I don’t lift my head. I just listen.
“Warren and Grason will never hurt you,” he continues softly. “They’re good alphas who would rather die than hurt those they love.”
Something in my chest tightens at that, sharp and aching.
“And Beck,” Cass adds, a faint warmth threading into his tone, “he will adore you for the rest of your life.”
The hand at the back of my head shifts, fingers threading gently through my damp hair, anchoring me even though my body still feels like it’s been wrung out and left to dry.
“Let go, omega,” he murmurs. “Let us love you.”
Our bond hums softly between us, steady and present, and for the first time since my heat ended, I let myself completely relax in his arms.
Then I close my eyes slowly.
Just for a second.
Just long enough to rest.
I don’t tell Cass that I’m still scared. That beneath the warmth and the safety, something cold and sharp is twisting inside my gut. I feel it coil tighter with every steady beat of his heart against my cheek.
There’s no way out of this anymore.
The realization settles heavy and suffocating, pressing down on me until my breath feels thin.
There's no escape. I can’t leave.
I can’t walk out the front door and return to the life I had before, because I’m mated.
Bound.
Owned.
And the worst part is, I didn’t fucking choose this. My body did. My instincts did. My biology reached out and locked onto this alpha and dragged the rest of me along behind it.
The steam keeps rising, blurring the edges of the small bathroom.
The water keeps running, relentless and loud.
And for the first time, the fear I’ve been clutching doesn’t know where to go.
It has nowhere to hide.
So it settles deep in my chest instead, quiet and watchful, waiting to see what this new life is going to demand of me.
Dreaming
Tansy
I'm floating,wrapped in the warm, solid safety of Cass’s arms. The world around me is hazy, the edges soft and blurred like a watercolor painting left in the rain. I can feel his heartbeat, a slow, steady drum against my cheek, a comforting rhythm in the fog. He’s holding me, his chin resting on the top of my head, and I feel completely, utterly safe.
But something is wrong.
A dark shadow creeps along the edge of my dream, a formless, oily thing that slithers just beyond the soft light. It doesn’t have a shape, but I know exactly who it is.
Cold, sharp fear pricks at the warmth of Cass’s embrace.
The shadow grows closer, stretching its smoky tendrils toward us, and I hold my breath.
