“Moore is good for me, you know.” He seemed uncertain, shuffling from one foot to the other. “He’s taught me a lot. I know a few months isn’t much, for us, for our kind, it’s a lifetime. Seeing that we matter; seeing that our thoughts can be our own is so refreshing.”
“Maybe all Alphas aren’t so bad.”
Yeah, I was starting to see that.
“Can I hug you now?”
I laughed through my nose. “Yeah.”
Chapter 37
Charlie
Unsure of what to expect, Vincent and I found a rhythm that worked for us. The following days after Adrian had stayed until after lunch, Vincent easily set up a daily schedule for me, and for him, too, in turn.
I was to be up and making breakfast by seven thirty. After breakfast, I was to do whatever chores needed to be done. Such as laundry, dusting, or anything else that Vincent would have written out on the fridge’s calendar. Depending on the time, I could sit at his feet if I didn’t want to read or write in the notebook afterward.
At lunch, I was to make something for both of us. After that, I was to either lie down to take a nap or spend an hour outside. Only after that could I learn what Vincent did in his day-to-day life as an accountant. I was to learn how to answer the phone and schedule clients when they needed to meet with the Alpha. That could possibly be added into the mornings after I get the hang of things.
Then, after five, I was to let Vincent make dinner two nights a week, while I took kitchen duty the other five evenings. The Alpha had said something about me needing to have time to myself, even though I still thought he was crazy thinking that.
I would be happy with whatever time I got with Vincent.
Every Sunday was to be a day of rest. No chores, no cooking, no learning. Just a day for me to relax.
I wasn’t sure how to feel about that. I never got time to myself. I wasn’t meant to.
I was an Omega. But as the days passed by, I was starting to question what that really meant.
Vincent was treating me differently from any Alpha had before. It wasn’t quite an equal, but I almost wanted to say that it was close to that. I hadn’t noticed at first, but now, as the days went by, I did.
I didn’t want to like it. Liking something was likely to be taken away. But Vincent wasn’t like that.
He only ever wanted the best for me.
I may be a bit slow on getting that to stick in my brain, though.
It was the first Sunday when I wasn’t required to do anything. Vincent didn’t let me lift a single finger during the first or second meal of the day. Although, for lunch, he did feed me bite after bite as I sat at his feet, basking in whatever attention he wished to give me.
I never saw myself as the type of Omega that sought out touch. I was used to being hurt and taken advantage of. But with Vincent, it was different. He never touched me like the others had. Never demanded I bare myself just to prove I belonged. He never took what I wasn’t ready to give.
Instead, he fed me while I knelt at his feet, without expectation, without performance. His hand would settle in my hair when he passed by, gentle and grounding.
And he listened. Really listened. Not to test me. Not to twist my words. But because he wanted to know what I thought. Like my mind mattered.
Like I mattered.
And it hit me. It was slow, like warmth creeping in after a long freeze.
I was safe.
Not because I’d earned it. Not because I’d performed well enough to deserve it. But because Vincent had decided I was. And for the first time, I didn’t feel like I had to flinch when someone looked at me too long. I didn’t brace for punishment. I didn’t shrink.
I just breathed. And the air didn’t hurt.
“Thank you, Sir.” I hoped that Vincent knew I was thankful for everything he’d given me thus far. It was so much more than I deserved, and so much more than I ever thought I’d get.
I’d never get this at Lockswell. There was never a chance I could have.
