I can hear Stefan's muffled response through the phone, something that only seems to frustrate Dustin more. The Alpha makes a sound of pure exasperation.
"Iknowit's risky. I know we have our own shit to worry about. But we can't just ignore this." His pacing intensifies, wearing a path in the rug. "There are Omegas in there right now being punished for things that aren't crimes. I can feel it. If it’s anything like how that Alpha treated Solana, the rest of them are being treated like they're less than human."
Dustin has always been passionate and while I’m just as horrified from what little I picked up atHarmony,I know it’s going to mess with Dustin more. Despite who and what we work with, Dustin still has a tender soul and I love him for it.
More talking from Stefan comes through the phone, his tone growing sharper from what I can hear. Dustin hangs up with more force than necessary, practically slamming his phone down on the desk. He stalks over to where I'm sitting in the office chair and pulls my laptop from my lap without asking before setting it on the desk and then flops down into my lap.
I laugh, gently running my fingers through his hair, enjoying the way he immediately starts to relax beneath my touch. Then I yank back suddenly, gripping the strands hard enough to make him gasp and his eyes fly open. "Does my kitten need a little something?"
Dustin's eyes darken with want but he shakes his head even as his body responds to the dominance in my grip. "No, I'm just frustrated. Maybe after Solana is settled." He pauses, his expression shifting from arousal to concern in a heartbeat. "Did you see her face after we left the room? Should we have left her in there? There's nothing even in that room. No personal items, no clothes, nothing that makes it hers. We just stuck her in an empty guest room and told her to rest."
I release his hair and go back to stroking it gently, my fingers working through the strands. "We'll have to go shopping, but I don't want to scare her. Taking her into town so soon after everything she's been through might be overwhelming. She had a panic attack just from being in the truck."
Dustin sighs heavily, leaning his head against my shoulder. He moves to straddle me properly, his arms wrapping around the back of my neck, his head dropping into the crook of my neck. We sit like that for a long moment, the tension slowly draining from his body as I continue to run my fingers through his hair. The connection between us pulses through the bond, grounding us both after the chaos of getting Solana out of Harmony House.
Then Dustin sits back suddenly, his whole body going tense, a frown forming on his face. His nose twitches as he catches something in the air that I haven't noticed yet. "Wait, what is that?"
He climbs off my lap and moves to the entrance of the office, his head tilting as he sniffs at the air again. Then he steps out into the hallway and freezes completely, his body going still.
I stand and move to see what has him so transfixed. Solana's bedroom door is open, which strikes me as odd because I definitely closed it when we left her to rest. I thought she might want the privacy, the ability to decompress without feeling watched. But then I see what made Dustin stop dead in his tracks.
Solana is right there, curled up against the wall just outside the office. She's wrapped in the blanket from her bed, her head resting against the doorframe, fast asleep. Dustin drops to his knees beside her, the movement waking her as her eyes fly open, confusion and then immediate panic flooding her features. She shoots up into a sitting position, the blanket falling from her shoulders as she plasters herself against the wall. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep out here. I just needed to be closer, and I didn't know if I was allowed in the room, so I stayed outside, and I'm sorry."
The words tumble out in a rush, panic clear in her voice as her scent turns sharp with fear. Dustin holds up his hands in a calming gesture, trying to make himself less threatening. "Hey, it's okay. What are you doing out here? Is something wrong with the room?"
Solana pulls the blanket tighter around herself, wrapping it like armor against whatever punishment she thinks is coming. "It just felt wrong in there. The door was closed, and I couldn't smell you, so I came out here, but I didn't know if I was allowed to go into the office. I didn't want to intrude or break any rules."
Dustin chuckles softly at that, Solana freezing, her eyes going wide with what looks like terror. He notices immediately and shifts his expression into something softer. "Sweetheart, I'm going to tell you every goddamn day if I have to, but this place is yours. You can go or do anything. There are no rules about where you're allowed to be." He gestures to the office behind him. "Do you want to come in? We're just finishing up some work with the ranch, and then we were thinking about grabbing some items from the store for you. Would that be okay?"
Solana peeks into the office hesitantly, her gaze moving from Dustin to me, where I'm standing just inside the doorway. I can see the uncertainty written across her face, the fear of making the wrong choice, even when we've just told her there are no wrong choices. Years of conditioning at Harmony House won't be undone in a day or even a week.
I can't help myself. Watching her curl up outside our office because she couldn't stand to be alone, seeing the relief in her eyes at being near us, even if she was too scared to actually come inside, it breaks something open in my chest. I move forward and gather her up in my arms, blanket and all, lifting her easily. She makes a small surprised sound as I carry her into the office and settle back into the chair I was sitting in earlier, adjusting her weight in my lap.
She shuffles around a little bit, trying to find a comfortable position. Her head ends up resting on my chest, her legs tucked beneath her, my arms wrapped firmly around her waist, but it’s her scent that gives her way. It blooms a bit sweeter, that vanilla and orchid mixing with my own cedarwood as my Alpha instincts purr with satisfaction.
"How's that?" I ask, my voice rumbling through my chest where her head is pressed.
She's quiet for a moment, just breathing and adjusting to the contact. "There must be something wrong with me to like this. I just met you yesterday."
"When you know, you just know," I repeat Dustin's words from yesterday, meaning every single syllable. There's no doubt in my mind that Solana is meant to be ours, that this is exactly where she belongs.
Solana gives me a soft smile and it feels like she already has my heart completely in her hands. She relaxes against me, her body melting into mine as the last of the tension drains away. This is right. This is exactly where she's supposed to be.
Chapter fourteen
Solana
Three hours later, I'm confused, terrified, and overwhelmed as I'm plastered to Kade's side. The idea of going to the store to grab clothes and other items was exciting until we actually got in the car and started heading to the city. The drive itself wasn't terrible because I had both of them with me, Dustin driving while Kade held my hand in the backseat. But the moment we pulled into the parking lot and I saw the sprawling shopping center with its crowds of people moving in and out of stores, my stomach dropped.
Harmony House rarely allowed us to leave the building and when we did, it was together, with Omegas I had all but grown up beside. We were trained to ignore the sounds and scents around us, our blockers consuming our true instincts. But now? I’ve missed one or two doses, which means I can feeleverything.
Now I'm drowning in sensations. The noise of traffic and conversations and music playing from storefronts crashes over me in waves. The scents of perfume and food and exhaust and dozens of people passing by create a cocktail so overwhelming that my head swims. There’s car doors slamming, children crying, and shopping carts rattling across pavement. It's all too much, too fast, and too intense.
Without the protection of the Wardens and the rules, I'm a little lost. At Harmony House, everything was controlled and predictable. We moved in groups with our wardens. We knew exactly where we were allowed to go and what we were permitted to touch. The boundaries were clear, even if they were suffocating. But here in the real world with actual freedom, I have no idea what the limits are.
I don't know what's going to get me in trouble. I don't know what the boundaries are or what I'm allowed to want or how I'm supposed to act. Can I ask for things? Can I say no if they offer me something I don't want?
What happens if I make the wrong choice or express the wrong preference? Back at the house, it was a little easier to just exist in Kade's arms. The space was theirs and I could follow their lead, watch how they moved through their home and mirror that behavior. But here in public with strangers watching, everything feels precarious and wrong.
