Chapter 32
Evander
The shift in Kasey was subtle at first, too subtle for me, apparently. I’d debated on giving him another mild antianxiety pill before Moore and Adrian arrived, and now I was regretting not trusting my instincts. The moment Moore mentioned checking his back, something in Kasey’s postures tightened.
His shoulders curled inward; his breathing went thin, and his eyes unfocused, drifting somewhere far away.
I didn’t catch it fast enough.
Adrian did.
The Omega moved before I processed what was happening, sliding into Kasey’s line of sight with that soft bright smile he used like a lifeline.
“Hey, Kasey,” he murmured, voice warm and steady. “Stay with me, okay? Don’t go anywhere in that head of yours.”
Kasey blinked, barely.
Adrian kept talking, gentle and easy, like they were old friends sharing a joke. “You know, Moore once tried to teach me how to make soup. Actual soup. From scratch. It tasted like sadness and boiled socks.”
Moore huffed behind him. “It was perfectly edible.”
“It was a crime,” Adrian corrected, eyes never leaving Kasey. “A culinary felony. Lockswell would have been ashamed of how it turned out.”
A tiny breath escaped from Kasey. A half laugh, half gasp, and Adrian softened instantly.
“There he is,” Adrian whispered. “Good. Stay right here with me.”
I moved closer, placing a steady hand on Kasey’s back, careful not to startle him. He didn’t lean into me, but he didn’t pull away either.
Adrian lowered his voice, gentle as a hand on a wound. “Moore’s not going to hurt you. He’s just checking to make sure you’re okay. And I’ll be here the whole time.”
Kasey’s breathing finally evened out, the panic losing its grip. Adrian gave him a proud little nod. “There we go.”
“You’re good that that.” I said, more in awe than anything else.
“I learned from the best,” Adrian shot me a small grin. “I also had a few younger kids at Lockswell that panicked often.”
Alpha Moore waited until Kasey’s breathing had steadied again before he spoke. His voice was low and careful, the kind of tone you used with someone who’d been hurt too many times.
“Kasey. May I take a look at your back now? Only if you’re comfortable with it.”
Kasey’s fingers tightened in the blanket, but he nodded. It was small approval, like he wasn’t sure he was allowed to say no.
Moore didn’t take the nod for granted. “You can tell me to stop at any point. You’re in control.”
Adrian gave him an encouraging smile. “We’ll go slow. Promise.”
Kasey swallowed hard, eyes dropping to the floor again. I could see the tension creeping back in.
I moved closer, keeping my voice low and soft. “Hey,” I murmured. “Let me help, okay? We’ll do this together.”
He didn’t look up, but he didn’t pull away.
I slid my hands to the hem of his shirt, moving slowly enough that he could stop me if he needed to. His breath hitched, but he was still here. Still present.
I eased the fabric up, careful not to touch his bear skin until I had to. When my fingers brushed his side, he flinched but stayed right where he was.
Adrian shifted close, keeping his voice warm and steady. “You’re doing amazing. Just breathe.”
Moore waited until the shirt was gathered just below Kasy’s shoulder blades before he stepped forward, giving him space. “Thank you. I’ll be as quick as I can.”
Kasey’s shoulders trembled, but he didn’t fold in on himself.
Shifting closer, I eased Kasey into my lap, not forcing him, until he settled there on his own, clinging to the front of my shirt like he had so many times already.
Adrian finished getting the shirt off, moving with that careful, gentleness of his. As soon as the fabric cleared Kasey’s shoulders, my Omega’s arms came up around my neck, holding on like the world might tilt without something solid to grab.
I wrapped an arm around his waist, steadying him, keeping him grounded. He wasn’t hiding. He wasn’t panicking. He was just holding on, and I held him right back.
Moore stepped forward only when Kasey was steady in my lap. Adrian kept a soft steam of chatter going to hold him present. I kept one arm around Kasey’s waist.
Moore crouched down to eye level with Kasey’s back, keeping his hands to himself. “Thank you for letting me look,” he said quietly. His voice was steady, but I could hear the weight behind it. “You’ve been through more than anyone should.”
Kasey tensed in my arms, fingers curling into the back of my shirt.
I tightened my hold around him. “You’re okay. I got you.”
Moore nodded once, like he agreed with me. “You’re safe now. And nothing I’m seeing is beyond what we can help with. It’s healing, and that’s all I can hope for. Doesn’t look like the welts are infected.”
Relief hit me hard enough to make my chest ache.
Adrian reached out, not touching, just offering his presence. “You’re doing so well, honey.”
Moore straightened slowly, his expression composed again, but I knew what I’d seen. The quiet anger, the worry.
“Brusing is still dark, and it’ll take a few weeks for it to fully fade. If there’s any muscle pain in a couple of weeks, I’ll want to take another look. Or any new pain that comes up. Omegas there aren’t the most cared for creatures.”
Kasey didn’t lift his head, but I felt the way his breathing shifted against my chest the moment Moore spoke.
