Storm (Omega Chosen #2)

21. Fox

Chapter 21

Fox

I jolt awake at the sound of my phone buzzing on the nightstand. The room is dark, save for the blue glow of the device as it vibrates against the wood. For a moment, I'm disoriented, the remnants of a nightmare still lingering. Of hands holding me down, of voices commanding me to submit.

The phone buzzes again, more insistent this time. I reach for it with trembling fingers, squinting against the harsh light of the screen. Alex's name flashes across it, along with a single message that makes my blood run cold.

"WE'RE COMING. OMEGA, BETA, ALPHA. NO JON. GET READY."

My heart stutters in my chest. Alex mentioned the new beta Jonathan had brought in—said he was sweet in a way I'd really connect with. And that alpha must be the one Storm was after all along. I don't know much except that he'd been hovering around the apartment and stayed overnight, much to Reed's obvious displeasure.

I sit up, pushing away the tangled sheets of Alex’s bed, and swing my legs over the side. The wooden floor is cool beneath my bare feet, grounding me as I try to process what this means. When Alex left, he promised it would only be a few days—just long enough to make an appearance in the city, to keep his fathers' suspicions at bay and help with the new omega issue.

Something has gone very wrong.

I move through the darkened house, switching on lights as I go, banishing the shadows that seem to reach for me. The house is quiet, save for the gentle whirring of the heating system and the occasional creak of the old wooden structure settling around me. My mother is nestled in her little cabin not far from the house.

I check the doors, the windows, ensure everything is secure as Alex taught me. It's automatic now, this vigilance, this need to verify my safety. Four years free from that place beneath the Omega House, and still I wake some nights feeling phantom hands on my skin, hearing phantom voices ordering me to kneel, to present, to serve.

My gaze drifts to my bedroom door, left slightly ajar. Inside is my nest—a soft haven I've created in the corner of my room, piled high with plush blankets and cushions, strung with delicate fairy lights that cast a gentle glow across the space. It's the one place I feel truly safe, truly myself. Where I have my heats with Alex. Sometimes Jonathan comes to help. Never Reed. Except a year ago.

The last time he visited this house, when Alex was away on another of his mandatory appearances in the city, and my heat hit unexpectedly, and violently. Reed was here then, had stayed behind to "keep an eye on things" as he put it. What he really meant was to keep an eye on me, to make sure I didn't break under the weight of Alexander's absence.

I never expected him to help me through the heat. Reed Howard, with his stormy eyes and perpetual scowl, the alpha who always maintained a careful distance from me. But when I collapsed in the kitchen, my body burning from the inside out, it was Reed who carried me to my nest, Reed who pressed cool cloth’s to my forehead, Reed who held me through the worst of it.

The Reed from those four days was someone I'd never met before—gentle, attentive, almost tender. He spoke softly, telling me exactly what he was going to do before touching me, making sure I was comfortable, checking constantly that I wasn't having flashbacks.

"I'm going to touch you here now," he would say, his voice a low rumble that somehow cut through the haze of heat. "Tell me if you want me to stop."

He never made me feel ashamed, never made me feel broken. He helped me through the heat not just with his hands or his alpha voice, but with his caring when I needed it most. When I asked if he would come back and help my future heats. He’d explained something I knew already.

"Fox, you mean so much to me. Please don't doubt that, but..." he'd started to explain, his voice gentle in a way I'd never heard before. I knew what he was going to say, and I nodded, sparing him from having to finish. He didn't need to tell me—I already understood that he was attracted to women. Men weren't his thing, and that is okay. I'd just hoped that maybe, after everything we'd been through, the four of us could become a real pack.

And when it was over, when my heat finally broke and clarity returned, he was gone. Back to the city, back to Jonathan and their endless business in the city.

He never returned after that. And now, a full year later, I'd resigned myself to the fact that he never would. But he’s coming now.

I shake off the memory and head to the kitchen, forcing myself to be practical. If they're coming—all of them, whoever that includes—I need to prepare. Food, water, clean linens. I check the pantry, mentally calculating how much we have, how long it might last, depending on how many there are. I should make something for their arrival.

As I work, I can't help but wonder what this sudden return is about. Was it the fathers? The rebellion? Alexander had mentioned unrest in Crescent City during our last call. Beta-born alphas protesting the lottery system, demanding more omegas be released from the Omega Houses. Had it finally boiled over?

