I haven’t been this happy in years. Which is weird, because I never thought happiness would look like being dragged into a pack against my will and arranging alpha shirts on my bed like they’re precious artifacts.
I should hate it here. I should run. I’m free to go now. Nobody is watching me, and I’m confident that if I asked them to leave me alone, they would.
Instead, I’m counting the hours until Silas brings me more rocks, or Elias shows up with that stupid grin and anotherterrible joke, or Archer comes to teach me how to throw a better punch.
Freedom isn’t what I thought it was. Out in the woods, I wasn’t free. I was just alone. Running, hiding, surviving. Here, I have choices. Real ones. I can say no. I can close my door. I can tell an alpha to fuck off, and they actually do it.
Maybe not all alphas are dickbags.
I sit on the edge of the bed, Silas’s shirt still in my lap, and the thought I’ve been dodging all week finally catches up with me.
“But what if I can’t?” I say quietly, looking at Charly and Rocky on the windowsill. “What if, when it happens, my body remembers what they did to me?”
“Your body is yours again,” Rocky says. “You took it back.”
“But what if I freeze up? What if I panic? What if I start screaming the second someone touches me there?”
“It’s okay to be scared, Mo.” Charly’s voice is gentle. “They would stop. If you asked them to stop, they would. You know that.”
“But what if I’m broken? What if I can never—”
“You’re not broken,” Rocky interrupts. “Remember what Cassia told you? You’re healing. Big difference.”
“They’ll wait,” Charly adds. “They’ve waited this long, haven’t they? When have any of them pushed you for more than you were ready to give?”
“Besides,” Rocky says, “you literally got yourself off in the shower a few days ago. That’s progress, Mo. That’s you reclaiming your body.”
My cheeks burn. “You weren’t supposed to know about that!”
“We know everything,” Charly says. “We’re your emotional support inanimate objects.”
I grab a pillow and press it over my face to muffle my groan. “I’m having a mental breakdown, and my rock is giving me sex advice. This is fine. Everything is fine.”
A knock at the door interrupts my nesting. I shove Darius’s jacket under the blanket and call out, “Coming!”
Archer, leaning against the doorframe. “Almost lunchtime. You joining us?”
I pat down my hair, realizing I probably look like I’ve been rolling around in stolen alpha clothes. “What, and miss the chance to have four alphas cook for me? I’d be an idiot to pass that up.”
His lips quirk into that half-smile I’m starting to recognize. “So you’re coming for the food, not the company?”
“Obviously. The company’s a downgrade, but those mashed potatoes…” I make an exaggerated chef’s kiss gesture.
Archer laughs, and the sound does something weird to my insides. “Today it’s Elias’s famous chilli. And by famous, I mean infamous. Hope your stomach is strong.”
“I’ve eaten raw squirrel. I think I can handle whatever dandelion boy throws together. Let me just grab my jacket.”
His eyes scan the cabin, taking in all the little changes I’ve made. His nostrils flare slightly, and I know he’s catching all the scents. His own included.
“Nice place you’ve got here,” he says, the corner of his mouth twitching. “Smells… interesting.”
Heat rushes to my cheeks. “Shut up.”
“I didn’t say I didn’t like it.”
He grabs the top of the doorframe while he waits for me to put my shoes on and leans inside without actually stepping in.
When I stand up, he is so close to me. He starts to lean back to give me space, but that’s not what I want right now. I grab the collar of his shirt and gently pull him closer until our lips meet. I have to stand on my toes to reach, but it’s worth it. Archer’s lips are warm and pliant. He lets me take the lead, careful not to push too far, but I can tell he’s holding himself back. I slip my tongue out and run it along his bottom lip, and he meets me withhis own. I grip his collar tighter, then slowly draw back, looking up at him.