Chapter 5
Vee
I wake up in a bed that isn't mine.
It isn't even the one I've been in through my heat.
The realization comes slowly. Piece by piece. Unfamiliar ceiling. Unfamiliar walls. Unfamiliar weight to the blankets.
I blink and the room comes into focus.
Wood beams overhead. A window with white curtains. A dresser against the far wall with nothing on it. Clean. Simple. Empty.
Where am I?
I sit up. My body protests immediately.
I'm sore everywhere. It's the specific kind of wrung-out exhaustion that comes after heat. Muscles aching. Sensitive skin. My throat dry and scratchy.
I take inventory.
Thighs sore. Hips tender. A deep ache between my legs that I recognize. I've been knotted. Multiple times. The ghost sensation lingers.
But the heat is gone.
The desperate, animal need has vanished. The fog has lifted from my thoughts. For the first time in days, I'm just me again—not a creature of pure instinct and hunger.
I'm wearing a soft t-shirt that smells like coffee. Malcolm's. And clean underwear that definitely isn't mine.
Someone dressed me.
The thought should bother me more than it does.
I swing my legs off the bed and stand slowly. My knees wobble but hold.
The floor is cool wood under my bare feet. I pad over to the window and pull the curtain aside.
Trees.
Everywhere.
Dense woods stretching in every direction. Pine and birch and flowers I can’t name. No houses. No roads. No neighbors.
Just forest.
My breathing picks up.
Fragments surface. Memories from the heat coming back in pieces.
Malcolm's purr. His knot. The relief that came in waves.
Finn's hands. His mouth. The careful attention that made me feel seen even when I couldn't think.
Alex outside the door. His fingers through the gap. The circles he traced on my palm.
Voices I overheard. Snippets of conversation that didn't make sense at the time.
We need to move her.
She'll be safer there.
The car.
Oh god.
The car.
I remember waking up on Malcolm's knot in the backseat. The motion of driving. Trees passing outside the window.
They moved me.
They took me somewhere.
My pulse spikes.
They took me.
Without asking. Without consent. While I was in heat and couldn't think clearly enough to say no.
They took me away from home.
Away from Ragon's pack.
Away from everything I know.
I can't breathe properly.
The door opens.
Finn walks in, hair messy, glasses slightly crooked. He's carrying a glass of water. He closes the door behind him.
"Hey, you're awake—"
"Where am I?" The words come out too loud. Too sharp.
He stops. Sets the water on the dresser. "Vee—"
"Where am I, Finn?" I'm backing toward the window now. "Where's Ragon? What's going on?"
He raises his hands. Palms out. Non-threatening. "You're okay, Vee. You're safe."
"Safe?" A laugh bubbles out. Hysterical. "You kidnapped me. How is that safe?"
"We didn't kidnap you—"
"I didn't ask to be here. I didn't consent to leaving. You moved me while I was in heat." My tone is rising. "That's kidnapping."
"Vee, breathe—"
But I can't breathe.
The panic slams in. Full force.
Ragon.
Oh god. Oh god. Oh god.
Ragon is going to be furious.
He'll think I left on purpose. That I chose them over him. Over the pack.
He'll punish me.
My old nest flashes through my mind. Their combined scent in my safe space. Marie's scent. Being forced to watch.
What will he do this time?
"He'll punish me." The words come out strangled. "Finn, you have to take me back. You have to tell him I didn't ask for this."
"Vee—"
"Please." I'm shaking now. "Please. You don't understand what he'll do. The last time I—" My voice breaks. "He ruined my nest. He made me watch. He banned comfort and I—"
I can't finish. My lungs have gone shallow. The room tilts.
"Guys!" I hear him yell.
Footsteps pound down the hallway before the door flies open.
Malcolm appears first. His eyes find me immediately. I'm sliding down the wall now. My legs won't hold me.
His purr starts before he reaches me. Deep and strong. It hits my nervous system like a wave.
He drops to his knees and pulls me into his lap. Solid. Warm. His arms wrap around me.
"It's okay, Vee," he says. Steady. Calm. "We've got you."
"I can't—" I'm sobbing now, each breath coming in ragged and wrong.
"Yes you can. With me. In through your nose."
He demonstrates. I try to follow. Fail. Try again.
"Out through your mouth."
The purr helps. It sinks into my bones and loosens my muscles. He pets my hair like I'm precious to him.
Alex appears in the doorway. He takes one look at the scene and his face goes tight.
Then he's on the floor beside us. His purr joins Malcolm's.
