Page 46 of Daisy

"But I think... I think I like this. Grey. It's soft. Quiet."

I smile at that. "What about you?" she asks suddenly, like she's testing whether she's allowed to be curious about others.

"Amber," I tell her. "Like Cassian's eyes."

Her smile at that is small but genuine. "That's nice. That you have someone you love."

"You could too," I say quietly. "Someday. When you're ready. Someone who sees you. Really sees you."

The wonder that crosses her face suggests this possibility has never occurred to her.

We talk for a while longer. Simple questions, careful answers. I'm gathering data, in my way, learning how deep the conditioning goes, where her natural personality still exists underneath it.

She likes soft textures. Dreams of reading freely. Has a beautiful laugh when she's not afraid to use it.

Progress.

"What happens now?" she asks as afternoon light fades.

"Now you rest. We keep you safe. Tomorrow we figure out our next move."

"Together?"

The hope in that single word is like finding something precious you thought was lost forever.

"Together," I promise.

Her smile is small but real. Her scent blooms with something that might be happiness.

And watching her discover what choice feels like, I know we've done the right thing. Whatever the political consequences, whatever the personal cost.

Some things are worth the risk.

Chapter 14

Daisy

The van feels different today.

I can't decide if that's good or bad.

I'm sitting cross-legged on the mattress that takes up most of the back space, trying to make myself as small as possible in the corner. The clothes August brought me yesterday—soft grey sweater, comfortable jeans—should make me feel better. They do, sort of. But I still feel exposed. Uncertain.

Four alphas and a beta, all in this confined space with me.

The logical part of my brain knows they saved me. Knows they've been nothing but kind. But twenty years of conditioning doesn't disappear overnight, and my hands won't stop trembling.

And then there's the other thing. The thing I can't stop thinking about but don't know how to say.

I haven't taken my blockers since yesterday morning. Or my heat suppressants. Everything I need to keep my omega biology under control is back at the Omega House, probably destroyed in the attack. My scent is getting stronger by the hour, and I can feel my body starting to... respond. Not to heat, not yet, but to their presence. To their alpha scents.

What if I go into heat? What if I can't control myself around them? What if they realize how much their scents affect me?

The thought makes panic crawl up my throat. I press my lips together, swallow it down. How do I even ask for help with something like that? How do I tell them I need medications I've never had to ask for before?

Gunner moves carefully around the space, arranging pillows on the mattress. Extra pillows that definitely weren't there when we first got in the van. I watch him position them just so, making sure the softest ones are closest to where I'm sitting.

"Where did these come from?" I ask quietly, my voice barely above a whisper.