Chapter 30
CHAPTER THIRTY
FLYNN
I sit in the passenger seat, taking one last look at the house that’s been my prison. My hell on Earth. My body tenses as the reality of my freedom settles into my bones.
I’m free. Sasha freed me. My bond. My beta.
They said I have another alpha—Stone. I haven’t met him yet, but something inside me hums at the thought. Quiet, but undeniable.
There’s a piece of me still waiting to wake up.
Is this a dream?
If it is, then I never want to wake up. I press my fingers into the flesh of my arm, my nails digging in just enough to send a sharp jolt through my skin. The sting burns, real and undeniable. I hold my breath, waiting, half-expecting the world around me to flicker, to dissolve into the weightless haze of a dream as my eyes flash open. But that doesn’t happen.
The pain keeps me here, in the moment, and I let out a shaky breath. My chest rises and falls fast, everything inside me feels like it’s crashing all at once. Relief hits me so hard, I almost cry. My heart is pounding in my ears, so loud I can’t think of anything else—not even the doubts I had before.
This is real.
It’s not some cruel illusion, not another nightmare taunting me with glimpses of freedom before devouring me back into darkness like I’ve had so many times before. I exhale slowly, biting back the dull ache in my arm, welcoming it as proof that I’m awake—that I’m here in the car with Sasha. That I’m safe. Most importantly, I’m free.
I look out the windshield, staring at the open road that stretches ahead, a quiet symbol of escape, but my past still clings to me like a second skin. My fingers brush over the bite marks on my neck—two on the left, one on the right. They sit low, right at the crease where my neck meets my shoulder, out of sight when I wear a shirt. They didn’t bond me, not fully, but they left their mark. Enough to cause pain, but not enough to mark me.
Sasha saw me naked earlier. She had to have noticed them… but she didn’t say a word.
Maybe she was too focused on the Carlisles. On the blood. On surviving.
Still, a part of me wonders if she saw them and said nothing on purpose.
Sasha’s voice breaks through my thoughts, light and warm. “I’m so happy we found you,” she says, stealing glances over at me as she drives. “Stone and Levi feel the same way.”
Her words soothe me, but I’m not sure how to respond. Instead, I focus on the scenic view of woods outside the window, letting the rhythm of the car calm my nerves. When she finally pulls up to a small cottage, I blink in surprise. It’s… cute. Cozy. It’s a home, not just a place to exist. But it isn’t anything near what I expected her to live in.
She pulls the car to a stop in the driveway, pausing for a moment before turning the car off. We sit there in silence.
“This is home sweet home,” she says nervously. “Let’s head inside and get you settled in before the other two get here.”
Sasha gets out of the car, making her way around to my side. I hesitate, stunned and shocked. She opens the door, making the decision for me that I couldn’t—to get out of the car. She takes my hand, helping me to stand and leads both of us inside the house.
Instead of giving me a tour, she heads up the stairs, pulling me gently behind her. We move down the hallway and she stops in front of a door, taking hold of the knob and opening it before stepping inside.
“This is yours,” she says softly.
I look around. There’s a soft bed, a dresser, a window overlooking the trees—it feels surreal. My room. It smells of them. Sasha’s coconut and lime scent. Levi’s leather and bourbon. But there’s a fainter scent, one that's barely detectable of woods and smoke. Is that Stone’s? My other alpha.
Why is his not as strong as the others?
I don’t have long to ponder on it or ask before Sasha’s speaking again.
“That’s the bathroom. Why don’t you clean up?” She wrinkles her nose playfully. “No offense, but you smell like them, and I hate it. I never want to smell their scent on you again. I’ll even burn the clothes you’re wearing.”
I give her a small, tired smile. “I hate it too.” I hesitate, shifting on my feet. “But… will you sit in there with me? I don’t want to be alone.”
Her expression softens immediately. “Of course.”
I nod at her before moving over to the dresser and placing the picture of Allegra on it. I miss her so much. I can’t wait to tell her I’m free. That the nightmare we’ve both been living in is over.
I step into the bathroom, Sasha close behind me. She pauses for a minute.
