“Hey, Kasey,” he murmured, voice warm and steady. “Stay with me, okay? Don’t go anywhere in that head of yours.”
Kasey blinked, barely.
Adrian kept talking, gentle and easy, like they were old friends sharing a joke. “You know, Moore once tried to teach me how to make soup. Actual soup. From scratch. It tasted like sadness and boiled socks.”
Moore huffed behind him. “It was perfectly edible.”
“It was a crime,” Adrian corrected, eyes never leaving Kasey. “A culinary felony. Lockswell would have been ashamed of how it turned out.”
A tiny breath escaped from Kasey. A half laugh, half gasp, and Adrian softened instantly.
“There he is,” Adrian whispered. “Good. Stay right here with me.”
I moved closer, placing a steady hand on Kasey’s back, careful not to startle him. He didn’t lean into me, but he didn’t pull away either.
Adrian lowered his voice, gentle as a hand on a wound. “Moore’s not going to hurt you. He’s just checking to make sure you’re okay. And I’ll be here the whole time.”
Kasey’s breathing finally evened out, the panic losing its grip. Adrian gave him a proud little nod. “There we go.”
“You’re good that that.” I said, more in awe than anything else.
“I learned from the best,” Adrian shot me a small grin. “I also had a few younger kids at Lockswell that panicked often.”
Alpha Moore waited until Kasey’s breathing had steadied again before he spoke. His voice was low and careful, the kind of tone you used with someone who’d been hurt too many times.
“Kasey. May I take a look at your back now? Only if you’re comfortable with it.”
Kasey’s fingers tightened in the blanket, but he nodded. It was small approval, like he wasn’t sure he was allowed to say no.
Moore didn’t take the nod for granted. “You can tell me to stop at any point. You’re in control.”
Adrian gave him an encouraging smile. “We’ll go slow. Promise.”
Kasey swallowed hard, eyes dropping to the floor again. I could see the tension creeping back in.
I moved closer, keeping my voice low and soft. “Hey,” I murmured. “Let me help, okay? We’ll do this together.”
He didn’t look up, but he didn’t pull away.
I slid my hands to the hem of his shirt, moving slowly enough that he could stop me if he needed to. His breath hitched, but he was still here. Still present.
I eased the fabric up, careful not to touch his bear skin until I had to. When my fingers brushed his side, he flinched but stayed right where he was.
Adrian shifted close, keeping his voice warm and steady. “You’re doing amazing. Just breathe.”
Moore waited until the shirt was gathered just below Kasy’s shoulder blades before he stepped forward, giving him space. “Thank you. I’ll be as quick as I can.”
Kasey’s shoulders trembled, but he didn’t fold in on himself.
Shifting closer, I eased Kasey into my lap, not forcing him, until he settled there on his own, clinging to the front of my shirt like he had so many times already.
Adrian finished getting the shirt off, moving with that careful, gentleness of his. As soon as the fabric cleared Kasey’s shoulders, my Omega’s arms came up around my neck, holding on like the world might tilt without something solid to grab.
I wrapped an arm around his waist, steadying him, keeping him grounded. He wasn’t hiding. He wasn’t panicking. He was just holding on, and I held him right back.
Moore stepped forward only when Kasey was steady in my lap. Adrian kept a soft steam of chatter going to hold him present. I kept one arm around Kasey’s waist.
Moore crouched down to eye level with Kasey’s back, keeping his hands to himself. “Thank you for letting me look,” he said quietly. His voice was steady, but I could hear the weight behind it. “You’ve been through more than anyone should.”