Or was it something more personal? The thought makes my hands shake so badly I drop the can of soup I'm holding. It rolls across the floor, coming to rest against the cabinets with a soft thud.

I bend to retrieve it, and that's when the memories hit me full force. Memories of darkness and pain, but also of salvation—of Reed's face, contorted with a fury I'd never seen before, as he found me in that basement room.

The room they keep me in is small, barely larger than a closet, with no windows and a single overhead light that flickers incessantly. The walls were once white, discolored with age, with time. There is a narrow bed against one wall, a toilet and sink in the corner, and nothing else.

No books, no clocks, nothing to mark the passage of time except for the visits. The door opens, an alpha enters—sometimes one I recognize from my time with the elites, sometimes a stranger—and I am expected to serve. To please. To fulfill the purpose, they claim I am made for.

Male omegas are rare, unnatural, according to the state. We can't reproduce, can't give the state what it needs most—more omegas to satisfy the ever-growing population of alphas. But we can serve in other ways, they tell me. We can help alphas in rut when no female omegas are available. We can be useful.

I haven't always been down here, in this room beneath the Omega House. For seventeen years, I lived as a beta. Just another beta serving the elite. Only I had something elite children didn't. I had a mom who cared. She worked as a maid. She never told me of my father, but I suspect he was an elite who took advantage of my mother's beta status. We lived in the home of the Kingsley's. The three fathers, the drunk mother and the twin sons. Alexander Kingsley became my first real friend. Status meant nothing to him. He didn't see me as beneath him. He treated me as an equal.

We were inseparable, Alex and I. Even when he presented as alpha at sixteen, nothing changed between us. He never treated me differently, never used his status to dominate me as other alphas might have. He introduced me to his twin brother and Reed. What started as friendship with Alex blossomed into something more. Secret touches in darkened hallways, stolen kisses when no one was looking, whispered promises of forever. We were young, in love, and too na?ve to understand how fragile our happiness was. Alex was the first person I ever loved, the first to touch me with tenderness rather than entitlement. In his arms, I felt seen for who I truly was, not what my status made me.

We planned to form a pack, the four of us. Jonathan as the alpha leader, Reed as his enforcer, Alexander as the peacemaker and me as the beta. A perfect balance. Alexander and I had our own private plans of continuing our relationship within the pack, protected by Jonathan and Reed. The fathers would never approve. Then I turned seventeen, and everything changed. My body betrayed me in one violent, agonizing night, my beta scent replaced by the sweet, honeyed notes of an omega. A male omega. The rarest, most unnatural designation of all.

Alexander found me first, huddled in the bathroom of his house, terrified and confused by the changes overtaking my body. He held me, promised to protect me, swore that nothing would change between us. His eyes had been frantic, desperate, his hands trembling as he wiped away my tears. "I don't care what you are," he whispered fiercely. "I love you. That doesn't change."

But something already had.

The authorities came that same day. His fathers reported me as soon as they found out. They took me away despite Alexander's protests, despite my mother's tears. They said I would be processed, assigned to an Omega House, given special consideration due to my unique status with the Kingsley's.

But we all knew that was a lie.

The last thing I saw as they dragged me away was Alexander fighting against Reed's restraining arms, his face twisted with rage and grief, screaming my name. I wondered if that would be the last memory I'd ever have of the boy I loved.

Instead, I was brought to a small room beneath the main Omega House, a place that didn't officially exist. A place where male omegas were kept as entertainment for elite alphas, as stress relief for those in power, as a dirty little secret the state pretended to know nothing about.

I spent three years in that room, learning that my body was no longer my own, that my purpose was to serve, to please, to submit. Three years of being touched without consent, of being used without care, of being broken piece by piece until I barely remembered the beta boy I’d once been. Three years of clinging to memories of Alexander's touch, trying to remember what it felt like to be loved rather than used.

I’m half-asleep when the door to my room opens. Another visitor, another use of my body that I have no say in. It is one of the regulars. It is the alpha, with the cruel smile that makes my stomach clench with dread.

Then Reed appears in the doorway behind the alpha, his stormy eyes widening in shock as they land on me, before hardening with a rage so pure it transforms his face into something terrifying.

What happens next is a blur of violence I've never witnessed before. Reed moves with lethal precision, grabbing the alpha from behind. There is no hesitation in him, no mercy, only cold, calculated fury as he snaps the man's neck with a sickening crack. The alpha drops to the floor, lifeless, and Reed steps over him without a second glance, his focus entirely on me.

