Chapter 10
I sit in the leather chair of my private office, the only light coming from three monitors on my desk. I rub my face, feeling the rough stubble on my jaw. Sleep stayed out of reach last night.
The footage shows Micah. He lies on the stone floor at the foot of the bed. He folded his white medical coat and used it as a secondary cushion beneath the pillow.
I check the timestamp in the display's corner.
Three-fourteen in the morning. Zora stirs beneath the weighted blanket.
I watch her face in the close-up feed. Her brow furrows, and she whispers to someone in a dream.
Her heart rate, displayed in the biometric log on my third monitor, climbs.
It hits ninety, then ninety-five. The pulse on the screen mirrors the frantic thudding in my chest.
I lean closer to the monitor. I want to reach through the screen and smooth the lines on her forehead. I feel the distance between us.
Zora sits up suddenly. She doesn't scream this time and stares at the door. She so small in the center of that massive bed. Her gaze lands on the floor and Micah.
She slides out of the bed, her feet hitting the stone with a quiet thud. She reaches the edge of Micah’s blanket and sinks onto the hard floor beside him, curling into his side and tucking her head into the crook of his shoulder.
My heart thuds against my ribs. I watch Micah stir.
He doesn't wake up fully, but his Alpha instincts react to her proximity even through the suppressants.
He shifts his weight and drapes a heavy arm over her waist, pulling her flush against his chest. The biometric graph shows her heart rate relaxes instantly. It drops back into the sixties.
My gut twists. I love Micah. I would give my life to keep him standing. We survived the foster system together and remained a family. Seeing him provide her comfort brings a sense of relief to the part of me that manages the pack's survival. But another part of me aches with a deep longing.
I want to be the one she crawls toward in the dark.
I want her to seek my warmth with that same blind trust. I handle the legal shields and the sponsorship deals that keep her platform growing.
I provide her with housing, but I remain a stranger in the lobby.
To Zora, I exist as Reid Harris, the polite Beta manager who keeps a professional distance.
I represent the rules and the paperwork.
I'm the man she thanks with a polite smile before she heads to the elevator.
They share a single blanket on the hard stone. It looks uncomfortable and cramped, yet they both look more relaxed than they ever do during the day. Zora’s breathing settles into a deep, rhythmic pace.
I save the footage to a secure drive. I don't want the others to see this yet.
Why do I feel like an outsider when this was my design?
I created the plan to bring her back to us. But Micah reached the inner sanctum first.
The sun drops, throwing long shadows over the monitors.
I stand with the others in the dim light of our camming unit.
We're doing things differently today by giving her the full choice instead of just picking for her.
One screen shows her nesting room as she sits with her laptop in front of her.
She scrolls through the RAA. The other shows her movements on the site from the backend.
Dameon crosses his arms. Micah sighs. Theo taps his fingers on the desk. We remain silent, the only sound being the low hum of the computer’s cooling fans. Zora looks at Friday for a second, then Saturday. Her cursor moves to Tuesday and lingers.
My pulse jumps. Pick him. See if the voice matches the man you held this morning.
She moves the cursor to me and double-clicks to request a session.
My heart kicks against my ribs. I look at the guys.
Theo sighs and pushes off the desk. Micah offers a small nod before heading toward the door.
Dameon looks at the screen for a second longer, then follows the twins out. They leave me alone in the unit.
I lock the door behind them and pull my shirt over my head before I grab the silver filigree mask. The cool metal settles against my skin like a second face. I sit in the high-backed chair and drop my voice into my deep baritone. I am no longer the man who manages her lease. Tonight, I’m her Dom.
Zora’s face fills the screen. She’s hunched over her laptop, clutching a silk pillow. She looks tired, her eyes searching the shadows of her own room.
"You look on edge, Omega."
The vibration of my voice hits the speakers, and I watch her flinch, her pupils dilating. She settles back into her pillows and looks anywhere but the screen.
"I have a lot on my mind," she whispers. "A lot of noise. I feel like I can't even trust my own instincts. I reacted to someone today... someone I should feel neutral about."
I keep my posture relaxed, but my chest tightens. I know she means Micah. Her body recognized the Alpha in him, and it’s shaken her foundation.
