The Bedroom
Tansy
“I don’t know,” Cass says simply.
I nod like I’m okay with that answer, but inside it’s killing me.
I don’t belong here with a pack of wild alphas that would make such a permanent decision without their leader’s knowledge. I’m grateful Warren and Grason didn’t hurt me. I am. But the fact that they thought they could claim an omega without their pack alpha even awake is horrifying.
A pack that moves like that can’t be trusted.
I don’t belong here.
I need to be back at the academy, safe and stressed about normal things. I should be worrying about finals and rehearsals, counting the days until I walk across the stage and earn my degree. Not trapped in a stranger’s house, praying they’ll let me leave so I can go on with my life.
Of course, that’s assuming I haven’t already missed graduation...I probably have.
My hands curl into the hem of my shirt, knuckles white, as I try not to dwell on it. The last thing I want is to burst into tears.
“Will you…” I start, then stop, trying to gather my thoughts, but it’s so hard to think with Cass pressed so close.
I’m acutely aware of every place we touch. His arm around my waist, the hand on the back of my neck, and the hard muscle of his chest against my side. Even the heat radiating from his skin is distracting.
Taking a slow breath, I force myself to focus, shoving all the noise in my head to one side. This isn’t the time to unravel.
“Will you let me go?” I manage to ask, but the question hangs there, sounding even more ridiculous out loud.
I mean, I already know what his answer is going to be.
No alpha on Earth would ever willingly release an unmated omega. Not once she’s inside his pack’s walls. But it doesn’t hurt to ask…I hope.
“Let you go?” Cass repeats, like the words don’t quite compute.
Then his expression shifts into something harder as it locks onto mine.
“Is that really what you want?” he asks.
“To be turned loose so you can wander the streets alone?” His dark blue eyes narrow.
“You’ll be snatched and fucked so fast by every crazed alpha in a fifty-mile radius. ”
His words land hard.
Heat crawls up my neck, humiliation burning bright and ugly.
He is right.
Omegas don’t get to exist unclaimed in the wild, not safely, and not for long. But hearing it said in such a crass way makes my chest tighten with something sharp and furious.
“You don’t have to be so mean,” I snap. “I know how the world works for omegas.” The second the words leave my mouth, panic hits. My breath catches hard as I brace myself, waiting for him to yell or hit. To do something that will remind me of my place.
But Cassian doesn’t say a word.
He just holds me a little tighter, and my heart hammers against my ribs like a frantic, trapped thing.
“I just—” I swallow hard, forcing myself to keep talking before I lose my nerve. “I just meant…you don’t have to make me wander the streets. You could take me back. To my school.” I nervously lick my lips. “To Danvers Academy.”
For a second, Cass goes still, his face so close to mine.
Then he lets out a sharp laugh. It’s quick. Like it slipped out before he could stop it.
And my stomach drops.
“You want me to take you back to Danvers?” His dark brows lift, like he’s surprised I’d say something so stupid. “You think I can drop you off at an academy and no one will ask a single question? They’ll let me and my pack go on our merry way?”
Embarrassment floods my cheeks, and I look away. My eyes immediately land on his knee, and I grimace. It’s swollen and angry, the skin pulled tight over the joint, red creeping up his thigh in a way that makes my stomach twist.
It looks agonizing.
Good.
The jerk deserves it.
“Look,” Cass says, all amusement gone. “I don’t mean to be a dick.”
It takes everything in me not to roll my eyes.
“I know that none of this is your fault.” He pulls his arm free from my waist, but before I can even process the freedom, his fingers are on my chin. It’s a firm but gentle grip that forces my head up until I have no choice but to look at him.
Then his voice shifts to a gentle purr. “But I’m not letting you go, Tansy.” His other hand slips down in a slow, deliberate slide that ends at the small of my back, holding me in place.
My body betrays me, arching instinctively into his touch. Followed by a sharp, hot spike of fear that lances through me. I fucking hate the programming in my DNA that demands an alpha's touch, even when my mind is screaming to run.
But I don't know how to stop it.
Cass leans in and whispers, “It’s too dangerous for beautiful omegas to be all alone.” His eyes stare deep into mine. “I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you.”
I want to argue that he doesn’t fucking know me, but I’m not brave enough to say that out loud. “Okay.” I lean back and pull free of his grip, forcing his hand away from my chin. My gaze drops to my lap as I nod once in defeat. “Understood.”
“You’re safe here, Tansy.” He angles his head down, clearly trying to see my face.