The combined sound wraps around me. Inside me. My omega responds on instinct. The panic doesn't disappear but it softens.
I cry into Malcolm's chest. He rocks me back and forth. I inhale his scent in shaky, short gasps.
"What happened?" Alex's asks.
"She's scared of what Ragon will do," Finn says.
I nod against Malcolm's shirt. "There's nothing left for him to take from me except to send me back to the registry."
The words come out between sobs.
"They'll put me in another pack. I don't want to do that again. The cycle will start all over. What, seven years next time? Ten before they send me away? I can't be rejected again."
Malcolm's arms tighten. "No one's rejecting you."
"You don't know that. You don't—"
"We do know that."
I shake my head. Can't speak.
They hold me while I fall apart. Both purrs steady. Alex's hand finds my arm. Squeezes.
Time passes. Maybe a lot of it.
Eventually the crying stops. The panic fades to exhaustion.
I pull back slightly. Wipe my face with shaking hands.
"I'm sorry." I sound hoarse. "I didn't mean to break down like that."
Alex makes a sound. Low and angry.
I wince.
"Don't." He says it hard enough to stop me. "Don't apologize for having emotions."
I blink at him.
"That's some bullshit thing for an alpha to teach an omega." His eyes are dark. Furious. "That you should be sorry for feeling things. For needing support or having a normal reaction to trauma."
"Alex—" Malcolm starts.
"No." He's still looking at me. "Ragon has no fucking clue how to properly nurture an omega. He taught you to make yourself small. To apologize for existing. And I'm not letting that stand."
I stare at him.
He means it.
The realization hits somewhere deep.
"Okay," I say.
He nods once. Sharp.
The silence stretches.
Then the questions start bubbling up.
"Why are we here?" I ask.
"To keep you away from Ragon," Alex says.
Cold dread sinks. "I have to go back."
"No." Finn doesn't waver. "You don't."
"He has custody—"
"We're working on that."
I look between them. "What?"
"We're trying to keep you from having to go back," Malcolm says. "If you don't want to."
"How? He has legal custody. The registry—"
"Chase is working on it," Alex says.
I go still.
"Chase?"
"Yeah."
"You know Chase?"
Finn nods. "I know him from work. I’ve told you I work there. We've known each other for years."
The pieces start clicking together.
Chase at the gym. The gym that Finn helped me research. Chase who always seemed to know too much. He was investigating my case. He offered to help.
"He's been working on this." My voice sounds distant. "For how long?"
"Months," Alex admits.
Months.
They've been planning this for months.
"Chase is trying to find you a way out," Malcolm says. "If you want it."
"Do you want it?" Finn asks.
I stare at Alex.
His eyes are steady. Waiting.
"I don't know." The words feel pulled out of me. "It's all so much. I can't think right now."
"That's fine." Alex's voice softens slightly. "You don't have to know, Vee. Not yet."
The anger surfaces then, sharp and sudden.
I stand up and Malcolm's arms fall away. I start pacing.
"You lied to me." The accusation hangs in the air. "For months. You lived next door and you lied. You lied about who you are to me. Who I am to you."
"Yes," Alex says.
"I must have looked like such a fool." My hands clench. "Baking in your kitchen. Talking to you in the garden. While you knew. You all knew and you just... hid it."
"Yes."
"You manipulated me."
"We did."
"Befriended me."
"Yes."
"You took me without my consent."
"We did."
His agreement makes it worse somehow.
I turn on him. "Then admit it was wrong."
"It was wrong," he says immediately. "You're right to be angry. You're right to feel betrayed."
Finn nods. "We lied to you because we didn't know what else to do. We wanted to help you, Vee."
"Help me?" I laugh. It sounds bitter. "Or take me from Ragon? Were you just trying to get your scent match away from his pack? Being sneaky about it?"
Alex stands. Faces me directly.
"No. That wasn't it."
"Then what was it?"
"I wanted to get you out of Ragon's pack because they were hurting you."
The words hit hard.
I shake my head. "They weren't—"
"They were." No hesitation. "They suppressed your scent. Destroyed your nest. Pushed you aside for Marie. That's harm, Vee. That's damage."
My throat pulls tight.
"Do you want me?" The question comes out small. Vulnerable.
Alex doesn’t move.
"Do you want to claim me? Is that what this is?"
"It's... complicated."
The floor drops out.
There it is.
Another alpha who doesn't think I'm good enough.
Good enough to help. Good enough to save. But not good enough to keep.
The rejection hits somewhere deep inside me. I didn't ask for this. I didn't ask for them. But to hear that they might not even want me...