"The mind likes to create monsters out of shadows when it's tired, Omega." I lean forward, the mask catching the dim blue light. "You’re overthinking a moment of physical friction. You’re looking for a meaning that isn't there because you’re looking for a way to ground yourself. Stop searching. I’m right here. "
She twists a corner of the pillow. "It confuses me. I feel a pull toward a Beta that feels... wrong."
"There is no 'wrong' in this room, Omega. There is only the noise you brought with you, and the peace I’m going to give you. No more talk about the lobby. Lie back. Close your eyes."
Zora follows the command, her body sinking into the mattress. She looks like she’s finally letting go of a breath she’s been holding all day.
"Hands behind your head, Omega. Fingers interlaced. I want you to follow the sound of my voice. Listen to the way it moves through the air. Inhale with me... and exhale."
I watch the biometric feed on my private monitor; her heart rate begins to level out. I keep the pace slow, a steady cadence designed to draw her focus away from her confusion and toward the heat building between us.
"Your breathing is settling. Good. Now, remove the robe. I want to see you."
The silk slides off her shoulders. She looks beautiful under those amber fairy lights, her brown skin flushed and warm. I shift the camera angle down, letting her see my hand as it wraps around the base of my cock.
"Open your eyes, Omega. Look at me."
Zora’s eyes snap open. She stares at the screen, a ragged breath escaping her as she sees my girth.
"Keep your hands where I can see them, Omega. Interlace your fingers behind your head and leave them there. You aren't allowed to touch anything yet. Just watch."
She complies, her chest heaving as she arches her back slightly, exposing the warm, brown length of her body to the camera.
I stroke myself with slow drags of my palm along my shaft.
Through the high-sensitivity mic the rhythmic sound of the friction fills the silence of her room.
I watch her eyes track the movement of my hand.
"I can see the tension in your thighs." I increase my speed just enough to make the sound louder. "I can see your skin flushing. That’s the only truth you need tonight. Your body isn't confused, Omega. Not when I’m the Alpha you need."
Zora whimpers, her hips giving a small, involuntary twitch. Her hands remain locked behind her head. I want her to feel every second of the anticipation.
"Now, use one hand," I command, my voice thickening. "Keep the other behind your head. One hand, Omega. Press your fingers against your clit hard, but don’t move them."
She gasps as she breaks the hold, her hand diving between her legs. I watch her on the 4K feed as she finds her center, her fingers press into her clit. She lets out a shaky breath, her eyes locking onto mine through the lens.
"Match my pace.” My breath turns into controlled bursts as I increase my speed. "Don't rush it. Feel the friction. Watch the way I move."
I wrap my hand tighter, the thick length of me pulses with every stroke. Zora’s hips move in a slow, desperate circle, her back arching off the bed as she focuses on the rhythm I’ve set. The amber fairy lights catch the sheen of sweat on her brown skin, making her glow in the dim light of her nest.
"That's it. We do this together. Let the world go quiet, Omega. You want the release I’m giving you."
The air in the unit feels charged by the slide of my palm and her ragged gasps through the speakers. I’m reclaiming her focus. I watch her face, the way her mouth hangs open; her head thrashes against the pillows.
"Now, stop fighting it. Take your pleasure, Omega. Let the world go quiet."
Zora jolts, her body going rigid as she finally crashes into a soft, messy climax. She lets out a long, broken sigh that sounds like pure relief, her back slamming into the mattress as the tension snaps. She falls back into the pillows, her hand still resting against the slickness of her thighs.
I follow her a second later, my release hitting with a force that leaves me breathless and shaking in the chair.
"That is all for tonight, Omega. Until next time."
I don't wait for her to answer. I click off the feed.
Taking off the mask, I lean back, the cool air of the unit hitting my damp skin.
Adrenaline courses through my veins, making me want to go for a run, but I also have the weight of the secret gathering in my gut.
We are gaslighting her, even if we do it to keep her safe.
She thinks her instincts are broken when they’re the only thing telling her the truth.
I clean up and walk out. The building remains quiet. We finally got her here. I’m going to make sure she never wants to leave.