Chapter 9
nine
. . .
Six Months Ago
The barking woke me from a dream I'd been having way too often lately. The kind that left me sweaty, frustrated, and hating myself just a little more each morning.
"What the hell?" I muttered, blinking away the lingering images of strong hands and stern voices calling me a good boy. My body felt uncomfortably warm, the ghost of phantom touches still tingling across my skin where dream-alphas had claimed every inch of me.
I didn't have time to dwell on my increasingly problematic fantasy life because the barking continued—which made absolutely no sense because we didn't have dogs.
Unless Aunt Akiko had gone on some kind of spontaneous pet adoption spree while I was sleeping, something was very wrong in my carefully controlled world.
Curiosity dragged me from bed, my bare feet hitting the cold floor as I moved to the window. I pulled back the curtain just enough to peek outside without exposing myself to whatever was disturbing my morning routine of regret and repression.
That's when I saw them—Apollo and Zeus, those furry traitors, running joyful circles on the lawn like they owned the place.
My heart slammed against my ribs so hard I was surprised it didn't leave a bruise. There was only one reason those dogs would be here, only one explanation that made my pulse skyrocket and my mouth go instantly dry.
"They wouldn't," I whispered, even as my body responded with embarrassing enthusiasm to the possibility. Heat flooded my cheeks, traveling down my neck to pool low in my belly. "They couldn't possibly be…"
But the evidence was right there on my lawn, four-legged and panting happily in the morning sun.
I glanced down at my sleep clothes—an oversized t-shirt that hung off one shoulder and tiny sleep shorts that barely covered anything worth covering.
Not exactly appropriate attire for confronting the stars of my most confusing fantasies, but my body was already moving toward the door like it had received orders directly from my omega hindbrain.
"Leo-kun! Breakfast is ready!" Aunt Akiko called from downstairs, blissfully unaware that my personal hell/heaven had apparently reopened for business on our front lawn.
I ignored her, my feet carrying me down the stairs with singular purpose.
Every rational thought screamed for me to stop, to put on actual clothes, to prepare myself for whatever was waiting outside.
But six months of lying awake at night, touching myself to memories that never quite satisfied no matter how hard I tried, had apparently broken something fundamental in my self-preservation instincts.
"I'll be right back," I called over my shoulder as I blew past Aunt Akiko in the kitchen, barely registering her startled expression.
The morning air hit my bare legs, dew-damp grass cold beneath my feet as I moved across the lawn with single-minded determination. Apollo spotted me immediately, bounding over with Zeus close behind, both dogs circling me with excited whines.
"Traitors," I muttered as they pressed against my legs, tails wagging like we were long-lost friends. "I can't believe you led me to them in that forest. Still haven't forgiven you for that."
Apollo nudged my palm with his wet nose, clearly expecting pets despite my outrage. My fingers betrayed me, scratching behind his ears as Zeus pressed harder against my legs, angling for equal attention.
"This doesn't mean I like you," I informed them as my other hand found Zeus' chin. "This is pure biological conditioning. Dog makes sad eyes, human pets dog. It's practically Pavlovian."
The dogs seemed unconvinced, their tails wagging faster as they began herding me across the lawn toward the gate in the high fence surrounding our property. That small side entrance that represented the boundary between safety and… whatever waited beyond.
My brain finally caught up with my body's eagerness, screaming warnings that I should absolutely not go through that gate. That staying on this side of the fence was the only rational choice.
"I'm not going out there," I announced firmly to the dogs, digging my heels into the grass. "I'm not that desperate to see them again. I have standards. Self-respect. Dignity."
All lies, apparently, because my hand was already reaching for the latch, fingers closing around the metal even as my mind continued its futile protests.
"This is such a bad idea," I muttered, pushing the gate open and stepping through like I was sleepwalking. "Future Leo is going to be so pissed at Current Leo for this lack of judgment."
The dogs bounded ahead down the forest path, clearly familiar with our destination. I should have been cataloging escape routes or preparing cutting remarks, but instead, my senses were straining forward, seeking something I'd spent months trying to convince myself I didn't miss.
When the forest opened into a clearing, I froze in place, my breath catching in my throat.