“Want me to close the door?”
I nod at her and wait for her to shut it. I shouldn’t be worried about that, but I don’t want anyone walking in behind us, taking advantage of either of us.
“Can you lock it too?” I ask.
She doesn’t question why I want her to do it. She simply does.
I look around the bathroom, taking in the warmth of the space. Sasha steps over to the shower, turning it on full blast, before she puts down the lid on the toilet and takes a seat. Her knees bounce nervously as she shifts her eyes away from me, allowing me some sense of privacy.
I undress quickly, tossing the clothes I’m wearing into the corner, relief flooding me that I’m no longer wearing them. Steam’s already curling in the air from the shower and I step under the spray. The moment the hot water hits my skin, a shudder wracks through my body. It’s as if I’m washing away years of torment, of fear, of control. I brace myself against the tiled wall, sucking in a deep breath as the heat loosens muscles I never realized were tight.
“Sasha,” I call for her, my voice hoarse.
“I’m here,” she replies softly, and I feel comforted that she hasn’t left.
I nod, exhaling as I reach for the soap. I lather it in my hands before running it over my skin, scrubbing harder than I need to. I want to erase every trace of the Carlisle Pack on my skin. I wash my arms, chest, then my neck—lingering on the bites, trying to ignore the way they still burn. I reach for the shampoo, dispensing a large amount in my hand, then run my fingers through my hair, letting my nails scrape against my scalp before rinsing away the grime and sweat of captivity.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been this clean,” I mutter.
Sasha chuckles softly. “That’s the point, isn’t it?”
Fuck, she sounds amazing.
I smile, knowing she can’t see it. I let the water wash over me one last time before it runs cold, sending a shiver through my body. Without thinking, I step out, droplets of water sliding down my skin.
Sasha gasps, her hand flying to her mouth as she covers it.
I freeze.
Every muscle in my body goes rigid. My pulse pounds in my ears as fear claws at my throat. Her eyes are focused on my neck. At my marks. She must think they’re hideous. She must think I’m hideous. Shame takes over my body as I flinch, instinct screaming at me to brace for rejection.
“I thought you saw them earlier,” I say quietly. “Back when I was still on the bench.”
She finally looks at me, eyes soft. “No… I was too focused on getting you out of there. On getting you safe.”
I nod slowly, swallowing the lump in my throat. “The Carlisle Pack… They’d bite me. Never enough to Arcane bond me but enough to wound me—” My voice cracks. “Every time.”
Sasha steps closer. “It doesn’t matter,” she says gently. “They don’t matter. Those marks will fade. And you have us now.”
Her words settle in my chest like warmth I didn’t know I needed.
“I was never in control. Never allowed to be. It was their way of breaking me down, making sure I was compliant. I could feel what they wanted. What they expected. If I didn’t obey…” My voice catches. “It hurt, Sasha. It hurt in ways I can’t explain.”
“No one will ever do that to you again.”
“I know they’re ugly,” I say quickly, my voice barely above a whisper. “I understand if you don’t want me now that you know about the bites.”
“Excuse me?” Her voice is sharp, hard.
When I finally dare to look up at her, it isn’t disgust in her eyes that I see. It’s fury. But not at me. I know it’s at them, the Carlisle Pack.
Sasha stands, stepping closer to me, holding out a towel I didn’t even know she had. “Those marks are not your fault, Flynn. They don’t make you less. You made the best of the situation you were in. That makes you the strongest person I know. I’m honored that you are my bond and one day, when you’re ready, I want nothing more than to place my mark on you.”
My throat tightens. “What about the two alphas?” I murmur. “I still haven’t met one of them.”
“They’ll feel the same way,” she assures me.
My hands tremble as I take the towel from her. The warmth of it is nothing compared to the warmth in her eyes. I swallow hard, nodding slowly. Maybe—just maybe—I can start to believe what she says, too.
“I’m going to get you some clothes. Will you be okay being alone for just a couple of minutes?” She gives me a smile, and I nod.
I can do this. I am strong; look what I’ve lived through and I’m still here fighting.