He lets out a heavy sigh when I don’t say anything, but he doesn’t force me to look at him again.
“Everything is going to be okay, omega.” His other hand lifts from the small of my back, and I suddenly realize I’m free.
The loss of his hands on me is immediate and startling, and my body reacts before my mind can catch up.
I scramble off the bed, pitching myself forward over Cass’s legs. My feet hit the floor, and I freeze. For half a second, I just stand there, chest heaving, eyes darting from the window to the door. The urge to keep running flares hot and wild, instinct screaming at me to move.
Then reality catches up.
The window is stuck. Warren and Gray are right outside the door.
There’s nowhere to go.
The weight of it crashes down all at once, and I brace myself, shoulders tensing, waiting for Cass to snatch me up. To fuck the disobedience right out of me, to violate me and remind me that I'm weak and powerless.
My heart hammers in my chest, blood rushing in my ears.
…but it doesn’t sound like he’s moving at all.
The silence stretches, thick and heavy, until it’s unbearable.
He’s looking at me. I can feel it.
Terrified, I cross my arms tightly around my middle, then slowly turn back to face the bed.
Cass is still sitting there, exactly where I left him, watching me with a strange, curious expression. Almost like he’s faintly amused by how fast I bolted.
Then his gaze moves down my body.
It’s a slow, deliberate drag, taking in my full height, head to toe. His eyes linger where the shirt rides up to my knees, looking at me like he’s trying to see right through the fabric.
Then his brows lift a fraction. “Huh.” He licks his lips. “You’re tall,” he says, almost thoughtfully, as his attention slips back up to my face. “Very tall. For an omega,” he adds with a small smile. He almost looks…pleased?
Heat crawls up my neck, and I shift my weight, suddenly too aware of my body. Of how I’m standing. Of how he’s looking at me. The compliment…if that’s what it was…makes my skin prickle. I hate talking about my body.
So I do the only thing that feels safe.
I change the subject.
“So I’m trapped here?” My words come out sharper than I mean them to, but I’m just so uncomfortable. “I’m your prisoner.”
Cass clears his throat, thinking. It’s a low, rough sound. He shifts slightly on the bed, careful but not careful enough to hide the wince that flashes across his face. His weight settles unevenly, and he exhales through his nose.
“You aren’t a prisoner,” he says finally. “But if you’re smart, you’ll see you’re safer here than on the streets.” As he speaks, his hand drifts to the top of his thigh, rubbing the muscle above his bad knee. His fingers press in, squeezing like he’s working against a deep, persistent ache.
Panic cuts through me as I realize I jumped over his legs. Did I hit his wound when I scrambled away?
Did I make it worse?
It's a stupid thought to have about a man who's holding me hostage, but I can't help it.
“Tansy?” Cass’s dark eyes flicker to the bedroom door, jaw set tight. “Will you ask Beck to come in?”
“Beck?” I hesitate, not sure if opening the bedroom door is the right choice. Unsure if this is some kind of test or….hell, I don’t know what’s happening anymore.
“There’s no need to be scared,” Cass says, quieter this time. “Beck is our beta. He’s the gentlest person in this house. On earth, probably.”
But his words don’t make me feel much better.
“Please,” he says with a small bow of his head, the hand on his thigh squeezing harder. “Get Beck for me.”
My knees wobble as I nod, and I have to steady myself before I turn toward the door. Every step feels stiff and deliberate, like I’m bracing for something to explode behind me.
My hands won’t stop shaking by the time I reach the door.
I turn the knob slowly.
It cracks open, and four pairs of eyes instantly snap to me.
Warren, Gray, Beck, and even the doctor.
They’re all standing against the wall like they’re frozen in place, wide-eyed and tense.
My attention catches on Warren and Gray immediately. Two healthy alphas. Too close. Watching me too carefully. My hackles rise, instinct warning me not to linger.
“Um.” My throat tightens. “Cass wants to see Beck,” I say, my voice quieter than I mean it to be.
Beck jolts like I shocked him. His shoulders jerk, eyes widening even more, and then he’s moving before anyone else can react.
“Of course,” he blurts, already stepping forward. He rushes past me, nearly tripping over his own feet as he slips into the bedroom like he’s afraid Cass might change his mind if he takes too long.
The second Beck is inside, I push the door shut behind him, blocking out the two large alphas still waiting in the hallway. Then I press my back to the hard wood, heart racing, breath shallow.
The bedroom is smaller. Contained. It feels safer for some reason.