"Fox?" he whispers, as if he can't believe what he’s seeing.

Behind him appears Alexander, his face a mask of rage and grief. But it is Reed who moves forward, Reed who wraps me in a blanket from the bed, Reed who lifts me as if I weigh nothing.

I am too stunned to speak, too afraid to hope that this is real and not another cruel dream my mind has conjured to escape reality. But the warmth of Reed's arms around me, the gentle way he holds me despite the violence he's just committed, tells me this is real.

"I found you," Alexander says, his voice breaking. "I promised I would. I'm so sorry it took so long." His eyes hold mine, filled with a rush of emotions, and I want to reach for him, to touch him again after all this time, but my body won't respond.

But it is Reed's eyes I can't look away from—the storm in them not yet passed, the fury barely contained. I've never seen him fight before, had only heard Alexander mention his need for it in the past. Now I understand why even elite alphas fear crossing Reed Howard.

As Reed carries me out of that room, up a narrow staircase I have never been allowed to use, through a door hidden behind a bookcase in the main Omega House, I can see Jonathan keeping watch, his expression cold and focused. He nods once as we pass, a silent acknowledgment that the path is clear. Alex’s hand brushes mine as we move past him, a fleeting touch that promises conversations to come, explanations, perhaps even a chance to rediscover what we've lost.

The cool night air hits my face as we emerge into a garden, the first time I have felt the outside world in three years. I remember thinking it smells like freedom, like hope, like a second chance I never thought I'd get.

"We're taking you home," Alexander promises as Reed places me gently in the back seat of a waiting car. "Somewhere they'll never find you again."

I believed him then. I still do now. But the boy he loved, the beta who had given him his heart, is gone. Three years in that room have changed me in ways I am only beginning to understand. I don't know if what we had can ever be reclaimed, or if it too has been lost in that off-white room beneath the Omega House.

The sound of a car engine in the distance snaps me back to the present. I straighten, my heart pounding as I move to the front window, peering out into the darkness. Two sets of headlights wind their way up the mountain road that leads to the house—Alexander's sleek black sedan followed by Reed's more practical SUV.

They're here.

I smooth down my sleep-rumpled t-shirt and run a hand through my disheveled hair, suddenly self-conscious. It's been only days since I've seen Alexander, but it’s been a year since I've seen Reed. Do I look different? Will Alex notice the shadows under my eyes? Will Reed see the weight I've lost to the nightmares?

Will Jonathan come tomorrow? The thought makes my stomach twist with anxiety. He was here only two months ago to help me with my heat. I only ever see him when I’m in heat. He doesn’t come for social visits outside of that.

The vehicles pull up to the house, their headlights illuminating the front yard in harsh white light before going dark. Car doors slam. Voices murmur.

I force myself to move to the front door, to pull it open before they can unlock it. I need to show them I'm not afraid, that I'm still strong despite the memories that haunt me, despite the fear that never quite leaves. That I belong in this home, that I've made a place for myself here.

Alexander reaches the door first, his familiar face drawn with exhaustion and worry. When his eyes land on me, they immediately soften, relief washing over his features.

"Fox," he breathes, crossing the threshold in two quick strides and pulling me into his arms. His lips find mine in a desperate kiss that speaks volumes about his fear. I melt against him, my fingers threading through his hair as I return the kiss with equal enthusiasm.

When we finally break apart, he keeps me close, his forehead pressed to mine. "I was so worried when you didn't answer," he whispers, his hands framing my face. "I thought?—"

"I'm fine," I assure him, leaning into his touch. "My phone was on silent. I got your message and was preparing for your arrival."

He kisses me again, gentler this time, before pulling back. "I'll explain everything," he promises. "But first, I need to make sure everyone gets inside safely."

I peer around him, my eyes widening as I take in the group assembled in the driveway. A small woman with wild auburn curls is being supported by a tall, muscular man, her face drawn with exhaustion. A slender beta male hovers anxiously at their side, his gaze darting nervously around the property.

But it's the figure approaching from the second vehicle that catches my full attention. Reed, his broad shoulders silhouetted against the night sky, his stormy eyes finding mine across the distance. Something in his posture shifts when he sees me—tension draining away, replaced by something I've never seen in him before.

Then he's moving toward me, his pace quickening with each step until he's standing right in front of me, close enough that I can smell the saltwater and cedar of his scent, the scent that still lingers in my dreams.

