Chapter 9
Evander
Something was off.
I noticed it the moment we stepped into my house, and Kasey’s steps faltered. His breathing had gone shallow, too controlled. His shoulders were tight; drawn in like he was trying to fold himself smaller.
He followed me, but it wasn’t really the following. It was drifting. Moving because I moved. His eyes weren’t focused on anything in front of him, just fixed somewhere far away, like he’d slipped behind a wall I couldn’t see.
I slowed my pace without thinking, giving him time to catch up but he didn’t. He just hoovered behind me, shaky, silent, barely holding himself together.
“Kasey? You doing alright?”
He flinched at the sound of his name. Not dramatically, just a tiny jerk of his shoulders like the words pulled him back into his body for half a second before he disappeared again.
He didn’t answer. Didn’t look up. Didn’t even breathe differently. He just stood there, trembling so faintly I almost didn’t see it.
I frowned, stepping a little closer. He didn’t retreat, but he didn’t lean in either. He just…froze. Like he was waiting for orders.
“Hey,” I tried again. “You’re safe here.”
The tiniest of all headshakes caused a stray piece of hair to fall into his eyes. In the next moment, he fell to his knees, his entire body shaking like he had been electrocuted.
“Look at me, sweetheart.” I kept my voice calm and low, taking another small step towards him.
Slowly, he dragged his eyes up to meet mine. His green eyes were wide in terror.
“Oh, honey.” I knelt in front of him, wanting to reach out towards him yet afraid it’d only make it worse. “I’m not going to hurt you. I promise. No pain ever in this house.”
His trembling didn’t stop. If anything, it got worse as his eyes slid away from me.
“Well, like I said in the car, you’ll have your own room. You can set it up however you want. Want to go see it?”
I stood and offered him my hand. It took a moment, but eventually his fingers curled around mine, light and hesitant.
I gave him a small, tight smile, hoping it came across as reassuring, then guided him down the hallway.
The house wasn’t huge, but it was more than enough for one person. And now, hopefully, enough for the two to live comfortably.
The house itself contained three bedrooms and two bathrooms, a decent kitchen and living room, with all of the warm tones.
I stopped outside the last door on the right and pushed it open, stepping aside.
“This is yours,” I said quietly.
Kasey hoovered in the doorway, not crossing the threshold.
His eyes flicked over the room like he was trying to memorize every detail before deciding whether or not he was allowed to enter.
The space wasn’t anything extravagant. Just a clean bed, a dresser, a window that let in soft afternoon light.
But the way he stared at it made it look like I’d show him something dangerous.
He was still shaking, so I kept my voice low. “You can arrange it however you want. Move things around. Add whatever makes you comfortable.”
Nothing. Not even a nod.
He stood there like he was waiting for instructions I hadn’t given. Or the consequences I hadn’t delivered.
I took a slow breath, grounding myself before I tried again. “You don’t have to ask permission to go inside. It’s your room; your space. I will never enter it without your consent first.”
His fingers twitched at his sides, like he wasn’t sure what to do with them. Then, he stepped in, one careful foot, then the other, moving like the floor might give out beneath him.
He didn’t touch anything. Didn’t sit. Didn’t explore. He just stood in the middle of the room, small and silent, eyes drifting around like he was searching for the catch.
I leaned against the doorframe, remembering the eight-year-old boy Kasey had once been. How he’d have explored every inch of this room, even if it wasn’t his own.
Would this Kasey before me ever be that same boy? Or was he lost forever?
“If there’s anything you want changed, just tell me.”
Another tiny flinch, like the idea of asking for something was foreign.
He finally looked at me, and it hit me harder than I expected. Kasey wasn’t here with me mentally. He was just as he’d been when I entered the room, seeing him kneeling.
“Some pills for a few days,” Alpha Lockswell pushed an orange bottle across the desk. “Fun little things to use with our Omegas for the first few times with clients. Makes them…. pliable. And they last for hours. One tiny pill keeps this one going for a good ten hours, if not longer.”
I had those pills, since they were a gift with some of the Omegas. Something new, Alpha Lockswell said, that they were using to see new results.
“Kasey,” I called, trying to pull him out of his mind, but wasn’t sure it’d be possible.
The Omega’s eyes glistened with glaze as he glanced at me, wide and scared, before he knelt once again as though he’d done it a million times before.
He fell with such grace, with such limberness, that anyone would want. But I didn’t want that. I didn’t want a soulless Omega.
I wanted my Kasey. I wanted that eight-year-old boy that I once promised that I’d protect with my life. I wanted the five-year-old boy that spilt flour all over the kitchen floor because he wanted to make me a birthday cake. I wanted that sweet, boundless, happy boy that I adored.
This Omega…this Kasey…would be the death of me. Because he was everything I wanted in an Omega, at least in some form. He was sweet, shy, and skittish to where I wouldn’t be able to help myself but protect him from the world.
And I would. No matter what, no matter what his mindset was when he came out with his drug-induced mental state, I would be there. I would be there every single day, proving to him that he was safe. That he’d be okay here. That he’d get to have love, of all things.
Just…. I never thought three days ago that this Omega was going to take more work than I counted for.
“Go get cleaned up, Kasey. The bathroom is through the door on the left. When you’re finished, grab some clothes and meet me in the kitchen for food.”
He dipped his head in a small, automatic motion before pushing himself to his feet.
The movement was clumsy, like he had to remind his body how to stand.
I stayed where I was, watching him drift toward the bathroom.
He left the door wide open, as if closing it wasn’t something he believed he was allowed to do, and began to undress with slow, shaky hands.
He seemed steady enough for the moment, so I stepped back, giving him space he clearly didn’t know how to take. Pulling out my phone, I headed down the hallway, though part of my attention stayed fixed on the quiet behind me.
I walked a few steps away, far enough to give Kasey privacy but close enough that I could hear if anything went wrong. The shower turned on a moment later.
I pressed the call once I found Alpha Moore’s contact information. A doctor who made house calls. He was always discreet and reliable. Someone who didn’t ask unnecessary questions.
He picked it up on the second ring. “Evander. Everything alright?”
“Not exactly,” I kept my voice low, glancing back towards the bedroom. “I brought someone home today. An Omega.”
A pause. No judgement, as it was normal for Alphas to purchase their Omega’s. Because it was normal. Ethical, but normal. “And?”
“He’s…shaken,” I rubbed a hand over my jaw, trying to find the right words. “Shut down. Barely responsive. He has welts covering parts of his back. I…can you came check him over for my peace of mind when you have a moment?”
Moore exhaled softly, the sound of someone who’d seen too much of this world. And he had it. He was one of the good Alphas who helped Omegas. He didn’t try to sugar coat things or do what an Alpha would want just because they had money. No…Moore had a soul and he used it for good.
“Yeah, of course. I’ll be there in an hour.”
“Thank you.”
I hung up and let my hand fall to my side, listening to the faint sound of water running.
I stayed there a moment longer, just to be sure he was okay, then headed towards the kitchen to start something simple, something warm.