Page 50 of Broken Dreams

“Do you want to watch a movie when we get back or nap?” he asks.

Their voices fade as they leave, and Callum closes the door affectionately behind them.

“Adira is…” I shake my head as my voice trails off because I don’t know how to describe what I’m feeling. “I think I expected to hate her.”

“She always manages to surprise me,” Callum confesses, setting the alarm before moving into the living room. “Is there anything you want to ask me before I wake her up?”

“I’m going to get food going, grab clothes for showers, shit like that,” Duncan says, appearing as if he needs to do something. His eyes are glued on Makayla, features pinched.

“Hey, she probably would have passed out no matter how she was told,” I tell him, putting the poor guy out of his misery. “Let’s call this a reset.”

Duncan snorts under his breath as his blue eyes move to gaze at me. “Really?” he asks.

“Yep,” I say. “She’s very resilient, so much so that she scares the shit out of me often.”

“How so?” Callum asks, sitting by Makayla’s feet on the couch. It looks really fluffy, and I need a shower desperately before I sit on it.

“Makayla endures everything with a savage steadiness,” I say. “Bret is screaming at her for something? She stares him down without expression. I heard he’d beaten the hell out of her before I came along, all because he’d been so angry that she wouldn’t cower for him. There was one instance I think four years ago that he backhanded her. It’s the reason that Saxon is who he leaned on when punishment had to be given. Her lack of reaction on her face is what worried me. It made Bret want to hurt her.”

“Neither of you need to worry about him,” Duncan mutters. “I doubt he’ll let you both go without a fight, so I plan to track him down as soon as possible to kill him.”

“May be a little more difficult since we’ll have to use a different way to get to him, but it’s happening,” Callum confirms.

“If you need me, you know where to find me,” Duncan says, walking out of the room. He still looks angry with himself, and it’s hard to hold down the whine.

For some reason, I want to make things better for him.

“Linus, he’s good, I promise,” Callum says. “Duncan and I are always going to be hard on ourselves when it comes to you two. Taking care of you, making sure you’re happy, or at least helping clear the path to it, is our responsibility as your alphas. We take it seriously.”

“I’ve never…” I blow out a breath as my fingers tear through my hair. “I don’t understand that level of care.”

“Well buckle up, because we’re probably going to go overboard,” he says, moving until he’s leaning over Makayla. “Wake up, Sleeping Beauty. Let’s get you washed up.”

His fingers graze over her forehead and cheeks, rubbing gently to pull her back to the land of living. Long lashes blink slowly until her eyes open, and her pink lips part. There’s no one in the world as beautiful as she is.

“Hey,” he whispers, smiling. “Duncan is getting food ready. Do you want to grab a shower while he’s doing that? He also mentioned getting clothes.”

She clutches at the shirt possessively, while Callum simply shrugs. He understands her so much better than he thinks.

“I have other shirts,” he says easily. “Hell, you can have the one I’m wearing now, Sweet Girl. Anything I own is yours.”

Makayla bites her lip so hard I’m afraid she’ll make herself bleed, while my heart aches. It feels as if it’s trying to remember what it’s like to be cared about. I have a little sister out there somewhere, but we haven’t been close since before I was kidnapped. My mom is an omega who’s always been very busy, while my dads catered to her every whim and practically forgot they had children.

My childhood was sad, and then my sister forgot about me when she turned sixteen to chase boys. I doubt anyone bothered to look for me when I became a statistic.

It’s hard to know how to process what it feels like to be wanted.

“It feels weird, huh?” I rasp as Callum helps her sit up.

Her gaze looks for me, warming as she finds me. Makayla’s nod speaks volumes. Her tears, as they gather and fall, speak of screams she’ll never release.

“Guess what?” I ask, swallowing hard. When she tilts her head slightly, I reply, “We have a nest, blankets, a real bed.”

Her sob is audible as I drop to my knees beside her. Fuck Bret. I’m all for his torture and murder. No one should ever feel like this. Holding her in a tight embrace, I kiss her hair. I can feel the anger in Callum’s body, hear him gritting his teeth.

“Most of all, you’re safe here,” he says vehemently. “We’ll take it as slow as you need. There will be paper and pen when we eat so you can ask me anything. Fuck, you can even yell at us if you want.”

The huff of laughter is gratifying as Makayla turns to look at him as he stands, her tear filled eyes sparkling.

---