This wasn't some hastily assembled campsite.
This was… luxury. An elaborate "glamping" setup with a massive canvas tent on a wooden platform, outdoor furniture that looked like it belonged in a high-end catalog, a professional-grade cooking station under an elegant canopy, and a stone-lined fire pit surrounded by comfortable chairs.
And there they were—the three men who'd been haunting my dreams for six long months.
Stefano sat reading an actual leather-bound book, looking like some nineteenth-century aristocrat on holiday.
Marco was preparing what smelled like gourmet coffee with ritualistic precision.
Matteo was methodically cleaning weapons, his hands moving with the same efficiency I remembered from the forest.
None of them looked surprised to see me. In fact, they looked like they'd been waiting.
"What the actual fuck is this?" I demanded, crossing my arms over my chest as I became painfully aware of my revealing sleep clothes.
"Did the forest service start offering luxury glamping permits for alphas with stalking fixations?
Is this some kind of 'pitch a tent, get a free omega' promotion I wasn't informed about? "
Stefano looked up from his book, those cobalt eyes finding mine with laser precision. His mouth curved into a smile that sent unwelcome heat spiraling through parts of me that had no business responding to just a look.
"Good morning, little prince," he said, the deep voice rolling over me like thunder. "Sleep well?"
Little prince. Not wildcat anymore. Something new that made my stomach flip and my knees weaken.
"I was sleeping perfectly well until your furry alarm system started performing outside my window," I shot back, trying to sound annoyed rather than breathless.
"What are you doing here? This is taking stalking to Olympic levels, and trust me, the Russian judges are definitely deducting points for technical execution. "
Marco looked up from his coffee preparation, his dark eyes traveling over me with deliberate slowness that made me acutely aware of my bare legs and exposed shoulder.
"We missed you, little prince," he said, his voice carrying that playful edge that had featured in too many of my private fantasies. "Six months is a long time without seeing those fire-bright eyes and hearing that sharp tongue."
"I didn't miss you," I lied, resisting the urge to tug my shirt down over my thighs. "I was doing spectacularly well in my alpha-free existence. Thriving, even. Writing memoirs. Learning macramé. Developing healthy coping mechanisms that don't involve being manhandled by alphas with god complexes."
Matteo's amber eyes flicked up from his work, studying me with that unnerving intensity that always made me feel completely exposed. "You've lost weight," he stated flatly. "Not sleeping properly either. Dark circles under your eyes."
The clinical accuracy of his assessment hit a nerve. Of course he'd notice every change in my appearance within seconds. Probably mentally cataloging everything from my sleep-rumpled hair to the way my pulse was visibly hammering in my throat.
"Thanks for the unsolicited health evaluation," I said, crossing my arms tighter over my chest. "I'll be sure to include it in my daily journal entry titled 'Observations from Alphas Who Don't Understand Personal Boundaries.'"
"We're not invading your boundaries," Stefano said, setting his book aside and rising to his feet with that fluid grace that always made something in my chest tighten. "We're camping. On public forest land. Nothing illegal about that."
He moved toward me with the slow, deliberate pace of a predator who knew their prey had nowhere to run. Each step closed the distance between us, setting off fireworks in my nervous system that my body seemed determined to interpret as excitement rather than warning signals.
"Public forest land that just happens to border my property," I said, hating how my voice had gone slightly breathless. "What an amazing coincidence. Did you use a Ouija board to select your camping spot, or was it more of a dartboard situation while chanting my name?"
He stopped directly in front of me, close enough that I had to tilt my head back to maintain eye contact. The morning sunlight caught in his cobalt eyes, making them burn with an intensity that made my mouth go dry.
"We wanted to check on you," he said, reaching out to brush a strand of hair from my face with casual intimacy.
I jerked away from his touch, taking a step back that brought me up against a tree trunk. "I'm not your responsibility," I said, even as my skin burned where his fingers had touched me. "I don't need alpha babysitters checking on my welfare. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."
His smile was slow and knowing, like he could hear my heart trying to hammer its way out of my chest. "Are you?" he asked softly, closing the distance I'd created until he was standing directly in front of me again. "You walked through that gate, Leo. You came to us."