The thought strikes me that I should feel trapped waking up like this. Squeezed between two Alphas with no easy way to escape, their bodies boxing me in from both sides. Every instinct Harmony House drilled into me says I should be panicking right now, looking for the nearest exit, and preparing for whatever punishment comes from this kind of inappropriate contact. But it really does feel safe here. Like nothing can touch me as long as I'm here between them, sheltered by their presence and their scents.
Those stories I always heard on field trips come back to me now. Other Omegas whispering about finding scent matches or mates, about how it could feel like heaven and everything you knew would be switched around as you desired to please and want to be with your mates over everything else.
Harmony House taught us that those stories were fantasies, dangerous dreams that would only lead to disappointment and heartbreak. They said real life was about structure and discipline and learning to be grateful for whatever Alpha chose you, that romance was a lie designed to make us complacent. Real Omegas knew their place and didn't waste time on fairy tales.
But lying here between Dustin and Kade, I think maybe those stories were true after all. Maybe this is what it's supposed to feel like.
Sitting up a little bit, I look around properly for the first time since we stopped here last night. The car is parked a little ways away on the dirt road, but it’s everything else that has me in awe. I can see the vast expanse of the property spreading out in every direction, fields and grass and fences stretching toward the horizon as far as my eyes can follow.
There's a barn a little ways away, red painted wood with white trim that looks freshly maintained. Beyond that sits a beautiful house where everything kind of turns to dirt roads leading in different directions.
This must be their ranch Kade was telling me about, where they wake up every morning and go to sleep every night. This is supposed to be my home now, at least for the next month until Harmony comes to evaluate whether I'm thriving here.
Kade sits up beside me. "How'd you sleep?" His voice comes out gravelly and rough with sleep, the sound sending heat straight through me and pooling low in my belly. Blushing, I look away quickly, embarrassed by my body's immediate reaction to something as simple as his morning voice.
"Good, thank you." Pulling the blanket tighter around my shoulders, I try to calm the rapid beating of my heart. "We didn't stay out here all night, did we? We shouldn't have slept out here. I'm sorry."
"Your comfort is important." Kade's hand comes up to tuck a few curls behind my ear. "Besides, this is part of our property. We can sleep wherever we want." He pauses, studying my face with those dark eyes that seem to see right through me. "Do you want to head up to the house? I promised you dinner, but maybe I can make it up to you with breakfast."
Nodding slowly, my stomach chooses that moment to respond to the mention of food with an enthusiastic rumble. Dustin wakes up on the other side with a groan, stretching his arms above his head. Then he leans over and presses a kiss to my cheek, like it's the most natural thing in the world. My body gets a little hot at the contact, my scent blooming sweet in response before I can control it. Managing an embarrassed smile, I duck my head, unsure how to handle this kind of easy affection from an Alpha who doesn't seem to want anything in return for it.
Dustin grins, those devastating dimples appearing in his cheeks. "You smell like heaven."
Kade snorts from beside me. "And you need a shower, Dustin. Let's get up before you find some reason to spend the rest of the day out here."
Dustin jumps to his feet with far too much energy for someone who just woke and then reaches down to help me up, already talking a mile a minute about the ranch and the horses and everything he wants to show me.
His enthusiasm is infectious, even though my body protests the movement after a night on the hard ground. He pulls me toward the car, and I hesitate, my feet stopping automatically as panic starts to claw up my throat. It’s bright outside but that doesn’t undo the knee-jerk reaction from the residual emotion from last night.
Dustin seems to read my emotions, his expression shifting from excitement to understanding in a heartbeat. He doesn't push or question why I've stopped, doesn't demand an explanation or tell me I'm being ridiculous. Instead, he just adjusts course and guides me up the small hill toward the house. "We can walk. It's not that far, and you should see the property anyway."
We make our way across the grass together, the dew soaking into the hem of my dress until the fabric clings to my calves. I stop completely as the full ranch comes into view and I'm absolutely awestruck by what I see. “It’s beautiful,” I murmur.
This is nothing like Harmony House, the sterile institutional building where every surface was designed for easy cleaning and maximum efficiency and everything smelled of bleach and misery. This place looks like a home where people actually live and laugh and love. It’s been so long since I lived in a house with love and laughter, and even then, they weren’t all good memories.
I follow alongside Dustin, his cheery baritone wiping away the panic from earlier as he flings open one of the barn doors. A smile takes over my face, even though the stench of the barn is overwhelming. But it’s real. And outside.And free.
"Thunder," Dustin calls out, and a gorgeous dark bay horse sticks his head over one of the stall doors in response. "Come meet Solana."
Hesitantly, I move closer and I hold out my hand the way I saw people do at the races yesterday. Thunder lowers his head, pressing his nose against my palm with a gentleness that surprises me given his size before bowing his head further. I stare for a long moment and then twist around to look at Dustin. “What is he doing?”
“Seems Thunder is just a big ole baby asking for pets. He’s quite gentle. Go on.”
I don’t move because I don’t exactly know what to do. Thunder lets out a huff and I step back, Dustin moving toward me to hold my hand. I swallow nervously as he gently covers the back of my hand with his and then raises it to run through Thunder’s mane. I marvel at the softness of his coat and the warmth radiating from his powerful body.
Tears form in my eyes as the power and freedom radiate from him, this magnificent creature who could run away if he wanted to. He could kick down the stall door and disappear into those open fields, running until he found somewhere wild and free. But he chooses to stay here. He chooses to trust Dustin and accept the care offered to him.
"Maybe one day you'll get to ride him," Dustin says softly, watching me with Thunder. He steps back, allowing me to pet the majestic beast on my own.
Looking up at him in surprise, I search his face for signs he's joking. "You'd let me?"
"I'm not in charge of you, Solana. Neither is Kade." Dustin's expression turns serious, his dimples disappearing as his voice takes on a weight I haven't heard from him before. "We brought you home to be ours, yes, but as our mate, as our Omega. Not as a servant or any other bullshit Harmony shoved down your throat. This place will be yours just as much as it's ours."
Part of me wants to desperately believe those words and trust that this is real and that they actually see me as an equal instead of property they purchased. But Harmony House spent years teaching me to be cautious, to not trust promises that sound too good to be true because they usually are. Alphas say pretty words to get what they want and then the reality is always different, always worse.
Looking over toward the other stalls, I see Kade bringing hay to one of the other horses. His muscles ripple beneath his shirt as he lifts the bales easily, making the heavy work look effortless. Heat floods through me again and I blush furiously, looking away quickly before either of them notices. He's just so strong and capable and the sight of him doing such casual physical labor does things to me that I don't entirely understand, makes my body respond in ways Harmony House said were inappropriate.
"You take care of all of this alone?" The question comes out a bit breathless and I clear my throat, trying to sound normal.
