“I want to go through a few things,” the Alpha said, voice low and even. “Just so you know what to expect here.”
My spine went ridged before I could stop it, and the food sat like a stone in my stomach.
My hands tightened in my lap, nails digging into my palms as I braced myself.
But he didn’t sound strict or irritated. Or like he was preparing to correct it. He sounded careful.
“First, you don’t need permission to eat, drink, sit, stand, or move around. This is your home now and I want you to be comfortable.”
The words hit me so hard I forgot to breathe. My gaze snapped up, searching for his face for the trick. There wasn’t one. He just held my eyes for a moment, steady and sure before continuing.
“Second, no kneeling. Not for me, not for anyone who comes in this house.”
My throat tightened painfully.
He must have seen something in my expression because his voice softened even more. “Third. If you’re scared or overwhelmed, you can tell me. You won’t get in trouble for it. And last. You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to. I won’t push but know I’ll be here.”
He let the silence settle between us, warm instead of heavy. I stared at my hands, trying to process the rules.
It didn’t make sense.
I was meant to kneel; meant to serve; meant to exist for an Alpha.
“These aren’t tests, Kasey. They’re just…the way things are here. I don’t want a mindless slave. I want company. A friend.No sexual acts will be required of you. If you want to feel useful, help clean the house, do the laundry. Water the plants that I can’t keep alive.”
What?
I blinked at him, my mind whirling at what he wanted.
Alphas didn’t want those things. And being in the company of an Alpha who didn’t want any of that….it wasn’t how the world worked.
Chapter 11
Kasey
A sharp knock cut through the quiet of the house. The chair beneath me suddenly felt too small, too exposed. My hands tightened in my lap until my fingers ached.
The Alpha looked up from the table like he’d been expecting it.
My stomach dropped.
I kept my eyes on the table, breathing shallowly through my nose. The footsteps moved towards the front door, steady and unhurried. The Alpha’s voice followed, yet it was too far away for me to catch what was spoken.
The air shifted when they entered the kitchen. I felt it before I saw anything. The presence of another Alpha, heavier, older, carrying a kind of authority that made my spine lock straight.
I forced myself to look up.
The man wasn’t tall, but he filled the doorway like he belonged there. Dark coat, medical bag in hand, eyes sharp in a way that made me want to fold in on myself. He didn’t smile. Didn’t soften. Just…looked.
I instantly dropped my gaze.
My pulse hammered in my ears. My throat tightened. My body wanted to kneel, to show compliance, to avoid whatever attention he might give me.
“Kasey, this is Alpha Moore. He’s a doctor, here to check on you.”
Check on me?
My stomach twisted, nearly purging the food that I had just eaten. I didn’t know what that meant, and I didn’t know what he expected of me.