"Fox," he says, my name rough in his throat.

Before I can respond, before I can even process what's happening, Reed pulls me into an embrace so tight it nearly steals my breath. My arms hang limply at my sides for a moment, shocking me. Reed doesn't touch me. Reed never touches me. Not since that heat. Not ever .

But here he is, holding me as if he’s afraid I might disappear if he lets go. Slowly, cautiously, I bring my arms up to return the embrace, feeling the solid warmth of him, a small tremor running through his powerful frame.

"I thought—" he begins, then stops, pulling back just enough to look at me, his stormy eyes searching my face. "When we couldn't reach you, when you didn't answer Alex's calls earlier..."

"My phone was on silent," I explain again, still trying to make sense of his reaction. "I was going to cook something for you all."

Relief washes over his features, and for a brief, disconcerting moment, I think he might actually smile. Then his expression shifts, his nostrils flaring as he inhales deeply. His hands tighten on my shoulders.

"You're spiraling," he says, not a question but a statement of fact. He can smell it on me—the anxiety, the fear, the memories that had engulfed me just moments before their arrival. "You had a flashback."

I try to pull away, embarrassed that he can read me so easily, but his grip remains firm. "It's nothing," I mutter. "Just the usual."

Reed's expression darkens. "Fox?—"

"We need to get inside," Alexander interrupts, sliding an arm around my waist possessively. "It's not safe out here in the open."

Reed hesitates, then nods, releasing me but staying close as we move back toward the door. The others follow, the auburn-haired woman eyeing Reed with undisguised shock, as if she's witnessing something impossible.

"Holy shit," she says, her voice carrying across the yard. "This place is unreal. Like a fantasy house."

The alpha beside her—Rook, I assume—chuckles, pulling her closer and pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

A low growl rumbles from Reed's chest, so quiet I almost miss it. But I'm close enough to feel the vibration, to notice how his eyes darken as they track Rook's hand sliding around Storm's waist.

Interesting. He likes this omega. That’s not what Alex told me.

As they file past me into the house, Alexander makes quick introductions. "Fox, this is Storm," he says, gesturing to the small woman, who looks up at me with fierce gray eyes. "And this is Rook," he continues, nodding to the tall alpha supporting her. "And Frankie," he finishes, indicating the beta, who offers a timid smile.

"They'll be staying with us for a while," Alexander adds, his arm tightening around me.

I nod, processing this information as I close and lock the door behind them. When I turn back, Reed is still watching me, his stormy eyes intense in a way that makes my pulse quicken.

"I'll show you where to put your things," I say to the group at large, falling back on the hospitality mom taught me, the routines that help me stay grounded when everything threatens to slide sideways.

Instinctively, I lower my face, keeping my gaze on the floor, an old habit from years of hiding.

"Fox," Reed interrupts, his voice gentler than I've ever heard it around others. "Sit down. You're shaking."

I glance down at my hands, surprised to find that he's right. The tremors I thought I'd controlled are back, worse than before. The stress of their sudden arrival, the memories that had surfaced just before, the unexpected physical contact from Reed. It's all too much, too fast.

"I'm fine," I insist, even as black spots dance at the edges of my vision. "I just need to?—"

My knees buckle. Reed is there instantly, catching me before I can hit the floor, sweeping me up into his arms as if I weigh nothing. The action is so familiar, so reminiscent of that night four years ago when he carried me out of that place, that for a moment I'm disoriented, unsure of what year it is, what's real and what's memory.

"Easy," Reed murmurs, carrying me to the sofa and setting me down with surprising gentleness. He kneels in front of me, one hand on my knee, the other tilting my face up to meet his gaze. "Breathe, Fox. Just breathe."

I'm dimly aware of the others watching us—of Storm's wide-eyed stare, of Alexander rushing to my side, his hands stroking through my hair as he makes soothing sounds, his chest vibrating with a protective purr.

"Is he... an omega?" Storm asks, moving closer with curiosity. "A male omega?"

I flinch involuntarily. I want to disappear. But Alexander's arm around me tightens, his lips pressing a reassuring kiss to my temple.

"Yes," Alexander answers for me, his voice steady but with an edge of warning. "Fox is a male omega. He’s ours. We've been protecting him here for years. This is his safe space, and your arrival has just overwhelmed him for a moment."