I turn away. "Right. Of course."
"Vee—"
The front door slams.
We all freeze.
I hear footsteps in the hallway before Arden appears in the doorway with his leather bag in hand. His expression is calm. Like walking into a room full of tension is what he does every day.
Maybe it is.
"Hey, Vee." He’s calm as ever. Grounding.
I almost laugh.
Almost cry.
A familiar face. Someone not connected to Ragon's pack or Alex's pack. Someone neutral.
"How are you here?" I ask.
He sets his bag down. "Chase thought you'd need me."
Of course.
Chase. Always Chase in the background pulling strings.
But Chase was right.
I do need him.
"Will you talk to me?" Arden asks.
I nod.
He looks at the others. "Give us the room?"
They hesitate.
Then Malcolm stands. Finn follows. Alex lingers. His eyes on me.
Then he leaves too.
The door clicks shut.
Arden gestures to the bed. "Sit. Get comfy."
I do.
He pulls out a blood pressure cuff. A thermometer. Stethoscope.
"I thought you were an omega mind doctor," I say.
He smiles. "The mind and the body are connected. It's easier to understand both than only one."
He checks my vitals and takes notes. His movements are efficient but not rushed.
"Physically you're okay," he says finally. "A little dehydrated, probably. Some muscle strain, but nothing concerning."
"Okay."
He sits in the chair across from me. "How's your mental state?"
I laugh. It sounds broken. "My head hurts. There's too much at once. I can't sort any of it."
"Then do nothing."
I blink at him. "What?"
"Do nothing, Vee." He leans forward. Elbows on his knees. "Let the cards fall for a while. Trust the pack to keep you safe."
"But Ragon—"
"Let Chase handle Ragon."
"I don't—"
"Things will come together." He sounds calm. Certain. "And if you never want to go back, we will find a way to make that happen."
The tears start again.
I'm so tired of crying.
"I still love them," I whisper. "My pack. Ragon. Drake. Eli. I still love them. I know I shouldn't. Not after everything. For a while there... I thought I didn't. I thought I was done. But now—I'm just so confused."
"Of course you still love them." Arden's expression softens.
"Five years is a long time to build a home with people.
Love doesn't just disappear because you're hurt.
And for a while there you were numb, Vee.
A lot of those suppressed instincts have probably come back with your heat.
You're feeling more like your true self again. "
"But how do I—"
"You grieve."
The word sits heavy between us.
"You grieve your pack," he says. "You remember the good and the bad. You feel everything. The love. The anger. The betrayal. The loss. All of it. Let yourself feel it Vee."
"I don't want to feel it."
"I know. But it's the only way to heal."
I wipe my face. "I don't want to talk anymore. Not today."
He nods. Stands. "That's okay. I'll be back soon. We can talk more then."
"Thank you."
He pulls out a shirt from his bag and hands it to me. I frown at it, then at him. "Why do you keep giving me shirts?"
Arden just smiles, tired but gentle. "I told you. I'll explain later, when you're ready. But I know they help. Take it, Vee."
So I do. I bring the shirt to my face and breathe in. The scent is different than before. It's much, much stronger. Not bad, but... it's sharp. Burnt wood, bitter ash. It makes my nose wrinkle. Most omegas would probably hate it.
But there's something else underneath. It’s green and alive, trying to push through charred earth. It smells like survival. Like damage that refused to die. I pull it closer. I want to dive into it and sink to the bottom.
"Vee?"
"Yeah?"
"You're going to be okay. It doesn't feel like it right now. But you will be."
He leaves.
I sit on the bed in the quiet cabin surrounded by woods I’ve never seen before.
I don't put the shirt on. Not yet. But I hold onto it.
Everything hurts.
My body. My heart. My head.
I stand and go back to the window.
The same trees. The same distance.
Maybe that's what I need.
Distance from Ragon. From Marie. From the nest that was violated. From the pack that forgot me.
Distance to breathe.
To think.
To figure out if I want to go back or if I want something else entirely.
I press my forehead against the cool glass.
Somewhere out there Ragon's pack is waking up, realizing I'm gone. Maybe they’re looking for me.
Or maybe not.
Maybe they're relieved.
One less problem to manage.
One less omega to juggle.
The thought makes my chest ache.
I close my eyes and I wonder if I'll ever feel normal again.
If there's a version of me on the other side of this that isn't broken.
That isn't afraid or apologizing for taking up space.
Maybe not.
But standing here in this unfamiliar room in this unfamiliar cabin with a pack that lied to me and a future I can't see, I think maybe I want to find out.
Maybe.