Sir needed a jacket. Why hadn’t he brought a jacket? Gabriel wasn’t worth being cold over. Sir deserved so muchbetter.
Gabriel only noticed that he was breathing again when Sir fell to his knees and swept him into a crushing hug. Gabriel froze, expecting punishment, but when none came, he carefully wrapped his arms around Sir and huggedhimback.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Sir asked, but his voice was frightened instead of angry. “There were rules set in place. You weren’t supposed to leave the house without mypermission.”
“I know,” Gabriel whispered. He buried his nose against the crook of Sir’s neck and tried not to remember his dream. Sir’s touch felt too good, and it made him want to be bad, just like he knew it would. “I’msorry.”
One of Sir’s hands tucked itself behind his head while the other barred across his back. The touch was intimate, but it was not demanding. It was the kind of touch that was grateful instead of possessive, and it made Gabriel want toknowwhy.
Why was Sir treating him with kindness instead of disgust? Why was he being met with affection instead of pain? What was it going to be like when Sir got him back into thehouse?
Somehow, it didn’tmatter.
Gabriel breathed in Sir’s scent and held it. Instead of anxiety, he was treated with release from his fears. Now that Sir had him, he was safe. He’d be kept secure inside the house, and even though he was going to be punished, Gabriel knew that whatever waited for him in the bungalow couldn’t hold a candle to what the man without a name would do to him should he be reclaimed. Gabriel didn’t like the thought that he was to go back home with the man he’d dreamed about—the one who’d encouraged him to forget about Garrison—but right now, he had no otherchoice.
He’d rushed his escape. Next time, he would give it thought, and he’d wait for the perfect opportunity. With the man without a name lurking nearby, and Sir intent on not letting him go, what other choice did he have? For now, he’d have to bestrong.
Wilted against Sir’s chest, Gabriel talked himself down from his panic. He was seconds away from announcing that he could walk when Sir’s arms changed positions, tugging Gabriel to him that muchtighter.
“Are you ready to go home?” Sirasked.
“Yes, Sir.” Gabriel knew that he should stand, but he’d found safety in Sir’s arms, and he was reluctant to part from them. Enjoying physical contact like this didn’t mean that he was being bad. Right now, it was what he needed to get by. “Do you want me tostand?”
“No. You’ve lost the privilege to walk byyourself.”
Gabriel blinked and pulled back from Sir’s chest. He was about to ask what that meant when Sir lifted him from the sidewalk like he weighed nothing at all and tucked Gabriel against his chest. Gabriel gasped and locked his arms around Sir’s neck, but all Sir did was chuckle. They rose together, Sir’s body taut as he supported Gabriel’s weight. He was slender for an alpha, but in that moment, he showed his truestrength.
“Sir?” Gabriel asked, his tone pitched up a note fromuncertainty.
“Your outside privileges have been revoked.” Sir rounded the mailbox, carrying Gabriel bridal-style in the direction of the house. “I told you yesterday that you weren’t allowed outside unless I gave you permission. That is no longer the case. You are to remain inside until you’ve proven that you can be trusted. If you test your limits again, your punishment willbesevere. My patience is not unending. You knowbetter.”
“I know, Sir.” Gabriel frowned, but he couldn’t feel sorry for himself—not when Sir was holding him so close and sheltering him from theworld.
“When we get inside, you’ll have half an hour to eat the breakfast I prepared for you. After that, your timeismine.”
“Yes, Sir.” Gabriel’s arms loosened around Sir’s neck. He felt the sway of every step Sir took, but Sir’s sturdy arms did not let him fall. “I won’t do thisagain,Sir.”
It was a lie. Gabriel knew it, and by the way silence descended upon them, he thought that Sir knew it, too. If Sir suspected he was lying, he didn’t call him out on it. There was nothing he could do to keep Gabriel from going, and Gabriel was fairly sure he knew it. It was just a matterofwhen.
“Let’s get you back to the house,” Sir murmured, almost more to himself than toGabriel.
Sir carried him the rest of thewayhome.
17
Cedric
Omegas who consenteddidn’trun.
Cedric bent forward at the waist, resting his elbows on the kitchen counter as he held his head in his hands. He’d managed troublemakers before—men who liked pain and punishment more than they liked pleasure—but the way Gabriel acted didn’t lead Cedric to believe he was looking for punishment. There was no sly twist of his lips or sparkle of mischief in his eyes. What Gabriel was looking for wasn’t a spanking, or a lashing, or even a deprivation of his senses—he wanted to escape, and Cedric still hadn’t come to terms with what thatmeant.
Did Gabriel want to be here? Probably not. Cedric had no clue what had happened with him, and Google wasn’t telling him shit. All he knew was that one day, Gabriel had been a regular part of the Lowe family, and the next day, he’d been missing. He’d heard rumors about the aftermath as it related to the remaining individuals in the house—Adrian and his parents—but rumors weren’t reliable, and they told him nothing about what he neededtoknow.
Timid Gabriel, who’d crumpled in on himself behind the mailbox, body shaking and eyes squeezed shut withterror.
What the hell had Cedric donetohim?
Gabriel was locked in his room, the bolt secured on the sun room door. There was no exterior lock for the hallway door yet, but Cedric was already considering his options. He didn’t want to lock Gabriel in a room like he was a prisoner, but at the same time, he was obligated to keep Gabriel safe. That left Cedric with two options—he could install a lock that would potentially piss off his landlords when it came time to move, or he could figure out what the root problem was andeliminateit.
