Was I to kneel? Was I submitting to two Alphas? Was I following the rules the owner of this house already gave me?
Alpha Moore stepped closer, slow, and careful. Not looking but not giving me much space either. I felt the weight of his attention settle on me like a hand on the back of my neck.
“Kasey.” My name was spoken gently, like hecared. “I’m not here to hurt you. I just need to check you over and make sure you’re physically well.”
I was far from well. Sure, on the outside, I looked just like any other Omega possibly could, minus the number of marks that covered my body. But inside, that was a mess of lava and ash that was kept under a tight lid, so I didn’t blow.
I nodded anyways, because anything else would have been punishable.
The Alpha that bought me moved to stand beside the table, a steady presence that for some reason soothed something in me.
“You’re safe,” he murmured, giving me a small smile that didn’t reach his eyes when I glanced up.
The words made my chest tighten painfully. I didn’t know how to believe them, but I held onto them anyway because they were all that I had.
Alpha Moore sat his bag down on the table, right in the middle. The soft click of the metal latch made me flinch.
“Let’s start simple. I just want to talk.”
Talk?
I could do that. Maybe. If my voice worked.
“I’ve taken care of many Omegas over the years. Omegas who have been hurt. Omegas who are scared and overwhelmed. Omegas just like you.” Alpha Moore’s voice was soft, almost likehekneweverything that I’ve already gone through, and what I’d have to deal with. It almost made tears gather, but a hard blink forced them back.
Alpha Moore pulled a chair from around the side of the table and sat next to me. The scrape of the wood on the tile made my shoulders jump. He didn’t sit right away, instead stood there behind the chair with both hands on the back.
“May I sit?” He asked.
The question startled me more than if he’d simply taken the seat. I nodded once; afraid any hesitation might be the wrong answer.
He lowered himself into the chair with calmness, like he was trying not to spook me.
The Alpha who had control over me stayed close, leaning against the counter within my sight. One quick glance at him was enough to remind me of my place.
Alpha Moore folded his hands on the table, where I could clearly see them. “Kasey, I’m going to ask you a few questions. Nothing invasive. Just to understand how you are doing.”
Questions were dangerous, and not a game I cared for too much. I’d have to be careful on how I answered, if I even answered at all.
“How are you feeling right now?”
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.
I had no answer, not really. There were no words to describe the way my entire body buzzed with a simmering need with fear like no other was right on top.
So, I just lifted a shoulder, unsurehowto answer.
He just nodded like he expected that answer. “Alright.Canyou talk?”
Uhm….
I didn’t know that answer, either. It’d been a long while since I used my voice other than to cry, but I wasn’t sure that counted.
Flickering a gaze towards the Alpha across the room, my cheeks heated, finding him looking at me.
“Evander…your Alpha,” he tilted his head towards said Alpha, “Said you were overwhelmed, which is expected.”
He turned fully towards the other Alpha, speaking to him as though I wasn’t even in the room. And somehow, that made it easier. Easier to breathe. Easier to sit still. It was easier to pretend none of this was about me.
