Chapter 27
Kasey
True to Evander’s words, I took a bath. Alone. Completely, alone.
He’d set everything up before I even stepped inside.
The water was a little warmer than I was used to, but somehow it was still perfect.
It was scented with something sharp and calming that eased the ache in my muscles the moment I sank in.
The warmth seeped into my muscles slowly, loosening knots that I hadn’t even realized were there.
I let myself sink a little deeper, the water lapping on my shoulders.
A few candles flickered around the room, casting soft light across the tiles and from the small speaker on the counter came quiet, steady music meant to help me relax.
It was more than I expected. More than I knew what to do with. And for the first time in my entire life, the silence didn’t feel like a punishment.
It felt strange being alone. I was used to quick showers. There was never any time, any leeway, for any of us Omegas to just relax for a few minutes under a warm spray of water. We were to wash and get out.
If we even thought of taking a single extra minute, then we were forced to take cold showers for weeks on end.
The music helped too, filling the silence. I closed my eyes for a moment, letting the sound settle in my chest. It felt almost indulgent, like I was doing something I wasn’t supposed to do.
But Evander had set it up. He told me to take a bath. He’d made it clear this was allowed. That was a punishment for something I had done.
Still, the thought lingered at the back of my head. That this much comfort had to be a mistake. Something I’d misinterpreted. Something I’d pay for later.
I tried to shake it off, sinking deeper until the water brushed my chin.
For the first time in a long time, my body didn’t feel like it was bracing for the next demand. The next order. The next punishment. It just…rested.
Resting my head against the tub, my mind loosened, thoughts floating freely through my sluggish mind. I didn’t mean to drift. I didn’t mean to remember anything at all.
But a soft memory surfaced anyways.
I was small, maybe six, if that. I remember sitting on a backstep somewhere, sun warmed wood under my legs with the smell of grass thick in the air.
Someone, an old Omega, maybe a caretaker or house nanny, pressed a cold popsicle into my hand.
Cherry red. It dripped down my wrist before I even took a bite.
“You’re making a mess,” they’d laughed, but it wasn’t sharp. It wasn’t scolding. It was warm and teasing and kind.
I remembered the sound of it more than the words. They were soft. Safe.
I remembered swinging my legs, sticky fingers, and the sun on my face. I remember feeling light. Like nothing bad could reach me for those few minutes.
The memory was so gentle it almost hurt.
Then, it was gone as I blinked back into the present.
I couldn’t help but wonder who the Omega had been. I couldn’t pull her face back into focus, either.
For a moment, I let myself imagine what it would’ve been like if things had stayed that simple. If sweetness hadn’t been something rare enough to forget. If comfort hadn’t become something I had to earn.
I wondered if my parents hadn’t passed away, how life would be for me. Would I have grown up loved? Would I have had any siblings? Would I have a safe and happy life?
I remember feeling loved by a lot of people, maybe family members. I remembered Mama and her hugs, even though they feel so far away now.
Once the water cooled, too cool for what the Alpha would’ve allowed, even if it still felt fine to me, I finally reached for the drain.
The swirl of water pulled away from my skin, leaving a trail of warmth behind as I stood.
Droplets slid down my body in thin, quiet paths, gathering at my feet while the last of the bathwater disappeared.
Evander had left a towel within easy reach, placed exactly where I’d need at the moment I stepped out. It was oversized and impossibly soft, swallowing me up as I wrapped it around myself. I lifted one corner to my face without thinking, breathing in the faint, clean scent clinging to the fabric.
It smelled warm. Safe. Almost like home.
I stood there for a moment, wrapped up and dripping onto the mat, letting the warmth and comfort soak into me. Letting myself breathe.
Evander had thought of everything. Every detail. Every small comfort I wouldn’t have dared to ask for.
I wasn’t used to being cared for without an angle. Without a lesson attached. Without a price.
A pile of folded clothes sat on the countertop, right beside a hairbrush, lotion and some other items that I would never know what to do with.
Hearing the doorbell ring through the house, I glanced at the door before making my way to the sink.
The clothes were similar to what I’d been wearing so far. Simple shorts this time that fell past my knees and an oversized shirt. The shorts I had to tie with a string, and still they were likely to fall off my hips if I wasn’t careful.
By the time I left the bathroom, the towel hanging on the rack and not a sign of me having a bath, Evander stood against the door jam, waiting.
“Have a good bath?” He pushed off the wall, slipping his hands into the pockets of his sweats.
I nodded once; afraid my voice would fail on me.
“I have some things for you in the living room. Things you need, so I don’t want to hear anything about what I got you.”
“Y-yes, Sir.”
With my heart in my throat, I followed a few steps behind.
I nearly tripped over my own feet as I stopped short at the edge of the living room. It took a second, maybe longer, to understand what I was looking at.
Boxes and bags were scattered across the couch, dropped there in a hurry. Not messy, just…rushed. Evander had barely taken the time to set them down before coming to check on me.
Evander stepped out of the hallway just as I was taking in the mess. His eyes flickered to me, then back to the pile.
