Page 33 of Daisy

Choose.When's the last time someone told me I could choose anything? When's the last time my opinion mattered, my wants were considered, my voice was heard?

I can't remember. Maybe never.

"Can I..." I swallow hard, gathering courage I didn't know I had. "Can I think about it? While we drive?"

"Of course," August says immediately. "Take all the time you need."

He gestures to the mattress on the van floor. "Why don't you try to rest? It's going to be a long drive, and you've been through a lot."

The exhaustion hits me all at once, like a wave crashing over my head. My body feels heavy and shaky, and my eyelids keep trying to close despite the adrenaline still coursing through my system.

"Will you stay?" I ask August, hating how needy I sound but unable to stop myself.

"I'll stay," he promises. "Right here. The whole time."

I lie down on the mattress, pulling my guard's jacket around me like a shield. It still smells like honey and clove, but now that scent is mixed with August's comforting cedar and parchment. The combination helps quiet the chaos in my head.

The van starts moving again, and I can hear quiet murmurs of conversation from the front seat. The alphas in the back are silent, but I can feel their presence like a weight in the air. Not threatening, exactly, but... intense. Like they're holding themselves back from something.

My eyes drift closed despite my best efforts to stay alert. The last thing I'm aware of is August's steady presence beside me and the oddly comforting rumble of the van carrying me away from everything I've ever known.

Away from my uncle's control and the future he planned for me.

Away from the system that claimed to protect me while putting me directly in harm's way.

Toward something uncertain but hopefully,hopefullybetter.

Toward something that might actually be free.

I fall asleep to the sound of August humming softly under his breath, and for the first time in my life, I dream of having choices.

Chapter 11

Gunner

The van hums beneath my hands, steady and familiar. Highway stretches ahead in the pre-dawn darkness, broken only by the occasional truck carrying early freight. I keep my speed careful, controlled. Nothing that draws attention.

Behind me, soft voices drift from the back. August's mild beta scent mingles with something else. Something that's been fucking with my head for the past hour, getting stronger every time the wind shifts through the cracked windows.

Honeysuckle. Vanilla. And underneath it all, something that makes my chest tight. Makes my hands sweat on the wheel.

Focus, Gunner.I adjust my grip on the wheel, checking the mirrors. Empty road behind us. Good. Whatever chaos we left at the Omega House hasn't followed us this far.

"How's she doing?" I ask quietly, glancing at Hawk in the passenger seat.

He turns to look back at the others, his grey eyes soft with something I don't see often. "August has her calm. For now."

August has her calm.The words sit wrong in my gut, though I can't figure out why. I don't know this August guy, but he seemsgood at calming people, making them feel safe. Makes sense why Hawk called for backup from him and his alpha.

But hearing that someone else is taking care of her when every instinct I have is screaming at me to…

To what?I don't even know her. Don't know anything about her except she's Governor Crane's niece and she was about to be hurt by that bastard alpha Hawk put down.

The wind shifts again. Stronger this time.

And I understand.

Holy shit.