I slowly blinkagainst the pale light of a screen.Warmth and low rumbling are trying to pull me back under, but something niggling at the back of my mind is trying to get me to wake up.I have to wake upnow.
My body jerks into action, but an arm over my shoulder makes it hard to move, keeping me in place.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to wake you.You can go back to sleep.”Caleb’s deep voice has a soothing tone, the same he uses with Vera and Mathew, and it almost works on me too.
Until my brain starts to become louder and louder.Anxiety setting in.
Caleb’s soft grey eyes fully focus on me and he immediately lets me go, reaching for the drawer next to the couch, taking a clean mask from the box.“Fuck.Didn’t realise how long it had been.”
I now sit up straight.My brain’s screams become louder.My body tight, frozen in fear.
“Hold your breath.”He reaches out slowly, carefully, but I flinch all the same.
A different fear shoots through me, irrational, but there all the same.What if he gets angry?
“Luca.”Riley slowly gets up from her place in front of the couch, right in front of me.I hadn’t even noticed her there.“Let me help.”
This time, I make sure not to flinch, and she carefully takes the old mask from my face.I notice her dark red rose pheromones pooling around me, and take shuddering breaths, trying to fill my lungs with it.
She’s one of two people in the pack whose pheromones don’t set off my fear response, and while it’s a relief, I also always feel guilty that I can’t do this with the rest of the pack.
Caleb gives her the new mask and throws the old one away.
“Take a few deep breaths.”Riley keeps her voice soothing as she leans close, waiting for me to do it.Then she puts the new mask over my face, making sure it’s properly in place.“This better?”
I slowly reach up, relieved that the screaming in my head has eased and I’m able to move again.The mask is perfectly in place, no gaps, comfortable, as much as can be expected.
“Thanks.”My voice is creaky, and she smiles, touching my cheek carefully, like I’m made of porcelain and could break at any moment.
It’s interesting how the Alphas in the pack treat me, their softness and care.But it also feels good, it feels good to be treated like I matter, that my safety and comfort matters.
Riley sits back down on the floor, her back against the couch.the same place as before, almost at my feet, like a barrier to make sure I can’t fall off.Then she returns to reading through what looks like reports of some type.
Caleb has his arm on the back of the couch, his laptop on the armrest, various security streams visible on the screen, but his eyes are on me.
“You’re free to go back to sleep.With the new mask, you should be safe for a couple of hours.I’ll try to keep my pheromones in check.”His voice is soft, like he’s talking to a scared Omega.
And, maybe, that’s what I’m like the most in their eyes: a frail and scared Omega.
Wait.
No.
They might see me as a scared Omega, but they would never presume an Omega is automatically frail.That’s not who they are, that’s not what they’re like.
The Alphas, and Vera and Mathew, theycare, theycarethat I’m safe and comfortable.They treat me like this not because they think I’m lesser or frail in some way, but because they simply want me to feel safe and secure, helping me heal.
The thoughts make me emotional and I fight against tears.I don’t want them to misunderstand them.They’re tears because I’m grateful for having found such an amazing pack.
Caleb raises the blanket that’s pooled around my waist, raising his arm so I can sleep against him again.It takes me a few moments, but I scoot closer, into his embrace, my heart beating fast, but my brain is still fine.
He carefully lowers his arm, pulling the blanket over me, and starts up his soothing ‘sleep well’ rumble.It works as well on me as it does on Vera, as it eases my heart rate and lets me relax against him.
I don’t fall asleep immediately.Instead, I watch the security cams with Caleb and from time to time I catch glimpses of the reports Riley is reading.
From this angle, I can sometimes spot a date in a header or a security code, though I can’t read any of the text of the reports.Even with that little information, it’s not hard to figure out what they’re about.They’re from previous times Mathew and his organisation have been in danger.
Mostly, Riley seems to skim-read them, but from time she makes notes or copies something into a new file.She’s really focused on it, her eyes intense, as her lips move, probably mouthing the words she’s reading.It makes the imposing Alpha look almost cute.
