Kasey
I had to be going insane.
That thought kept circling in my head as I sat curled up on the couch, blanket wrapped around my shoulders while Evander went to answer the door. He told me Alpha Moore was coming to run blood tests, something about comparing my blood to whatever they had on file from when I supposedly went missing.
Most of what he explained went straight over my head. Too many words. Too many possibilities.
I didn’t have high hopes anyways.
I was just Kasey. Nothing special. Nothing important.
But sitting here, listening to the low murmur of voices at the door, I felt something I didn’t expect.
I wished I was important. It's important that someone might have looked for me. Important that being gone would have mattered to someone.
But luck had never been on my side. It wasn’t my name. And I wasn’t foolish enough to start believing in it now.
Still…a small part of me hoped.
Alpha Moore entered first behind Evander, who thankfully came to sit right beside me. Moore carried his black medical bag that I briefly remember from the first time I met him, even though it was a bit hazy.
Behind him came an Omega, easily taller than me if I were standing. He had a smile too wide. He was softer around the edges, warm in a way that made the room feel less sharp.
“Hello, Kasey,” Alpha Moore greeted me. “It’s good to see you again.”
I swallowed, unsure of how to respond.
“I’m Adrian,” the Omega said with a bright, reassuring smile. “You can think of me as a… student teacher, I guess. I can’t get a doctor’s license—well, you know why.” He waved his hand lightly, not making a big deal of it. “But Moore’s been teaching me everything he can. And today I get to draw your blood. If that’s okay with you and Mr. Whitlock, of course.”
Whitlock?The name tugged at something in the back of my mind, familiar in a way I couldn’t place. It slipped away before I could catch it.
“Just a simple blood test,” Alpha Moore added gently as he handed his medical bag to Adrian. “And I’d like to take a quick look at the marks on your back; make sure there’s no lasting damage.”
I nodded, my eyes flicking between the three of them before dropping to the floor. The floor was safe. The floor didn’t look back.
“It’s up to Kasey who draws the blood,” Evander said beside me, his voice steady and warm.
You,I thought immediately. But that wasn’t an option. Not really. So, I just shrugged, pulling the blanket tighter around me. I’d had blood drawn before, rough hands, cold rooms, no explanations. Whatever these two did couldn’t possibly be worse than that.
Adrian crouched a little to get into my line of sight, his voice soft. “We’ll go slow. You tell us if you need a break, okay?”
I nodded again, still staring at the floor. At least this time… no one sounded angry.
Adrian moved with a kind of soft efficiency, like he’d practiced every step a hundred times but still cared enough to go slow for my sake. He sat Alpha Moore’s medical bag on the coffee table and knelt beside it, opening the latches with quiet clicks.
“Alright, let’s get everything ready so we don’t have to keep you nervous for long.”
He pulled out a small tray, laying it neatly on the table. Then came the sealed needle kit, the little vials, and the alcohol wipes. Each item placed gently, like he didn’t want to startle me with the sound.
Evander sat close enough that his knee brushed mine, grounding me without saying a word.
Adrian glanced up at me with a warm, easy smile and open light brown eyes. “See? Nothing scary. Just a few little things.”
Alpha Moore stood behind him; arms folded loosely, watching with a calm steady presence.
“I’ve…done this before.” I whispered.
“Yes, but I like to make it as least traumatizing as possible,” Adrian answered. “I promise to be ten times gentler than anyone ever has before. And it’s still okay to be frightened. You’re allowed to show emotion now.”
