Chapter 14
Evander
The soup simmered low on the stove, filling the kitchen with a soft, warm scent. Something that wouldn’t overwhelm the sweet Omega when he woke up.
I kept stirring even after it didn’t need it, more out of nerves than necessity. The house felt too still, like it was holding its breath with me.
Kasey had been asleep for hours. The medication had hit him hard and after the panic he’d gone through, he needed the rest. Not to mention the way his body had been strung tight with abuse for who knows how long.
I’d check on him twice, just long enough to make sure he was breathing evenly, but not long enough to startle him.
Neither time, he hadn’t moved a single inch. He fell asleep on his side; the stuffed fox tucked into his chest, fast asleep. He was adorable, letting the weight off his shoulders while he rested.
In the moment, he reminded me so much of the little boy that looked up to me. Soft and calm without a care in the world. It was a total one eighty to the boy that I found.
I wanted to hold him, to carry that weight for him, and just get him to understand that he was safe now and would be for the rest of his life. I wanted to show him the world; to show him how sorry I was for not being there when he needed me the most.
That fear when I found out he had gone missing still clung to me in ways that I’d never be able to escape.
That feeling of despair when his parents searched.
Heck, everyone at the camp sites, had looked for the lost Omega.
But when night fell and there had been no sign of him; his parents had to make that dreaded call for help.
Of course, what had we expected? What had I expected to happen other than the boy showing up out of a tent like he had taken a nap?
Instead, it had been hours of searching, Hours of questions. Hours of repeated questions.
Hours turned into days. Days turned into weeks. Weeks into months.
With each passing month, the likelihood of finding Kasey alive dimmed.
After a year of no sighting, no clues, his parents decided to call off the search. They called off the help. Claiming it had to be a mountain lion that took the little boy, and most likely killing him instantly.
But me…I didn’t want to give up hope. Because hope was a precious thing, as was Kasey.
Lost in thought, I didn’t notice him there, hoovering on the edge of the kitchen and hallway. The smallest of creaks on the floor caused me to turn.
“Geeze,” I huffed, placing a hand on my racing heart. “Hey Kasey. You scared me.” I quickly schooled my features, hoping my startled words didn’t scare him. “How are you?”
One side of his lips twitched, like he wanted to smile at the fact that he was able to frighten me. But then, just as quickly, he looked down at the floor and wrapped his arms around his waist like he was afraid he was taking up too much space.
He looked smaller than he had earlier, which I wasn’t sure how it was possible. His blond hair was mussed from sleep, sticking up in random spots. His eyes were wide, startled, like he’d walked into a room he wasn’t supposed to be in.
And for a heartbeat, I realized he hadn’t expected me to be here. Maybe he thought I left the house and he planned to look around without worrying. Maybe he was going to try to sneak out, which would be the worst idea any Omega could ever have.
“I have food, if you go have a seat,” I tilted my head towards the table. “I’ll bring you some.”
After a second, Kasey moved towards the table. His steps were light, but heavy, like his body wasn’t quite awake enough to do more than follow orders.
Once he sat, arms still across his torso, his eyes glancing around the space, just like he had done the first time he sat there.
Although there was still a flicker of panic in his eyes, it was nothing like terror from hours earlier. He seemed steadier now, fragile, yes, but calmer, and all I could hope was that the Drive Hold residue was finally working its way out of his system.
“I thought about waking you,” I said as I set his bowl on the table, letting the steam rise between us, “but you looked like you needed the extra rest.”
I placed my own bowl down and took the seat across from him. Distance, not avoidance, space he could breathe in, even though every instinct in me wanted to sit beside him, close enough to steady him if he wavered.
Kasey moved slowly, like each motion had to be checked against a rulebook he no longer trusted.
His arm lifted with hesitation before he set it on the table next to the bowl.
His eyes fixed on the soup, studying it with a kind of quiet intensity, and I found myself wondering what was going through his mind.
Was he trying to decide if he was allowed to eat? If it was meant for him? If this was some kind of test?
Whatever it was, he didn’t reach for the spoon. He just stared, as though the simple act of being offered food was something he didn’t quite know how to navigate.
“You can eat. However much you want.”
Kasey’s breath caught a tiny, startled sound like he hadn’t expected me to tell him what to do. His fingers twitched against the edge of the table, like he was waiting for more orders.
I shook my head softly, reading every flicker of fear this poor boy carried. “You don’t have to wait for command. You don’t ever need permission in this house. You’re allowed to eat whenever you're hungry. Food will never be used as punishment in my house.”
He blinked, slow and unsure, as if the words didn’t fit into the world he knew. His gaze dropped to the soup again, then up at me like the little, tiny rule was the best thing ever. I saw the longing for it to be true in his blue eyes.
“It’s okay. Go ahead, sweetheart.”
That seemed to reach him. Not fully, but enough as Kasey reached for the spoon and slowly brought a bite to his mouth. He held the spoon tight enough that his knuckles turned white.
Time, I thought. He needed time.
Time to heal. Time to realize what I meant.
With each bite Kasey took, his shoulders relaxed bit by bit. His face softened.
Kasey kept his eyes low, fixed on the bowl as though it held the rules he was supposed to follow. Every few seconds, though, his eyes flickered up to me. It was quick, nervous glances, checking for my reaction.
He took another bite, slower this time. His hand trembled but he didn’t drop the spoon.
I kept my posture relaxed, leaning back slightly in the chair, giving him as much space as I could without feeling like I was abandoning him. He needed room to breathe, but he also needed to know I wasn’t going anywhere.
“You’re doing fine,” I said quietly.
His eyes snapped up, startled, like he hadn’t expected me to speak. Then he looked down again, shoulders tightening for a moment before settling.
He was listening. He just didn’t know how to believe me. And that was okay. I could work with that. It had been less than a full twenty-four hours in my care, and it’d take time.
As he ate, I noticed the way he kept mirroring my movements. Tiny things, barely noticeable unless I was paying attention. When I lifted my spoon, he lifted his. When I set mine down, he paused too. When I shifted in my seat, he straightened a little, almost as though he was ready for an order.
“I never introduced myself,” I sat my spoon in my empty bowl. “I’m Evander.”
I got a single nod before he took his last bite.
“You’re free to speak your thoughts here.”
Kasey wrinkled his nose, and the reaction hit me with a wave of memory so sharp it almost knocked the air out of my chest. That tiny scrunch, half confusion, half quiet displeasure, was the exact one he used to give me when he was little and didn’t like the smell of whatever snack I’d brought him, or an idea that wasn’t interesting.
Back then, it had been enduring. Now it was something fragile.
A flicker of the boy he used to be peeking through everything Lockswell had carved him into.
I couldn’t stop the small smile that tugged in my mouth. Not big enough to scare him, but just enough to soften the moment.
“Are you finished?” Before I got the words out, Kasey was nodding and trying to stand all at once.
I knew the instant the blood rushed from his head, as he staggered into the table, losing balance and falling soundlessly back onto the chair.
“Sit. Today, I’m cleaning the dishes. Tomorrow, if you are up to it, you can do the chores.
And we’ll sit down and talk about what I expect from you then. ”
“Yes, Sir.” The voice was soft, barely a whisper, but I heard it.
“This afternoon is all about resting. I don’t want you to do anything that causes pain in your body. And absolutely no kneeling.”
A soft pink blush bloomed on his cheeks, but he nodded anyways. “I…I can be good, Sir.”
I didn’t doubt that.
“Then be a good boy and let me take care of you for the rest of the day.” The rest of your life, but I didn’t say that part.