“VanishingVoice.” I give him a wry smile. “Think I should post myself on it?”

“Hmm.” He reaches for the hem of my shirt, and I lift my arms without being told.

The cool air of the bathroom raises goose bumps on my skin, and I yelp when he pushes me back down on the cold countertop. “What’s happening right now?”

He yanks open the front of my pants. “You landed pretty hard when I tackled you. And there was a lot of glass.”

I reach to catch my waistband. “I’m not hurt.”

Pressing one hand against the mirror, he bends over me, the lights behind his head casting his face in shadows. “I saved your life today.”

My heart races, my eyes sweeping down his body. “After you came to take it.”

“But I saved it, yes?”

Licking my lips, I nod.

He leans closer, his mouth a breath from kissing me. “Do you know what that means?”

A needy whine escapes me, and I shake my head.

“You belong to me until you return the favor.” He cups my jaw. “Now, let go, Oliver.”

The rumbled order curls my toes in reaction, and I drop my palms to the press against the countertop, leaving me at this Alpha’s mercy.

Cold granite chills my bare skin as Caleb peels off my pants, his touch unexpectedly gentle.

The lights in this opulent bathroom shine down on me, much brighter than those in my apartment, exposing every flaw in my body.

My hands lift to cover myself, but a stern stare from Caleb stops me in my tracks. The mixture of shame and submission sends a shiver down my spine, and I squirm on the chilly surface.

“Stay still.” Caleb’s callous-roughened palms slide over me as he checks for any other injuries.

His touch sends tingles through my body, and my dick hardens, the ache in my balls intensifying after the earlier interruption back at my place.

Caleb smirks at my growing arousal but says nothing as he continues his inspection.

“You have some bruising, but no other cuts.” His hand grazes up my thigh, dipping toward the crease where leg meets hip, before he steps back. “Don’t move, and no touching yourself while I’m gone.”

With a frustrated groan, I watch him leave, the door clicking softly shut behind him.

I try my best to stay still, but with every second that ticks by, the silence of the bathroom grows heavier, my thoughts shifting from my aching dick to worry about my apartment.

Gunshots aren’t uncommon in my neighborhood, so it’s hard to say if anyone called the cops or if they just went on with their lives, pretending not to hear anything.

If Caleb hadn’t been there to save me, would I be dead now?

A tight sensation bands around my ribs as I imagine my body lying undiscovered for days, my death unnoticed until my rent was overdue.

The thought sends a shiver through me, and my breathing quickens. The bathroom closes in, the lights too bright, the countertop cold beneath my bare skin. My chest heaves, my frantic gasps echoing off the tiles.

“Oliver?” Caleb appears above me, assessing the situation. “You’re panicking. Try to take deep breaths.”

I open my mouth to deny it, but the air wheezes from my lungs.

Motions efficient, Caleb lifts me into an upright position and moves my shaking limbs, dressing me in a pair of silky green pajamas. Then he gathers me in his arms and turns, carrying me toward the door.

I cling to him, gripping the fabric of his shirt, struggling to ground myself in the strength of his body.