And honestly…since Evander picked it out, I’d wear it anyways. Even if I didn’t like it.
“If you don’t finish the clothes tonight, you can finish them up tomorrow. As long as the chores I assign you are done in a timely manner, there will be no punishment.
“What…what if Idon’tdo them?” I had to ask as I inched closer to the couch.
One look at Evander made my heart go into overdrive for a moment. His look was soft with a hint of something I couldn’t name. Something that made me feel safe to possibly try to skip doing a chore he requested of me.
“Well, let's say you were to do the dishes and decided to skip the step of rinsing them off before putting them in the dishwasher. I’d have you take everything out and handwash every item. If you decided you didn’t want to put away the laundry, I’d have you do my laundry for a week on top of doing your own.”
“I’ll wash yours, too. It’s…” I trailed off as the Alpha raised a brow.
“If you do something that really is rude to me or anyone that comes to visit, then you’ll have something like a quiet time. Where you’ll get to sit in your room, with the door open, and think about what actions you took.”
When I didn’t say anything else, Evander let out a soft huff that sounded almost like a laugh. “Go on. Look through what I got you. My family likes to drop by without warning, and I’d rather they didn’t walk in and find a sweet Omega wondering around my house naked because he thought skipping laundry for a week sounded fun.”
Heat rushed straight to my cheeks. I ducked my head, hoping he didn’t notice how flustered I was, and stepped closer to the couch to hide my face in the pile of bags and boxes instead.
I kept my eyes down pretending to study the nearest bag even though my pulse was thudding in my ears.
Evander moved closer, just near enough that I felt the weight of his presence on my back. It made my shoulders tense and loosen at the same time.
“Good boy. Go on.”
I swallowed and reached for the first box, fingers trembling just a little. The cardboard gave way with a soft tear, revealing neatly folded fabric inside. Soft colors and comfortable textures, nothing flashy or intimidating. Clothes meant to be worn, not displayed.
Shirts and pants. Shorts. So many items that no Omega possibly needed.
Evander stepped back, further towards the chair. “Take your time. They’re yours.”
My clothes.
Something to call my own.
It felt unreal. Like I was in a dream that I’d wake up at any moment.
I hadn’t had anything that was truly mine for so long; I didn’t know how to feel about it.
But I kept going, because he told me to. Because Evander trusted me too. Because some parts of me wanted to believe him.
The next bag had sleep pants and a couple of sweaters. The pants were lightweight and loose; the king meant for comfort rather than appearance. I brushed my thumb over the fabric, surprised by how gentle it felt. I’d never owned anything meant purely for resting.
Underneath it was a matching shirt, simple and plain.
The next items were socks. Not the thin scratchy kind I was used to, but there were warm and thick, muted colors that wouldn’t draw attention.
I blinked hard, and reached for the next item.
A hoodie. Soft and heavy. The kind that would swallow me whole. I lifted it with both hands, and the weight of it surprised me. It smelled like the store, and I secretly wished it would smell like Evander instead. It wasn’t as thin as the first three from a different box.
Evander’s voice came from the chair, low and sweaty. “That one looked like something you’d curl up in on a cold rainy, or winter day.”
I didn’t’ know to respond to that, since I could see that for myself, too.
There was underwear, and other pairs of pants and shorts. And a coat and jacket. Way too many items for me to wear.
And shoes. Three different pairs.
Surely, I didn’t need this much stuff.
