I think of Eli in my doorway, of Drake in the garden, of Ragon in my bed, of Finn in his kitchen, of Chase at the gym.
"No. I can stand it. That's about it."
His jaw tics, barely.
"Any desire to cuddle? Curl up? Seek pack comfort?"
"No. I find ways to comfort myself. Or I go without."
"Do you feel unsafe with them?" He nods toward the alphas.
I consider. "I feel wary. Careful. Like they're large furniture I have to navigate around or they might fall over and crush me."
Drake looks sad. Marie looks offended; then guilty; then something stranger.
Arden exhales slowly, glancing once more at Jasper. "Okay. Thank you, Vee."
"Is it bad?" Drake blurts.
Arden doesn't answer him right away. His attention settles on me again. "Is it okay if we talk a little about what happened with your nest? You can tell me no."
I stare at him. At his steady eyes and his calm mouth.
"No one's asked me that."
"Then they should have."
My laugh is more exhale than sound. "We can talk about it. I'm not sure what good it'll do."
"Hearing your version always helps. Even if it's just for the record."
So I tell him.
Not every detail. But enough.
The gorilla railing. Marie's scream. Ragon's rage. His words:ending this once and for all. Eli and Jasper holding my arms. Watching my nest turn into a theater. The smell. The ban.
Arden doesn't interrupt. His jaw gets tighter with each sentence. Jasper's knuckles are white. Eli looks like he might be sick.
Ragon's scent grows thicker, stormier, but he doesn't stop me.
"...and then they left. Door closed. No one came back. I stripped the nest and threw it out." I shrug, small. "Haven't had the urge to build another since."
For a long moment, the only sound is the distant hum of the fridge.
Arden leans back. When he speaks, his voice is still mild. It's more dangerous that way.
"Thank you. Now I have questions for all of you."
Ragon straightens. "We can take this into my office. No need to drag her through—"
"No. There is every need. We are talking about her trauma in her house. She deserves to hear every word."
His tone isn't aggressive. It's worse: unyielding.
Ragon's eyes flash. "We didn't bring you here to undermine—"
"You brought me here to evaluate harm. I can't do that if you insist on reenacting the pattern that caused it. We don't talk around omegas about their own injuries likethey're not there. That's day one ethics. Omegas are people, not property."
