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“Yes, you are,” Xar interrupts softly, his voice steady, unwavering. “You can fight it all you want, but we know you belong to us.”

The words hit me hard, but the moment they do, I feel the wave of desire wash over me and it’s too much. Too much to handle.

Then my grandmother’s voice echoes in my mind, sharp and certain:Alphas take. They claim. They own. But they don’t love, child – they don’t cherish.

I pull away from them, my heart racing, but this time I don’t back down. I stand tall, glaring at them, feeling the weight of their presence pressing in on me. I’m not backing down – not this time.

“No,” I say firmly, my voice shaky but growing stronger with each breath. “I’m not doing this. I’m not yourpossession, and I’m not going to just fall into whatever this is.”

There’s a beat of silence, and for a second, I wonder if they’re going to push me, if I’ve just made a huge mistake, but instead, Blaise’s eyes narrow, calculating, like he’s trying to figure out how serious I am. Xar looks heartbroken. But Dane just watches me, his face unreadable. The faintest smirk tugs at the corner of his mouth, as though he’s amused by my defiance.

“You think you can just tell us to leave and we’ll walk away?” Blaise’s voice is low, deep, like a growl trapped in his chest, and I feel the force of it reverberate inside me. “You think we’re going to leave you out here, alone, in this storm?”

“I don’t care about the storm!” I scream, fists clenching at my sides. “I’ve been alone before, I can handle it. I don’t need you – any of you – telling me what I need.”

Xar takes a step forward, his dark eyes gleaming with something dangerous. “Eviana,” he says, his tone deceptively calm, “you’ve been running from this for days. You think you’re strong enough to fight it forever? You’re not. You’re ours whether you like it or not. All of us.”

His words hit me like a slap, and my breath catches in my throat. I swallow hard, trying to fight the way my body wants to respond to him, to all of them. But I won’t back down. I can’t. Not now.

“No!” I shout, stepping back as though the very air is suffocating me. “You can’t just decide that for me. You don’t get to decide anything for me.”

Blaise steps forward, his large frame blocking the space between Xar and me, his dark eyes fixed on me with a sharpness that makes my pulse stutter. “We’re not letting you stay out here alone,” he says, his voice cold, calculating. “It’s not safe. You don’t know what’s out there.”

“I don’t care!” My voice cracks, but I force the words out, each one dripping with the defiance I’m trying to hold onto. “I’m not some helpless little omega for you to wrap up and protect. I’m not going to just fall in line because you say I should.”

Their eyes flick to one another, a silent conversation passing between them that I can’t decipher. I see the muscle in Blaise’s jaw tick, his anger simmering just below the surface. Xar’s expression softens slightly.

“You think you’re better off out there, alone, in the middle of nowhere, with a storm ripping through this place?” Xar asks, his tone softer now, but the underlying warning still there. “You’re not. You need us, whether you admit it or not.”

“No,” I say again, a little louder this time, my chest tight with the weight of my words. “I need my space. I need to breathe. I don’t need you – especially not now.”

“You think you can push us away like this?” Blaise challenges, his eyes narrowing, his jaw clenched. He takes a slow step forward, his presence massive, overwhelming. “We’ve been patient with you, Eviana. You’ve made us wait. You’ve tried to run. But we’re not leaving. Not now. Not when we’ve finally found you. This changes everything.”

I open my mouth to protest, but the words die on my lips as the realisation hits me: they won’t leave. They won’t just walk away. And no matter how much I try to deny it, I know that they think they’re doing what’s best for me, that they think they’re saving me from myself.

I take a shaky breath, trying to steady myself. “I’m not one of your…I’m not yourthing,” I say, the words rough in my throat. “You don’t get to decide my life for me. I’m a person, like I said,nota possession.”

Dane’s eyes soften just a fraction, and for the first time since they arrived, there’s a hint of something else in his expression. “We’re not trying to control you,” he says quietly, his voice much gentler now. “We just...we care about you. We want to protect you.”

“But I don’t need your protection!” I snap, feeling the frustration bubble over. “I’ve been fine on my own for years. I’ve managed just fine. I don’t need anyone’s help, especially not from a bunch of alphas who think they know what’s best for me!”

There’s a long pause. The tension is thick, palpable. For a moment, they don’t say anything. I can feel the battle within them, the struggle to decide whether to push me further or give me space.

Blaise exhales slowly, and for the first time, I see the frustration in his eyes start to fade, replaced by something moreakin to understanding. “We’re not going to leave you alone in this storm, Eviana,” he says, his voice quieter now, but still commanding. “But...we’ll leave it for today. We’ll go, but we’ll be back before the storm hits fully. You won’t be left here alone.”

I feel a mix of relief and frustration flood through me. At least they’re willing to leave for now. But only to come back later. My mind races as I try to figure out how I can make this work without completely giving in to them.

“You’re going to leave me,” I say, my voice unsteady despite my attempts to remain firm. “And then you’ll come back? It doesn’t make sense. How exactly do you know when this storm is going to hit?”

Blaise steps forward, his gaze unwavering. “We know enough. We have the forecasts and weather alerts. But we’ll make sure we’re back before it gets bad. That’s a promise.”

I draw in a breath, trying to calm the flutter in my chest. The idea of them coming back makes me feel uneasy, but it’s better than them staying here constantly. I have to take control of this moment, somehow.

“I don’t need protection, Blaise. I’m fine by myself. But I understand you’re concerned.” I pause, and a thought strikes me. “So here’s a compromise. I’ll give you my number, and you can text me or call if you want to check in. And if I need you...I’ll reach out. But you don’t need to come back unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

Xar raises an eyebrow, clearly considering my offer. There’s a hint of a smirk on his face, but he doesn’t dismiss the suggestion outright.

“You’d really be willing to give us your number?” he asks, his tone a mix of curiosity and amusement.