Ashen's POV
The drive back was quiet. Too quiet.
I stared out the window, gripping my seatbelt so tightly my knuckles turned white. My chest felt too tight, my stomach twisted with something I didn't want to name.
I felt like crying.
Not because I was sad. Not because I was weak.
But because I was losing control.
For years, I had kept my omega buried so deep no one—not even myself—could reach him. I had built walls, reinforced them with steel, drowned every instinct with suppressants and sheer willpower.
And now, those walls were crumbling.
My omega was clawing his way to the surface, desperate and wild, no longer willing to be ignored.
I could feel him.
I clenched my jaw, swallowing hard. What if this happens again? What if I go into heat during training? What if another Alpha—one stronger, faster—senses it before I can stop it?
What if someone else mates me?
Shame burned through me so hot I felt sick.
I curled in on myself, not realizing how rigid I had become, how my breath came out too fast, how my fingers trembled in my lap.
It wasn't until a voice broke through the fog that I realized Dominic was watching me.
"Ashen."
I didn't look at him. I couldn't.
His voice was quieter this time. "You're spiraling."
I sucked in a sharp breath. "Shut up."
He sighed, and before I could react, his hand reached over warm, steady and closed over mine.
I stiffened.
"Breathe," he murmured.
I hated that it worked.
Hated that my body reacted to him, that the moment his warmth bled into my skin, my omega settled, just a little.
My breath shuddered.
Dominic didn't push, didn't demand, didn't tease. He just let his hand stay there, solid and grounding.
And for the first time in years, I let myself hold on.
I didn't pull away.
I should have. I wanted to.
But my fingers curled against Dominic's hand, gripping just enough to anchor myself. My breathing slowed, the tightness in my chest easing slightly, but the shame still burned hot.
How had it come to this?
How had I gone from a warrior who fought tooth and nail to prove his strength—to this? A trembling mess in the passenger seat, barely holding myself together?
Dominic didn't say anything. He just drove, his thumb idly brushing against my knuckles, as if reassuring me without words.
It made something in my chest twist painfully.
I pulled my hand back.
His fingers lingered for a fraction of a second before he let me go. He didn't comment on it, but I saw the way his jaw tensed, the way his grip tightened on the steering wheel.
I swallowed hard, turning back to the window.
"I can't do this," I muttered, mostly to myself.
"You can."
I clenched my fists. "You don't get it."
"I do."
I laughed, but there was no humor in it. "Really? You understand what it's like to have your own body betray you? To have something inside you force you to be weak?"
His grip on the wheel tightened. "Being an omega doesn't make you weak, Ashen."
I scoffed. "Tell that to the part of me that's trying to put me on my knees."
Silence stretched between us.
Then Dominic sighed. "You're scared."
I bristled. "I'm not—"
"You are," he cut in smoothly. "And that's okay."
I hated the way his voice softened, hated the way it made something inside me want to listen.
I wanted to argue. To tell him he was wrong. That I wasn't scared.
But I couldn't.
Because I was.
Terrified.
I had spent years fighting against my nature, but now, my body had found a way around my defenses. And worst of all Dominic was the only one who could stop the pain.
I didn't want to rely on him. I didn't want to need him.
But my omega did.
I bit the inside of my cheek hard enough to taste blood.
"I won't let anything happen to you," Dominic said after a moment, voice calm but firm. "Not while you figure this out. Not ever."
I should have told him to fuck off. Should have pushed him away.
But instead, I sat there, staring out the window, feeling more lost than I ever had before.
When we got to my room,Dominic said suddenly
"You have to move into my house."
Dominic's voice was firm, leaving no room for argument, but I was going to argue.
I crossed my arms, narrowing my eyes at him. "No."
His jaw tightened. "Ashen, don't be stubborn—"
"So you can fuck me whenever you please?" I snapped, voice shaking with anger. "No."
Dominic sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose like he was holding back frustration. "That's not what this is about."
"Really?" I laughed bitterly, standing my ground. "Because from where I'm standing, it sounds exactly like that."
His golden eyes darkened as he took a step closer, towering over me. "You're having sudden heats, Ashen. Your omega is rejecting the suppressants. If this happens when I'm not there—"
"I'll handle it," I cut him off, even though I knew damn well I couldn't.
"You can't handle it," he shot back. "You barely got through the last one, and you called me. What happens if it starts while you're training? Or alone? What happens if another Alpha—"
I flinched.
The thought had already haunted me, but hearing him say it out loud made my stomach twist.
Dominic exhaled sharply, lowering his voice. "I don't want that to happen to you."
I clenched my fists, my breathing uneven. "I don't want to move in with you."
"I don't want this either," he admitted, and I could tell by the tension in his body that he meant it. "But we don't have a choice."
My throat felt tight.
No choice.
I hated that. I hated feeling trapped.
I hated that he was right.
I turned away, staring at the floor. My mind raced, trying to think of a way out of this,anything to regain some control.
But I had none.
Dominic stepped closer, his voice softer. "You'll have your own space. I won't force you into anything. But I will be there when you need me."
I swallowed hard.
He was asking me to trust him.
I didn't trust anyone.
But if another Alpha—if someone else—
I squeezed my eyes shut. "Fine," I muttered, hating every word.
Dominic exhaled, relief flashing across his face. "I'll have your things moved tonight."
I turned on my heel, heading for the door before I could regret this even more.
Before I could see the satisfaction in his eyes.
I barely made it two steps before the realization hit me like a punch to the gut.
People would talk.
The warriors. The pack. Everyone.
I could already hear the whispers.
The Alpha's personal omega.
He moved in with him?
He's probably spreading his legs for him already.
My stomach twisted violently.
I stopped in my tracks, my body going rigid. "What will people say?" I forced out, my voice quieter now, but edged with panic.
Dominic sighed like he expected this, like he was already prepared for my resistance. "Let them talk."
I spun around, glaring at him. "Easy for you to say. You're the damn Alpha. You don't have to deal with the rumors, the looks—"
"You think I don't hear what they say about me?" Dominic cut in smoothly, stepping toward me. "That I don't hear the whispers? The fear? The bullshit speculation about what I do behind closed doors?"
I swallowed, but he wasn't finished.
"You think I care?" His golden eyes burned into mine. "Because I don't. And neither should you."
"Well, I do," I snapped, my fists clenching. "I'm not like you, Dominic. I don't have the luxury of ignoring what people think."
"You think this makes you weak?" His voice was calmer now, but it still held that weight of authority. "That being with me,having my protection,somehow makes you less?"
I gritted my teeth, my pulse racing.
Because, yes.
That was exactly what I thought.
I'd spent my entire life proving I wasn't weak. That I wasn't just an omega, something soft and submissive. And now, after everything, I was just supposed to move in with an Alpha? With him?
"I can't do this," I whispered, barely hearing my own voice over the rush of blood in my ears.
Dominic took another step forward, crowding my space but not touching me. His scent wrapped around me anyway, dark and intoxicating.
"You already agreed," he murmured, eyes searching mine. "And I'm not letting you take it back."
I inhaled sharply. "You're forcing me?"
His lips quirked into something that wasn't quite a smirk. "I don't force you to do anything, Ashen. You just hate that I'm right."
I wanted to punch him.
I wanted to run.
But more than anything, I wanted to stop feeling like this,like my chest was caving in, like my body was betraying me, like Dominic Kael Varen was the only person keeping me from falling apart.
And that terrified me more than anything else.