain says, making Chase frown at him.

“All three of you hear it?” They nod as he calls to Hunter. “Do you hear it, Hunt?”

“No, but I see it, oh, now I hear it.”

“Me too,” Chase says quietly as he stares at his phone. “That was weird.” He shakes his head, his normal smile returning as he turns and heads down the hall to collect the groceries from the delivery driver.

“I’ll help him,” Hunter calls from the hall as I look around my new room.

In the past few days, things have quickly started appearing. It started with the clothes and shoes, then I noticed an array of fancy bathroom supplies like vanilla scented shampoo, conditioner, and body wash, then came the jewelry. Luckily, they seemed to know my taste, nothing too big or shiny. Really, my ring on the chain around my neck was the only thing I chose to wear every day, and I think they figured that out when I didn’t wear any of the new stuff.

Now a laptop sits at my desk along with a tablet and a variety of notebooks and pens. The small bookcase on the back wall was empty when we moved in, and now there are over a dozen books on it. I would have pegged that one as Gage’s doing, but some of the titles make me wonder if it’s actually the twins. Or both.

I’ve told them several times they don’t have to buy me things, but they said it makes them feel good. So they stopped presenting me with gifts, because they know I’d try to refuse, and instead, the gifts just appear.

I glance at Bain, who’s sitting on my bed, leaning against my headboard, hugging a pillow in his lap that reads ‘Baby Girl’. I narrow my eyes at it. When did that get here?

He tosses the pillow aside and reaches his arms out toward me. “Come here.” I climb up on the end of the bed and crawl up to sit beside him. Maddox takes a seat at my other side, and Gage lies on his stomach, holding my bare feet as they all stare at me.