Chapter 1
Vee
I wake up burning.
My body is cramping. Sharp twists deep in my abdomen that make me whine before I'm fully conscious. The sound comes out high and pathetic.
Someone moves beside me.
I force my eyes open. The room swims into focus. Unfamiliar walls. Unfamiliar bed. A window with pale curtains.
Where am I?
Then the scent hits me.
Coffee. Rich and overwhelming. My omega lunges toward it with a desperation that makes my chest ache.
I turn my head toward the scent. Coffee… not the cedar I remember. Different. My brain reaches for the reason and the heat swallows it whole.
Malcolm is sitting on the edge of the bed. Broad shoulders. Hair slightly messy. His eyes are watching me with careful intensity.
"Hey." He speaks low. "You're awake."
Another cramp seizes me and I curl into myself with a gasp.
Fragments come back. The porch. Rain on my skin. Finn's arms lifting me and being carried inside.
Alex and Malcolm's scents hitting me without blockers for the first time.
The bond flaring bright and vicious.
Scent matches.
Both of them.
My stomach twists with more than just heat cramps. Fury surfaces through the haze. Theylied. They hid what they were. They lived next door for months and I had no idea.
"Why?" The word comes out broken. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Malcolm's jaw tightens. "I will explain everything. I promise. But right now you need help."
My chest is still heaving, pain and anger knotted together somewhere under my ribs. “How long did you know?” The words are sharp. “How long were you going to wait to tell me?”
Malcolm doesn’t even flinch. “It doesn’t matter right now,” he says softly, but there’s steel under it. “What matters is you have a choice, and you need to make it while you can still think straight. Before the next wave.”
I swallow. My throat is so dry it burns.
He leans forward, careful, hands braced on his knees. “We know you hate the registry. That’s why we wanted to ask first. But if you want us to take you there, we will. Right now. They’ll assign you a substitute pack for the rest of your heat. You were too far gone by the time we found you for medical intervention. Suppressants would only hurt you, especially after everything you’ve been through. So you have to make a choice, Vee.”
He pauses, swallowing.
“If you want another pack, we’ll get you one. A stand in for your heat. You’ll be safe, and we’ll leave you alone. Or if you want us to go to your house, pound down Ragon’s door, and force him and his pack to take care of you, we’ll do that too. Whatever you want, Vee. Or…” He glances over his shoulder at the closed door, then back to me. “You can let me and Finn help you. But only if you’re sure. I know you’re angry. I know we lied. I don’t want you to feel like you have to choose us just because of biology.”
I blink. My vision goes fuzzy for a second. “What about Alex?” I ask, voice barely there.
“He can’t help you with this,” he says. “Not right now. We’ll talk about that part later. But for now, it’s just those two options. Registry substitutes, Ragon, or us. There’s nothing else, I’m sorry.”
I want to scream. Or cry. Or both. “If I say yes,” I whisper, “you won’t…” I shake my head, because the word “claim” sticks in my throat.
