Page 25 of Daisy (Omega Chosen #3)

Daisy

I wake up to an empty room.

August is gone from the bed beside me, and I can hear the other three alphas moving around in the connecting room.

I remember August waking me before dawn, his gentle hand on my shoulder as he whispered that he and Cassian were going back to collect things from their apartment. "We'll be back late tonight," he'd promised quietly. "Just getting our stuff. Nothing dangerous."

They're giving up everything because of me.

Their home, their jobs, everything they built together.

August loves that library—I saw it in his eyes when he talked about the books, about Mrs. Taylor.

And Cassian... I don't know what their apartment means to him, but I know they're giving up everything normal and safe.

All because I'm too selfish to go back to the life Uncle planned for me.

I should have told them not to go. Should have insisted they take me back to Uncle, let them keep their quiet life.

But when I try to imagine never seeing August's gentle smile again, never seeing Cassian—even though he still makes me nervous, his size and intensity still frighten me—something tight grips my chest. The thought of losing them makes it hard to breathe.

Which surprises me more than anything.

When did I start needing them?

Without August's steadying presence, everything feels different. But not scary. Just... incomplete.

Through the connecting door, I can hear movement. Low voices. The scent of alpha drifts through—sandalwood and wild fig, leather and caramel, honey and clove. Gunner, Hawk, and Dante. Still here. Still protecting me.

But no cedar and parchment. No August. And underneath it all, something else is missing—something darker, more intense that I can't quite place. Something that makes the air feel less complete.

"Daisy?" Gunner's voice comes through the door, soft and careful. "You awake?"

"Yes," I call back, though my voice sounds smaller than I want it to.

"We've got breakfast if you're hungry."

Breakfast. Such a normal thing. But nothing feels normal anymore.

I pad to the bathroom on bare feet, splash cool water on my face. In the mirror, I look different than I did a few days ago. My eyes are brighter. My skin has this glow that wasn't there before. Even my hair seems to catch the light differently.

Is this what freedom looks like?

Back in the bedroom, I pull off the thin cotton nightgown and reach for the clothes August brought me yesterday.

A soft gray sweater and matching sweatpants.

I've never worn anything like this before.

The fabric is so soft against my skin, nothing like the structured dresses and silk I'm used to.

When I pull the sweater over my head, it's like being wrapped in a warm hug.

The sweatpants are just as comfortable, loose and cozy around my legs.

I run my hands down the sleeves, marveling at how something so simple can feel so good. How have I lived my whole life without knowing clothes could feel like this?

When I open the connecting door, I find them around the small table by the window. Three alphas trying really hard to look non-threatening. It's almost funny, except my pulse still flutters.

"Morning," Hawk says, and his smile chases away some of my nerves. "Hope you like coffee. Got you some with lots of cream and sugar."

The thoughtfulness makes my chest ache. When's the last time someone paid attention to how I might like my coffee?

"Thank you," I whisper, settling into the empty chair. The one positioned so I can see all of them, so no one's behind me. They thought of that too.

Gunner slides a plate toward me. Scrambled eggs, toast, fruit. Simple food, but it smells incredible.

"Eat," he says gently.

I take a bite, then another. The eggs are perfect, fluffy and warm. When I make a small sound of pleasure, Hawk grins.

"Good?"

"Really good." The words slip out before I can stop them. "I've never had eggs like this."

"What kind of eggs did you usually have?" Dante asks, his voice careful.

I think about the formal breakfasts at Uncle's mansion. Tiny portions on china plates. Everything measured and controlled.

"Egg whites," I say quietly. "Poached. No salt. To keep my figure."

The silence that follows is heavy.

"Fuck that," Hawk says, and there's an edge to his voice that makes my skin prickle. "You can eat whatever you want now."

Whatever I want. The concept still feels foreign.

We eat in comfortable quiet, and slowly, the tight band around my chest starts to loosen. They're not pressuring me to talk, not asking invasive questions. Just... being here.

But I can't stop stealing glances at Hawk.

His dark hair catches the morning light. When he laughs at something Gunner mutters, the sound does something to my stomach that I don't understand. Makes me remember his scent surrounding me in that bathroom. The way my body responded to just the memory of him.