"Protect him?" Storm asks as her hand hovers near her throat.

"From what they do to male omegas," Reed says, his voice dropping to a dangerous register. "The rumors you've heard? They're all true."

A heavy silence falls over the room. I keep my eyes lowered, shame and old fear twisting in my gut. But then something unexpected happens. A rich, sweet scent of dark chocolate fills my nostrils, growing stronger as Storm moves closer. I should be repelled, omegas typically can't stand the scent of other omegas, but instead, I find it comforting, enticing even.

I look up in surprise to find Storm kneeling in front of me beside Reed, those fierce gray eyes now soft with understanding. She's beautiful up close, her wild auburn curls framing a face full of strength and fire.

"You are the strongest person I have ever met, Fox," she says, her voice a whisper that somehow fills the room. "Thank you for allowing us to stay in your home."

I blink at her, startled by both her words and my reaction to her. "I—I thought I would be repelled by another omega," I admit, bemused.

Storm grins, a mischievous spark lighting her eyes. "Must be my winning personality. Or maybe male and female omegas don't trigger the same territorial responses in each other. Either way, I'm calling it a win. The last thing we need is more drama."

Her sassiness startles a laugh out of me, genuine and unexpected. Reed looks equally surprised, his brows rising as he glances between us.

"Where's your medication?" he asks, his voice low enough that only I can hear.

"Bathroom cabinet," I whisper back. "But I don't need?—"

"Yes, you do," he cuts me off, rising to his feet. "Alexander, get him some water. Fox, I'll be right back."

As Reed strides out of the room, Rook moves to stand behind Storm, his hands settling gently on her shoulders. I brace myself, expecting the familiar terror to take hold. Since my rescue, I've avoided other alphas entirely. Certain their mere presence would trigger the flashbacks that still haunt my dreams. But this alpha—Rook—he's different somehow.

His strawberries and cream scent doesn't overwhelm, just softly announces his presence. I notice how he subtly adjusts his posture, making himself appear smaller, less intimidating. Nothing like the alphas who used their size to dominate and terrify. And when he smiles, there's a genuine warmth there, an openness that feels foreign yet comforting—friendly in a way I'd forgotten alphas could be.

When Reed returns, that subtle growl at the sight of Rook touching Storm has me smiling. He tries to mask it with a cough.

Storm smirks, clearly catching on. "Something in your throat, Reed? Maybe you need some water, too."

"Careful, Little Storm," Reed warns, but there's something almost like affection in his tone. He shakes out two pills and passes them to me, along with the water Alexander has brought. "Take these."

I do as he says, only because I know from experience that Reed won't back down on this. The pills are bitter on my tongue, but I swallow them dutifully.

"Thank you," I say quietly, meeting Reed's eyes. "You didn't have to?—"

"Yes, I did," he interrupts, his voice still carrying that unfamiliar gentleness. Then, as if realizing we have an audience, he straightens, his expression closing off. But he doesn't move away, remaining a solid presence at my side.

"Now," Storm says, settling more comfortably on the floor in front of me, "since we're all going to be roomies for who knows how long, how about we get to know each other better? For instance, I'm dying to know how Reed went from scary elite alpha to mother hen in the span of, what, a minute?"

Reed glares at her, but there's no real heat behind it. "Alexander, explain the situation," he deflects. "Fox needs to know what we're dealing with."

Alexander nods, taking a seat beside me, his arm slides around my shoulders as he presses another kiss to my temple. The others find places around the room—Rook settling behind Storm on the floor, Frankie perching on the arm of a nearby chair, his posture relaxing slightly as the tension eases.

"It's complicated," Alexander begins, his fingers absently playing with my hair in a gesture so familiar it makes my chest ache with fondness. "But the short version is that Storm here rigged the Choosing Day ceremony by picking Jonathan's pack, which you already knew."

“Why?” I ask. I’d been dying to know why.

Storm winks at me, her grin widening. “You should have seen their faces when I pulled their name.”

"Yeah, Jonathan was thrilled," Rook adds dryly. "So thrilled he threw her over his shoulder and carried her out like a caveman."

"My knight in shining Italian wool," Storm quips, leaning back against Rook's chest.

Reed's jaw tightens visibly at their closeness, his scent sharpening with something that smells suspiciously like jealousy.

I raise an eyebrow at Alexander, who gives an almost imperceptible nod. So, I'm not imagining it. Interesting indeed.

