Wen presses in close, still soothing me with his fingers. "This means you didn't have many choices, and now that you've been bonded, no other alpha will be able to claim you. If you choose to mate with another alpha who's not me, then a few things could happen, none of them good."
I shake my head. "I don't understand."
"Alphas are highly territorial and highly aggressive when they feel… disrespected. If you were to have sex with anyone else, I'd kill them or die trying. And if you smelled like another, well, I'd need to overwrite that scent with my own—repeatedly. When your next heat hits, other alphas can still rut you, but they won't care for you. It will not be as… pleasant for you. My claim means I vowed to care for you and protect you until death. Other alphas didn't make that vow. They'd be rough and careless."
"Oh," I whisper. "I see."
Olo looks troubled as he softly says, "If you wanted to leave, though, we could find a kind alpha for you."
"I don't want to leave," I tell him, close to tears. "I don't think I want to go back to that village ever again."
Wen pulls me into his chest while Olo slides closer. He brushes his fingers over my forehead, brow furrowed. "We're not sending you away unless it’s what you want. Unfortunately, everything happened so fast for you that there was no time to ease you into your new life, and I wish things had been different for your sake, but we're happy you're here. We want you with us, and we'll do everything we can to help you adjust."
"Thank you," I say softly, making Olo smile once more.
We're all silent for a while, Wen's fingers now dancing along my bare stomach, and it send little zings to my core that I like a lot. Olo starts to hum a soft tune I can't place, and my eyes slip closed.
I'm just about ready to drift off when Wen asks, "Who put the collar on you, little one?"
I reach up and touch bare skin. "Wait, what?"
Wen is the one who answers. "I took it off while you healed. You were in stasis for twenty-eight cycles."
"Twenty-eight cycles?" I ask incredulously, eyes wide, heart pounding. "That can't be."
"We kept you in your pod during your stasis. It kept your levels regulated so you didn't require food or water. Thankfully the pod was equipped with enough nutrient drips to last at least another two or three lunar cycles. Putting you in stasis while you healed was our best option without going to Straf and the council. Who put that collar on you?"
My mind is still spinning, so my mouth opens before I realize I've spoken. "I don't know. I didn't know I had a collar on. They took it off when I was sold the first time. I didn't know they put another one on me."
There's a menacing growl coming from the male at my back, and it makes me tense ever so slightly. I'm not worried about being hurt or anything; it's just that the sound itself is utterly terrifying.
"What did you say?"
Holy shit, he sounds like he's chewing gravel. It’s ominous, yet part of me is excited by it.
"I didn't know about the collar. I th—"
"You were sold?" Wen cuts me off. "More than once?"
"Yes," I whimper. His growling gets louder, and I can feel the vibration through my back where our bodies are touching. A glance at Olo shows an expression of utter heartbreak, and it makes me want to cry. He curls even deeper into my chest, and that's when I notice the soft rumbling coming from him too.
Suddenly Wen roars, the sound deafening as he squeezes me to him, even though I can't possibly get any closer. That doesn't seem to stop him from trying.
By the time he finally settles, he's half-covering me with his arm slung over both me and Olo. We're now buried beneath a mountain of blankets, cocooning us in utter darkness. Their combined warmth and Wen’s soft purr quickly put me to sleep.
Chapter 5
Lyra
ThenexttimeIwake, my stomach rumbles, warning me to feed it. I can't even remember when I last ate, and I feel like I could eat a horse.
It's a damn good thing there aren't any horses on this planet. I roll over with a groan and stretch.
“You hungry, Lyra?” Olo’s voice startles me, and I turn to see him in the doorway, watching me with a smile.
“Famished,” I reply with a grin and sit up.
The blanket drops to my waist and the cool air teases my nipples. I catch the flash of heated desire in Olo’s gaze and refrain from pulling the covering back over my exposed chest. A flare of confidence has me arching my back, offering myself for his perusal.