Chapter Ten
Odette
I hadn’t spoken since we got home.
Micha hadn’t pushed. None of them had. I'd come in, peeled away my sweat-soaked clothes, and stepped beneath a shower hot enough to turn my skin raw and red, wishing it could scald away more than just sweat and tears. But there were no more tears left inside me; the rage room had wrung out every last drop. It wasn’t grief that filled me now—it was exhaustion and a hollow, aching numbness.
I’d stumbled from the bathroom directly to my nest, curling myself tightly within layers of soft blankets saturated in the comforting scents of my pack.
Salem’s hoodie, worn and oversized, wrapped gently around my body like an embrace.
My cheek pressed against the soft fabric of one of Haze’s ridiculous shirts, the familiar touch soothing in its absurdity.
Micha’s cool, clean scent lingered faintly on the pillow, cedar and the crisp clarity of fresh rain offering a calming reassurance.
Beneath my pillow, Ravik’s carved rune rested snugly, the marble warmed by my body heat.
All these things combined to soothe my omega's anxious pulse, wrapping around me like armor, reminding me I wasn’t alone.
The gentle creak of the door opening didn’t disturb my stillness, but my senses immediately sharpened. I didn’t need to turn around to find out who was standing there, watching and waiting.
“Sunshine?” Micha’s voice came softly, carefully pitched—deep and comforting, like velvet draped over steel.
I didn’t move, didn’t respond. Not yet.
One by one, they entered, quiet but distinct. Ravik’s heavy tread, solid and grounding. Salem's footsteps were measured and reassuringly calm. And then Haze, who bounced lightly, the door clicking closed behind him as he nudged it shut with a careless heel.
I turned my head slightly, eyes landing on four sets of unwavering gazes. They didn’t crowd the bed; instead, they stood in quiet formation, each offering strength in their own unique way. Protective. Patient. Fiercely gentle.
Salem stepped forward first, voice soothing. “Can we come into your nest, omega?”
I nodded, words still trapped behind the lump in my throat.
They moved slowly, carefully. Salem slid in beside me, solid and steady, anchoring my trembling body with his reassuring warmth as he curled an arm around me.
Haze wedged himself behind me, his chest pressed close, his chin resting atop my shoulder as his arms tightened around my waist. Ravik positioned himself near my legs, his strong hand wrapping gently around my ankle, providing an anchor point without overwhelming me.
Micha settled at my head, stroking tender fingers through my tangled hair, brushing away tension with each careful touch.
We lay there together for several heartbeats, sharing breaths and quiet strength. The silence stretched until my throat loosened just enough to let words trickle free.
“They were perfect at first,” I murmured, my voice cracking slightly.
“Gentle, charming. They brought flowers, remembered my favorite tea, and looked at me like I was something precious. They made me believe…” I paused, a bitter ache stabbing through my chest. “I believed I’d finally found it—my pack, my safe place, a real home. ”
I drew a shaking breath, eyes fixed blankly on the shadows tracing patterns on the wall. “They waited until I trusted them. Until I told Henry that I didn’t need him to stay close. Then, one night, they drugged my drink.”
Behind me, Haze sucked in a sharp breath, his grip around me tightening protectively. Micha’s hand faltered for just a heartbeat before continuing its gentle path through my hair.
“I woke up in a basement, chained to the concrete floor.” I swallowed against the nausea rising with the memory.
“My arms were shackled at a height that forced me to kneel—I couldn’t stand fully or sit.
My knees bruised first, then went numb, and eventually everything hurt.
” My voice thinned to a whisper. “Sometimes, I still feel the chains.”
A low, dangerous growl vibrated through Ravik’s chest, making the nest tremble slightly beneath us. Salem’s fingers traced comforting lines across my ribs, silently offering strength he couldn’t put into words.
“They beat me. Tortured me. Took turns raping me,” I said, flinching at how ugly the words tasted on my tongue. Shame crept up my spine, and fear tightened in my chest. Would they pull away, disgusted?
But they didn’t move away. Instead, each alpha tightened his hold, silently promising that I wasn’t alone anymore.
“There was one man—the leader,” I continued, trembling softly now.
“He liked to talk. Called me ‘pet,’ always in a sickeningly sweet voice. He loved making me cry. Told me I belonged to them now, that I should be grateful they wanted something so broken. He’d hit me until I blacked out, then kiss my forehead, pretending it was kindness. ”
The words flooded out, unstoppable now. “They fed me just enough to keep me alive. They punished silence, demanded I beg for their scraps. I lost track of days, and I didn’t even know how long I’d been there.