“You’re safe. Nothing here is going to hurt you. You’re doing very well. I’m not touching you. Just looking. That’s all”
Another small breath from Kasey, Then, he leaned more into me, one hand finding the lobe of an ear, just like he did when he was small.
“How has his anxiety been?”
Given it’s only been maybe five days max, I didn’t want to say it was horrible. “It could be better. He hasn’t shut down completely for a couple of days.”
“When was the last time you gave him meds?”
“Two days.” I answered easily.
“Overall, I think he’s healing as good as we can expect. The anxiety will come and go until he learns his place here, which some Omegas take more time than others.”
Moore finished his examination with a quiet nod, then reached for the blanket. He dropped it carefully over Kasey’s shoulders, and I pulled the fabric the rest of the way around him, tucking it close.
The moment the warmth settled over his skin, he melted against me, his weight sinking into my chest like he was finally allowed to rest. I wrapped my arms around him, holding him steady, letting him know without a single word that he was safe, covered, and not facing any of this alone.
“Thank you, Kasey, for letting me look. You did very well.”
Kasey didn’t answer, but the way he pressed closer told me he’d heard.
Moore gave one last nod, satisfied with what he’d seen, or at least confident he could help. He stepped back, giving Kasey space, and quietly began packing the last of his supplies.
When the bag was closed, Moore straightened. “We’ll run the bloodwork and get back to you soon. If anything changes before then, call me.”
Adrian chimed in with a softer smile. “And if he needs company or a distraction, you know where to find me.”
Kasey didn’t lift his head from my chest, but his fingers tightened in my shirt at the sound of their voices.
“Hey,” Adrian said softly, crouching a little, so he was in Kasey’s peripheral. “You did really well today. I’m proud of you.”
Kasey didn’t respond, but the tension in his shoulders eased a bit more.
Moore placed a hand on Adrian’s back, guiding him towards the door. “We’ll give you both some quiet. He needs to rest.”
I nodded. “Thanks for everything.”
Adrian flashed a small, warm grin. “Anytime.”
They slipped out without another sound. The house felt calmer the moment they were gone, quieter like the air had settled.
Kasey let out a shaky breath against me, and I tightened my hold around him, tucking him even closer to my chest.
For a moment, Kasey lay there, breathing. One hand rubbed slow circles between his shoulder blades, giving him all the time he needed.
Then I felt it. A small shift. A tightening of his fingers in my shirt and a small breath that hitched.
“Kasey?” I murmured, not pushing, just letting him know I was here, listening.
He swallowed hard, his throat working against my collarbone. “I…I- “
The sound was barely there; a whisper scrapped raw. He wasn’t panicking, at least. This was just him trying. Reaching. Fighting his way towards something he wasn’t sure he was allowed to say.
I eased my hold just enough so he could lift his head if he wanted, but he stayed there, tucked against me.
“It’s okay. Take your time. You don’t have to rush.”
His breath shuddered again. “I…didn’t meant….to- “
He stopped, voice breaking on nothing.
“You didn’t do anything wrong.”
He shook his head, a tiny frantic movement. “I…I made…trouble.”
“No, you didn’t. You didn’t make any trouble. You didn’t upset anyone. You did nothing wrong.”
“But…he…saw…”
“You’re back?” He nodded once. “He’s seen them already, sweetheart. He knew they were there. And why would you be in trouble with that? You didn’t put the marks there yourself. All he did was check to make sure they were healing as they should be.”
It felt as though he wanted to argue, but instead kept his mouth shut. Which was good, because his scars and marks weren’t his own doing.
“You were so good. You didn’t panic,” I soothed, not once stopping my hand from drawing light circles along his back. “So very good. I think you deserve a reward. What do you think?”
“A…reward?” His voice cracked. “No…. thank…you.”
“I’m assuming rewards at Lockswell weren’t something you enjoyed?”
“No.” A quick shake of his head. “They…. they would force me to…. cum….as rewards. I …. No, thanks. I don’t like rewards.”
“Okay,” I soothed, pressing another kiss to the top of his head. “What about…what is something you’d like?”
For a moment, he went very still in my arms. Not frozen with fear, just startled. Like the question itself was foreign. Like no one had ever asked him that before.
A soft bewildered sound escaped from him, barely breathing. He shifted just enough so that I could feel the tremor running through him.
“I…” His voice cracked, the word dissolving before it fully formed.
“It doesn’t have to be big. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Just something you want. Anything.”
He shook his head against my chest. “I don’t…. I don’t know what I’m allowed to- “
“You’re allowed to want things.”
Another tremor. Another breath that hitched like it hurt. Whatever he wanted and desired, I’d get him. Even if it was big and pricey.
He tried again, voice barely there. “I…don’t…know how.”
Of course he didn’t.
I rested my cheek against his hair, letting him feel the steadiness in my breathing. “Then we’ll figure it out together. You don’t have to know right now. You don’t have to decide anything. Let…let yourself think about it. That’s enough.”
He didn’t answer with words right away, but he melted into me like he was testing the idea of wanting something for himself.
And I held him through it, letting him take all the time he needed.