Page 66 of Daisy
"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 whenViolet 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.
On screen, Elle is proving everyone wrong, showing them she's more than they assumed. But here, curled against Gunner's warmth, I'm learning something too.
I'm learning what it feels like to choose to trust someone.
"Can I ask you something?" I say quietly during a peaceful moment in the movie.
"Anything," Gunner says.
"Where are you all from? I mean, did you grow up here in the city?"
Hawk chuckles from his chair. "Born and raised in the worst part of town. Gunner too. We've been causing trouble together since we were seventeen."
"What kind of trouble?" I ask, surprised by my own boldness.
"The fun kind," Hawk grins. "Street racing, mostly. Though Gun here got arrested for punching some elite alphas who thought they could mess with his sister."
Gunner's chest rumbles with a quiet sound. "Worth it."
I look up at him. "You have a sister?"
His jaw tightens slightly. "Had. She was taken to an Omega House when she presented. Never saw her again."
The sadness in his voice makes my chest ache. "I'm sorry."
"Not your fault," he says simply.
I want to ask more—what was her name? Did I know her? Did she find a good pack?—but something in his expression stops me. The pain there is too raw, too private. He might not want to talk about her.
"What about you?" I ask Dante instead. "Are you from here too?"
"Foster homes, mostly," Dante says, his voice carefully neutral. "Moved around a lot. Actually met Cassian in one of them when we were teenagers."
