Still, a few details made this place feel more lived-in than the last. The entertainment center had video games and movies, probably Ryker's, since he had a habit of sprawling out while watching a horror or comedy film. A high-end set of pots, pans, and knives hung from the kitchen wall, no doubt belonging to Talon or Cade, both of whom enjoyed cooking, although I had yet to taste any of Talon’s food. Maps and mission reports covered the walls. They were not particularly decorative, but they were better than nothing.
A bookshelf near the TV held tactical manuals, textbooks, and a few novels. On one shelf sat a small paper crane, folded from a torn page. My heart tightened as I remembered how Killian had carefully crafted one for me when we first met. He had not used my nickname since my escape attempt. In fact, he had barely spoken to anyone at all, except for the rare moment when he signed something to Cade or gave a passive grunt. The silence around him felt heavy, carved from anger or sorrow. Maybe both.
Laughter spilled into the room, interrupting the quiet tension. Ryker walked in carrying a stack of takeout containers piled high. Whatever had made him laugh was clearly not amusing to Talon, who followed behind with an eye roll and an annoyed expression. He clipped Ryker on the back of the head, calling him a “dumbass,” which nearly made Ryker drop our dinner. Cade rubbed his temples in typical fashion.
I ate in silence while the rest of the unit discussed their shift schedules and upcoming duties. I pushed my food around in the container. The pills dulled my appetite, but I knew Cade would make me finish my meal, so I steeled myself and forced everything down with gulps of water.
When my plate was finally empty, I asked to be excused so I could unpack my things and settle into my room. The simple act of organizing my belongings felt normal, domestic. I needed that right now.
“Yes,” Cade said. “You can go unpack. I already unloaded your suitcase from the convoy. I put it down the hall, inside the only door on the left.”
Relief flickered through me. Tension, guilt, and unspoken words swirled in the air, thick and oppressive, and I needed space before it crushed me. I headed down the hallway, already thinking about where I’d put my clothes, how I’d organize what little I had. I stopped in front of the door he’d indicated, pushed it open—
And froze.
It wasn’t a bedroom.
Shelves lined the walls, stacked with towels and folded linens. My suitcase sat neatly on the floor at the bottom of a narrow hall closet.
I frowned, backing out and double-checking the doors on the right side of the hallway instead. Each room carried a distinct scent. Ryker’s. Talon’s. Cade’s. I passed Killian’s room, catching faint movement inside.
My senses were sharper than they used to be. Talon had told me this would happen. As I learned to control my wolf and shifted more often, my hearing, sight, and sense of smell would sharpen, until my senses were as keen as his.
The final door at the end of the hall was locked.
“Uh, Cade…” I called.
“Yes?” he answered from the dining room.
I heard Ryker chuckle, followed by something I couldn’tquite make out.
“I found my suitcase,” I said carefully, “but it’s in a closet. Where’s my bedr—”
Ryker’s laughter cut me off.
I leaned around the corner of the hallway and narrowed my eyes at him. “What exactly is so funny, Ryker?” I asked, glancing between him and Cade.
Ryker shrugged, arms crossing as he leaned back in his chair, a smug expression settling in.
“You can unpack your things in the hall closet, Rowan,” Cade said evenly, not bothering to look up from his second helping.
I stared at him. “What—my bedroom doesn’t have a closet?”
He dropped his fork, exhaled, and raised his eyes to meet mine. The stern way he looked at me made me squirm. I could tell I was not about to like what he was going to say next.
“It’s not that your bedroom doesn’t have a closet,” he said evenly. “It’s thatyoudon’t have a bedroom. Bedrooms are privileges. Personal space is a privilege. We shouldn’t have given you this privilege in the first place, and you’ve now lost it. You will sleep in our rooms for the foreseeable future. We will rotate every three days. Myself, then Ryker, then Talon—that is until Killian decides he can stomach being in the same room as you. We will reevaluate your living arrangements in a few months, depending on your behavior.”
I saw red.
The sedative had mostly worn off, and I could once again feel the full spectrum of my emotions. Fury coursed through me. No personal space? So they planned to make me a prisoner. To take away every ounce of my freedom and spoon it back to mein small helpings as a reward for compliance. Was my guilt not enough? Could they not see that I recognized my choices had put me in danger and had no plans to do it again? Where would I even go? We were in the middle of nowhere!
"Cade I—"
“There's no debate, Rowan. My decision is final.”
Suddenly, I could sense the wolf. I could feel her, me, whatever the creature truly was, clawing from underneath. Fury weakened the cage. Colors in the room grew more saturated, scents sharpened, and my nails elongated into knife-like claws.
Dig your nails into your palms.