"You deliberately chose Jonathan and Reed?" I ask, still trying to wrap my head around the why of it. "Why would anyone voluntarily pick them?" I know them, they aren’t all sweet and full of rainbows.

"Geography, not politics," Reed interjects before Storm can answer. "She chose our name because our registered apartment was closest to the theater, giving her the best chance to escape and meet… Holloway. ” The way he says his name, it’s like it leaves a bad taste in his mouth.

"I needed the distraction," Storm explains, her fingers interlocking with Rook's. "The plan was to slip away and find Rook while everyone was busy losing their minds over the fact I just pulled the head of the Omega House from the barrel. I just didn't count on Jonathan having reflexes like a ninja cat and taking me to the wrong apartment. One I couldn’t just slip away from and meet Rook."

Despite the seriousness of the situation, laughter bubbles up from the group and the tension from earlier dissolves into something lighter. Even Reed's lips twitch, though he quickly schools his expression back to neutral.

"The real problem," Alexander continues once the laughter subsides, "is that the ceremony was broadcast live. It sparked riots, accusations of corruption, demands for reform."

"And the father's took notice," Reed adds, his voice hardening. "They want to take Storm away, give her to another pack to 'remedy the situation.' We won’t allow that."

I absorb this information, my gaze drifting back to Storm. She meets my eyes, like a kindred spirit in a way—both of us omegas who didn't fit the mold, both of us caught in systems that tried to break us.

"You're safe here," I tell her, the words coming out with more certainty than I feel. "All of you are."

"For now," Reed says, his tone making it clear he doesn't share my optimism. "But we need a plan. We can't keep her hidden forever."

The medication begins to take effect, the edges of my anxiety softening, my thoughts becoming clearer. I feel myself relaxing into Alexander's embrace, the fear and tension from earlier receding.

"Time is what we need most," Reed continues, his hand coming to rest on the back of the sofa behind me, not quite touching but close enough that I can feel his warmth. It reminds me of how he was during my heat. Always close, always protective.

"The situation in the city is volatile, but it will stabilize eventually. When it does, we can reassess."

"And in the meantime?" Storm asks, her expression skeptical. "I just sit here and play happy omega in your pack?"

"No one's asking you to play anything," Reed counters, his voice firm. "But you're here because it's safest for everyone, including Holloway. Don't mistake practicality for control."

Storm opens her mouth to argue, but Rook squeezes her hand. "He's right, Storm," he says quietly. "This is the best option we have right now."

The tension in the room builds again. I can feel Reed's frustration, Alexander's worry, Storm's defiance, Rook's protectiveness, and Frankie's anxiety—all of it pressing in on me, threatening to overwhelm the fragile calm the medication has provided.

"It's late," I say, forcing firmness into my voice. "Everyone's exhausted. We should get some rest and continue this discussion in the morning, when we're all thinking more clearly."

To my surprise, no one argues. Even Alexander nods his agreement, his shoulders sagging with fatigue.

"Fox is right," he says, standing and holding out his hand to help me up. "I'll show everyone to their rooms. Fox, are you?—"

"I'm fine," I interrupt, knowing what he's asking. "Really. The medication is working. I'll help get everyone settled."

As the group begins to move toward the stairs, Reed remains at my side, watching me with those inscrutable stormy eyes. When we're the last two left in the living room, he finally speaks.

"You're not fine," he says quietly. "I can smell it on you."

I sigh, too tired to maintain the disguise. "No, I'm not. But I will be. This is just... a lot to process at once."

Reed nods, his gaze never leaving my face. "I should have been here sooner. It's been too long."

The admission surprises me. In all the years I've known Reed Howard, he's never once acknowledged that his absence might matter to me. "You had your reasons."

"Yes," he agrees, something complex and unreadable crossing his features. "But they weren't good enough."

Before I can ask what he means, he reaches out and brushes a strand of hair from my forehead, the touch so gentle it makes my breath catch. "Get some rest, Fox. I'll keep watch tonight."

As I climb the stairs to join Alexander, I can feel Reed's eyes on me, watchful, protective in a way they've never been before. Something has changed in Reed during the year since I last saw him. Something major.

And despite everything, the danger, the uncertainty, the strangers now sleeping under our roof. I find myself desperately curious to discover exactly what that change might mean.

For Reed. For me. For whatever future awaits us all in the aftermath of Storm's accidental trigger of a rebellion.