“You needed clothes and shoes.” He spoke the words like it was an everyday thing to order me more items than I could ever remember before. “They are all yours. No one else can take them away. Not for punishment, either. Clothes are a necessity.”
The words hit harder than they should have. All of it. Clothes. Things I hadn’t asked for. Things I didn’t think I was supposed to have.
At Lockswell, Omegas were only given three sets of outfits. And if they got ruined in any way, we would be punished. And punishment looked different every time, for every in fracture that one did.
Evander walked past me, brushing a hand along the back of the couch as he gestured to the pile.
“It’ll be your chore to wash everything and put it all away. I’m assuming you know how to work a washer and dryer?”
Of course I do, I thought, holding back an eye roll. Instead, I nodded once; my eyes still glued to the pile.
My heart stuttered at the word chore. Not from fear but from a strange relief to having something I knew how to do right.
“Excellent. Tags are still on everything. If there’s something you wouldn’t enjoy wearing, then put it aside and I’ll return it to the store.
I want you to enjoy the items I buy for you.
So, if you don’t like something, that won’t hurt my feelings at all.
Your comfort comes above anything else.” He glanced at me, expression open and soft.
I nodded, hoping it looked like acceptance of both the chore and order to only keep what I’d wear. The problem was, I had no idea what I would wear. I’d never been the one to choose.
And honestly…since Evander picked it out, I’d wear it anyways. Even if I didn’t like it.
“If you don’t finish the clothes tonight, you can finish them up tomorrow. As long as the chores I assign you are done in a timely manner, there will be no punishment.
“What…what if I don’t do them?” I had to ask as I inched closer to the couch.
One look at Evander made my heart go into overdrive for a moment. His look was soft with a hint of something I couldn’t name. Something that made me feel safe to possibly try to skip doing a chore he requested of me.
“Well, let's say you were to do the dishes and decided to skip the step of rinsing them off before putting them in the dishwasher. I’d have you take everything out and handwash every item. If you decided you didn’t want to put away the laundry, I’d have you do my laundry for a week on top of doing your own. ”
“I’ll wash yours, too. It’s…” I trailed off as the Alpha raised a brow.
“If you do something that really is rude to me or anyone that comes to visit, then you’ll have something like a quiet time. Where you’ll get to sit in your room, with the door open, and think about what actions you took.”
When I didn’t say anything else, Evander let out a soft huff that sounded almost like a laugh.
“Go on. Look through what I got you. My family likes to drop by without warning, and I’d rather they didn’t walk in and find a sweet Omega wondering around my house naked because he thought skipping laundry for a week sounded fun. ”
Heat rushed straight to my cheeks. I ducked my head, hoping he didn’t notice how flustered I was, and stepped closer to the couch to hide my face in the pile of bags and boxes instead.
I kept my eyes down pretending to study the nearest bag even though my pulse was thudding in my ears.
Evander moved closer, just near enough that I felt the weight of his presence on my back. It made my shoulders tense and loosen at the same time.
“Good boy. Go on.”
I swallowed and reached for the first box, fingers trembling just a little. The cardboard gave way with a soft tear, revealing neatly folded fabric inside. Soft colors and comfortable textures, nothing flashy or intimidating. Clothes meant to be worn, not displayed.
Shirts and pants. Shorts. So many items that no Omega possibly needed.
Evander stepped back, further towards the chair. “Take your time. They’re yours.”
My clothes.
Something to call my own.
It felt unreal. Like I was in a dream that I’d wake up at any moment.
I hadn’t had anything that was truly mine for so long; I didn’t know how to feel about it.
But I kept going, because he told me to. Because Evander trusted me too. Because some parts of me wanted to believe him.
The next bag had sleep pants and a couple of sweaters. The pants were lightweight and loose; the king meant for comfort rather than appearance. I brushed my thumb over the fabric, surprised by how gentle it felt. I’d never owned anything meant purely for resting.
Underneath it was a matching shirt, simple and plain.
The next items were socks. Not the thin scratchy kind I was used to, but there were warm and thick, muted colors that wouldn’t draw attention.
I blinked hard, and reached for the next item.
A hoodie. Soft and heavy. The kind that would swallow me whole. I lifted it with both hands, and the weight of it surprised me. It smelled like the store, and I secretly wished it would smell like Evander instead. It wasn’t as thin as the first three from a different box.
Evander’s voice came from the chair, low and sweaty. “That one looked like something you’d curl up in on a cold rainy, or winter day.”
I didn’t’ know to respond to that, since I could see that for myself, too.
There was underwear, and other pairs of pants and shorts. And a coat and jacket. Way too many items for me to wear.
And shoes. Three different pairs.
Surely, I didn’t need this much stuff.
“Sir…”
“The only thing I expect is you to wash, dry, fold and put away your items in your room. That’s the only expectation. If you wish to argue about it, I can add another chore for you to do tomorrow.”
I quickly shook my head, feeling as if I shouldn’t want chores.