I curled my hands into fists, trying to stay brave. “I’m not going to stay in a closet all night because you don’t like me. I will go to Isolde’s house and stay over. End of story.”
Val grabbed me by the shirt andpulled. She used her other hand to open the closet door and threw me inside. “Get in there. I’ll let you out once everyone’s gone and you can’t fuck anything up.”
I sprang to my feet and rushed her, but she was ready for me. She spun me back and grabbed the phone out of my pocket before shoving me again. “It’s better this way, Trinity. You’re going to make everyone so happy by staying in here. This is what you’re good at. Quiet and out of sight. It’s the only place anyone wants you.”
“Wait, no.”
I lunged for the door again, but she shoved it closed in my face. The air sealed into the too-quiet space. Like being in a recording studio, or the music practice rooms at school. There was a small light, so at least I wasn’t in complete darkness.
Still…
I sat against the wall. This wasn’t a walk-in closet. It was tiny. There wasn’t even room for me to lie down and stretch out. She took my phone.
Maybe she was right. Nothing she said about me was untrue. My mother didn’t want me. They didn’t want me. Dad didn’t always want me. Whenever I said anything to defend myself or help, it was twisted into something worse. It was better not to speak in case I fucked it up more.
Ocean and Isolde liked me, but would they stick around if they knew that everyone in my life wished I didn’t exist? I would never find out, because they were never going to know.
I’d tell Isolde I got my period and fell asleep. She’d believe it. I shoved the door, making it rattle. But it didn’t move. I kicked it and screamed at it, stood and threw my body at it until I started to bruise, and nothing happened.
There was nothing I could do but stay here with the reality that no one wanted me, and no one was coming to save me.
I shook myself out of the memory. And that’s what it was. A memory. Not a triggered flashback. I could still breathe, and nausea wasn’t clinging to my gut. Because Logan had done this. He didn’t ask. He just fixed it.
Peeking into Brooks’ room next, his closet door was gone too. I knew without checking that all of them would be gone. They must have removed them right after it happened.
No one had come to save me then, but they had saved me now. My Alphas. As soon as they realized what had happened, they made sure I was okay. Held me and washed me. They didn’t make me feel guilty for vomiting on the floor or retreating into myself. All they wanted to do was make it better.
Something warm and vast grew inside me. I knew what it was, though I wasn’t yet ready to give it a name.
On that note, I had one more sneaky stop to make. The giant octopus Bastian had won for me was going to magically appear in my Alphas’ rooms in different poses. They’d never know where or when, and I was sure I could find increasingly comical ways to surprise them.
Since he’d won my new friend—whose name was Victor—Bastian’s room was first. I posed Victor on top of the clothes in Bastian’s now-doorless closet, weaving his arms through the hangers so he was staring into the bedroom.
Perfect.
Cindersprintedpast me once I came out of his room, giving in to the long hallway and the temptation of zoomies.
“We’re going to have to get her a collar that either has a bell or a tracker so we can find her. She’s already exploring.”
I entered the living room and slowed to a stop. All five Alphas sat around the living room, staring at me. My heart started to pound. My toes curled under into the carpet and I pressed my lips together. What did I do? Did I break a rule?
Theo saw my distress. “Breathe, Trinity. Nothing is wrong, and you’re not in trouble.”
“I’m not?”
Brooks cracked a smile. “No, baby. And if there was something we needed to address, we wouldn’t ambush you with it.”
The fact that there was no tension in the room made me relax. “Then why are you all in here staring like a firing squad?”
“We have a proposal for you,” Aiden said. “A ritual.”
“Oh? Do tell.”
He smirked and leaned forward on his elbows. “We agree with you about the practicalities of permanent collars or bracelets, and weunderstand not wanting a collar outside the house. That’s a big step. But we still want a physical mark of ownership.”
Perfume shot out around me so fast I felt dizzy. I pretended that I didn’t, and that we all didn’t know how aroused that made me. “I’m not tattooing your face on my ass.”
Brooks shook his head, stifling a laugh. “Brat.”