Heat creeps up my neck, and I feel the telltale dampness between my thighs. I duck my head, focus on my food.

"So," Dante clears his throat after we've finished eating. "What do you want to do today?"

Another choice. Another moment where my opinion actually matters.

"I don't know," I admit. "What... what do people normally do?"

"Whatever they feel like," Gunner says simply.

"Watch movies," Hawk adds. "Read books. Talk. Sleep if they're tired."

"Go for walks," Dante offers. "Though maybe not today. Too risky."

The reminder of our situation settles over the room. We're still hiding. Still running. But somehow, in this small space with these three men, it doesn't feel like a prison.

"I've never watched a movie," I say quietly. "I mean, not a real one. Just educational films. Documentaries about proper omega behavior."

Another heavy silence.

"Well," Hawk says, his voice light. "That's about to change. What kind of story do you think you'd like? Adventure? Romance? Comedy?"

"I don't know," I say again, frustrated with my own ignorance. "What do you recommend?"

"Something fun," Gunner suggests. "Something that'll make you laugh."

"Or something with a strong female character," Dante adds. "Someone who takes charge of her own life."

The way he says it makes me think he understands more about my situation than I've told him.

We settle on something Hawk calls a "classic"—a story about a woman who everyone underestimates because she's blonde and likes fashion, but she proves them all wrong by becoming a brilliant lawyer. The premise sounds incredible.

"You'll love Elle," Hawk says with a grin. "She's fierce."

Hawk closes the curtains and starts the movie while Gunner and Dante arrange pillows on the beds.

They move around each other carefully, still learning each other's space, but there's a quiet understanding between them.

The way they all work together, even as relative strangers, makes something in my chest ache with longing.

What would it be like to belong somewhere like this?

To be part of something real instead of just an asset to be managed?

I settle on the bed farthest from the TV, back against the headboard. Safe. The movie starts, and within minutes I'm completely absorbed.

Elle is nothing like any omega I've ever known. She's bright and determined and refuses to let anyone make her feel small. When she decides to follow her ex-boyfriend to Harvard Law School, something inside me cracks open.

"She's incredible," I breathe during a particularly triumphant scene.

"She is," Hawk agrees, and when I look over, he's watching me instead of the screen. "Reminds me of someone."

The way he says it makes heat flood my cheeks. Is he talking about me? Impossible. I'm nothing like Elle on screen.

But the look in his gray eyes makes me think he sees something I don't.

Halfway through the movie, my eyelids start getting heavy.

The emotional weight of the past few days, combined with the warm safety of this room and their scents wrapping around me like a blanket, makes it hard to stay alert.

I shift, trying to get more comfortable, and accidentally catch Gunner's attention.

"Tired?" he asks softly.

"A little," I admit. "But I don't want to miss anything."

"Come here," he says, patting the space beside him on his bed. "You can lean against me if you want. Might be more comfortable."

The offer makes me freeze. Lean against him? Actually choose to be close to an alpha?

But the memory of his hand on my shoulder that first night, steady and warm and completely safe, makes the decision easier.

"Okay," I whisper.

I move to his bed slowly, aware of every step. As I settle beside him, I catch a glimpse of Hawk's phone on the nightstand. The date glows back at me, and my breath catches.

Today is my birthday. I'm twenty years old today.

The realization makes my stomach drop. Twenty. The age when every omega is supposed to be placed with their pack. The age Uncle had planned for me to be married off to the Fairburn pack, waiting for them to decide when to start breeding me.

Instead, I'm here. Free. Choosing to curl up against an alpha who makes me feel safe instead of scared.

I haven't celebrated my birthday—really celebrated it—since before my sisters were taken to the Omega House. Back when Violet would sneak me extra cake and Rose would braid flowers in my hair while we giggled in our shared bedroom.

Gunner doesn't move as I settle beside him, just lets me find my own comfort level. When I finally lean back against his shoulder, he's warm and solid and smells like everything good in the world.

"Better?" he murmurs.

"Much better," I whisper, and mean it more than he could possibly know.

His arm comes around me carefully, like I'm something precious that might break. But I don't feel fragile right now. I feel... protected. Like someone who matters for more than just what she can provide.