All I had were the sounds of their footsteps, their laughter, the way they whispered awful things into my ears. ”
I realized tears streamed silently down my cheeks only when Haze’s arms tightened protectively, his breath ragged against my shoulder.
“When they finally thought they’d killed me, they dumped me outside a hospital like trash. No ID, no memory of how I got there. It took me days just to speak, to remember who I was.”
There was a long silence, heavy with anger and sorrow. Salem’s voice was soft, but tight with controlled rage. “The sculpture you’ve been working on—the kneeling woman screaming—was that you?”
I nodded, unable to meet their eyes. “It was the only way I could get it out.”
Micha’s voice rumbled, low and lethal. “You’re not shattered. You’re not their pet. You’re ours, and we will never, ever hurt you.”
“We will destroy every single one of them,” Ravik growled softly, each word dripping venomous promise. “I swear it.”
“All of them,” Salem echoed quietly, deadly serious. “Everyone who touched you, who allowed it. They’re already dead, they just don’t know it yet.”
“I’ll cut their hearts out myself,” Haze breathed fiercely, his arms trembling with barely restrained violence. “because I fucking love you, Odette.”
The nest stilled instantly.
I turned slightly, meeting his wild, earnest gaze, and suddenly laughter bubbled up from somewhere deep within me, unexpected but freeing. “Gods, Haze,” I choked out softly, wiping tears from my cheeks, “that’s deeply disturbing…and somehow the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard.”
His smile was feral, affectionate, and utterly unapologetic. “I knew I was doing something right.”
Small smiles tugged their lips, and the tension broke just enough for Salem and Micha to relax. Ravik rolled his eyes fondly, his hand still possessively curled around my ankle.
I looked around at each of them, absorbing their fierce protectiveness and reverence in their eyes, not for what I had survived, but for the woman I was now, still fighting and healing.
“I thought telling you would break me again,” I whispered softly. “But I feel…stronger.”
“That’s because you are,” Micha said gently, pressing a kiss against my temple. “Stronger than any of us.”
I finally let the last walls inside me fall, wrapped tightly in the strength and protection of my pack. My alphas. My home.
Salem
October 16th
8:35 A.M
The rain tapped gently against the windows, a quiet rhythm that matched the slow, even cadence of her breathing.
Odette was tucked into the crook of my arm, nestled warm and safe in her nest, our nest now, maybe.
At least when I was lucky enough to be let inside.
The colors around us were hers, gold and amber and the softest shades of orange, like the last light before a sunset.
Fuzzy blankets, layered quilts, soft pillows, some shaped like random food stuff.
Which always makes me laugh. A dozen textures I hadn’t known could comfort a soul until I laid in them with her.
She smelled like blueberry pancakes and lavender shampoo. Her hair was a tangled halo against my chest, and her fingers were playing with the hem of my shirt as I spoke.
“Have I ever told you about the time Haze got kicked out of a billionaire’s yacht party because he tried to throw the host’s toupee overboard?” I asked softly, drawing lazy circles on her arm.
She let out a tired but genuine laugh. “No, but that sounds exactly like him.”
“It was mid-conversation, too. Dude’s explaining how he wants us to guard some priceless necklace, and Haze just reaches up, snatches his rug, and flings it. Claimed it was possessed.”
She laughed again, brighter this time, and I felt it ripple through her.
It was the best sound in the world. I’d carry it in my bones if I could.
I shifted, leaning against the pillows. “We’ve done a lot of weird shit in the name of security.
There was this one time we had to babysit a corgi who had a hit on him.
No joke. Like, real hired killers. We had a whole SWAT extraction plan for a dog named Sir Piddles. ”
Odette snorted. “You’re lying.”
“I wish I were.”
She giggled, curling closer, cheek brushing against my chest. My heart beat hard and steady beneath her.
The shadows in her eyes are becoming less and less.
It seems whatever Micha did healed her more than she realized.
The days that have passed since we’ve all noticed her acting happier, lighter, and more carefree.
The moment stretched quietly again. Not heavy, just soft.
And I figured if I was going to give it to her, this was the moment.
I slipped my hand below the pillow under me, grabbing the small black velvet pouch. She didn’t notice until I gently pulled her arm away from my side and slid the cuff into place on her bicep.