Page 50 of Daisy

"Okay," she whispers, already starting to drift off again. "Trust you."

Trust you.The words hit me square in the chest as I slide my arms under her carefully. She settles against me like she belongs there, and fuck me sideways, maybe she does.

She weighs nothing in my arms, which is both a problem and not a problem, depending on how you look at it.

"Hawk?" Gunner's voice cuts through the haze. "You good?"

"Peachy," I manage, though my voice sounds like I've been gargling gravel.

The new motel is definitely a step up from last night's disaster. Actual carpet, actual furniture that doesn't look like it came from a dumpster. August got us two rooms this time, which is either really good planning or really bad timing, depending on how you want to spin it.

"Room twenty-three and twenty-four," August says, appearing with keys like the efficient little beta he is. "They're connected - there's a door between them."

I follow him down the hall, hyperaware of the precious cargo in my arms. Of how perfectly Daisy fits against my chest, like two puzzle pieces clicking into place. Her fingers are curled into my shirt like she's anchoring herself to me, and every breath I take floods my system with more of her intoxicating sweetness.

Focus, dickhead.

She's been through hell. The last thing she needs is me thinking with the wrong head.

But fuck, she smells like everything I never knew I was missing.

August opens the door to twenty-three, and I set her down on the bed closest to the wall, careful not to wake her. She looks so damn small against the white sheets, dark hair spread across the pillow. In sleep, her face is peaceful, no fear tightening her features.Trusting.

That trust hits me square in the chest. She feels safe enough with me to let her guard down completely, to be vulnerable in a way that's probably foreign to her.

The knowledge should make me feel honored. Instead, it makes me feel like a wolf who's been invited to guard the henhouse.

"We'll take this room," August says, settling on the other bed. "You guys can have twenty-four."

Smart beta. Keeping the calming influence with our omega while the alphas try not to lose their minds next door.

I turn to leave, but Daisy makes this soft sound that stops me cold. Not quite awake, not quite asleep.

"Hawk?" Her voice is barely there, thick with exhaustion.

I'm back at her bedside before I realize I've moved. Her dark eyes flutter open, unfocused and soft with sleep.

"I'm here, princess."

"Don't go far," she breathes, and something in my chest pulls tight. The vulnerability in her voice, the way she looks at me like I'm her lifeline, it undoes something fundamental inside me.

"Right next door. You need anything, you holler."

She nods, already drifting off again. "Safe," she murmurs, so quiet I almost miss it.

Safe.The word hits me like a punch to the gut. She feels safe with me. With us. After everything she's been through, somehow we've become her safe place.

I back out of the room slowly, closing the door with more care than I've ever used for anything in my life. In the hallway, the other three are waiting, and judging by their expressions, they're dealing with the same shit I am.

Welcome to the club, boys.

"She okay?" Dante asks, running a hand through his military-short hair.

"Sleeping like a baby." I head for room twenty-four, needing space that doesn't smell like temptation. "But we've got a problem."

Inside, I claim the bed farthest from the connecting door. Not that it'll help much, these walls are thin as paper, but a man can dream.

"Her suppressants," Dante says, pacing to the window. His face is grim. "They drug these omegas up hard at the Omega House. I've only ever scented Daisy once before tonight and thought it was so strong it nearly knocked me off my feet." He turns back to us. "But this... this will be a problem if anyone else scents her. This is like a hundred times stronger than it was that night."