When the movie starts—some action thing Drake picked—I'm still in Ragon's lap.
Marie is back, curled into Drake's side on the couch. Whatever she needed help with in the kitchen is apparently resolved.
I sit rigid against Ragon's chest, his arms loose around my waist.
The opening credits roll. Explosions on screen. Someone's phone buzzes and gets silenced.
I stare at the TV and don't process a single thing happening.
All I can think about is how much I want to be in Eli's lap instead. Or Drake's. Or anywhere but here, being held by an alpha who corrected me an hour ago and is now touching me out of obligation.
Ragon's thumb moves in absent circles against my hip.
The gesture is meant to be soothing.
It just makes me feel more alone.
Halfway through the movie, Jasper stands and excuses himself quietly. He doesn't say where he's going. He just leaves.
I don't blame him.
If I could leave my own body right now, I would.
When the movie ends and people start shuffling off to bed, Ragon's arms finally loosen.
I stand immediately, putting distance between us.
"Vee," he says quietly.
I don't turn around. "I'm tired. I'm going to bed."
"We should talk about earlier."
"I apologized. I meant it. We're done."
"Vee—"
"Good night, Ragon."
I leave before he can push further.
In my nest, I pull the blankets over my head and try to pretend today didn't happen.
But I can still feel the phantom weight of Ragon's arms around me. Still feel the difference between being held because an alpha wants you versus being held because an alpha is managing you.
My nest feels cold and empty. The sleep schedule didn’t last. There was always one thing or another coming up to disrupt it. Drake or Eli getting called in to work. Ragon having a stomach bug that kept him away on my night. Marie having a nightmare that landed all three of the alphas in her room at once to comfort her. That was the first night I’d slept alone without asking for it. It wasn’t the last.
I eventually fall asleep feeling more alone than I have since Marie arrived.
And that's saying something.
Chapter 10
The outing is Jasper's idea.
Of course it is.
"We need data that isn't contaminated," he says over coffee Monday morning, like he's talking about a lab sample and not my entire life. "House dynamics give one picture. Outside environments give another."
