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When he stops at what looks like a bedroom door, my fingers clench tightly around the pile of clothes I have.

This is it.

These alphas have been so incredibly kind to me. It’s time for me to start earning my keep.

I glance up at Chase. His jawline is so sharp it could probably cut glass. His body feels warm and strong as he carries me.

But still, anxiety starts swirling in my gut. No matter how attractive he is, he’s still an alpha.

He nudges open the bedroom door with his leg and I close my eyes.

When I finally get the courage to open them again, I glance around the bedroom he’s brought me to, surprised that it doesn’t smell like him. Or really any of the other alphas.

This isn’t his bedroom.

Everything in here is big. There are floor-to-ceiling windows that let me see the falling snow, illuminated by the lights outside the house. The bed is huge, probably the biggest bed I’ve ever seen. I could probably lay across the width of it twice. The adjacent bathroom also looks nearly as big as the bathroom I just took a shower in.

This room is so much bigger than I would ever need. So much bigger than anything I’ve ever slept in before.

My bedroom back at home was barely big enough for a twin bed and a small dresser that I kept my clothes in. My windowsill was used to house my little library. That was all I really had to call mine, and even then, when I longed for the comfort of my own space, I was never allowed it. Whenever there was any hint of my perfume starting, my mom would send me down to the cellar.

“Is the room okay?” He asks softly as he sets me down on the bed, breaking the silence caused by me taking everything in.

“Oh, yes, it’s lovely, thank you,” I say, offering him a small smile.

“Okay, awesome. I’m glad,” he says. His returning smile is blinding. It makes butterflies start-up in my belly. “I have a few things I have to go grab for you, okay?” He starts backing up to the door.

Those butterflies turn to lead. My stomach twists. What kind of things is he going to grab? By the look of him, I didn’t think he’d be interested in anything that required anything but his body, but maybe I was wrong.

Maybe all alphas are cruel, regardless of whether they look like sunshine.

Flashes of whips and restraints, pain and humiliation, from my heats with Alpha Niall have my hands shaking in my lap.

“Do—do you want me to prepare in any way?” I say, shifting nervously in the bed, reminded again of the fact I’m wearing nothing but a large t-shirt. “I know I displeased you and your pack members earlier, I—I want to please you.”

His face falls, sadness filling his eyes. “Oh Moonlight,” he says, coming over to me and kneeling at my feet.

His position at my feet panics me a bit, because why is he the one kneeling? That’s not his place as an alpha.

He’s so much closer to me now. His ocean breeze scent wraps itself around me, soothing my frayed nerves.

“M-moonlight?” I stutter out.

“You know, Luna, Moonlight, your gorgeous skin, your stunning hair. I think it’s really fitting,” he says. “But that’s beside the point. You don’t have to do anything to please any of us. That’s not why you’re here.”

My brows draw down in confusion. But then if I’m not here to serve them with my body, what else could I offer them?

“But—but I have nothing else to offer you,” I whisper, my nails biting into the bare skin on my thighs.

Chase reaches out, lacing his fingers with mine and stopping me from hurting myself. He gently squeezes my hands until I look into his eyes. “You’re here because we want to help you. You don’t have to do anything with any of us unless you want to, not because you think you have to in order to stay here. We’ve all agreed you can stay with us for as long as you want to, okay? You don’t have to please us.”

“But you’re attracted to me,” I blurt out, my cheeks flushing red. I would never be this bold with anyone else, but what he’s saying is making my brain short-circuit. “Why not use me? I—I don’t want to take advantage of your kindness. I want to be useful.”

Chase chuckles under his breath, the sound sending warmth straight to my core. “Just because I’m attracted to you doesn’t mean I have to rut you into the mattress right now. You’re gorgeous, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have self-control. You’re not ready, Luna, and that’s okay.”

I bite the inside of my cheek, feeling the sting of tears behind my eyes. I believe him.

I know I shouldn’t. He’s an alpha. I’m an omega. Our positions in society are written into our biology.