Page 22 of Damaged Princess

There's no other word to describe the soul-crushing sound that comes out of her mouth. She's crying so hard it's difficult to believe she's breathing.

"I'm going to pick you up," I say in a soothing tone. My forearm wraps under her ass and I lift her. She scramblesup my chest, wrapping her arms tight around my neck and sobbing into my throat. "Shh, I've got you."

I head for my suite. She seemed comfortable last night in the nest with Cas.

The fact she bailed this morning while I was in the shower wasn't necessarily surprising, but Castro was hurt.

It was clear enough when he searched the entire apartment before admitting she was gone.

I was annoyed when I found her.

Part of me considered it an extension of our playful banter.

The rest was frustrated on Cas's behalf. He's not like me and Wolfe. He's as sincere a person as you'll ever meet.

I didn't like that Ana walked out on him without a word.

Anastasia wraps her legs firmly around my ass as I unlock the door to my suite. I aim for the nest, tossing open the door, and kicking it closed with my booted foot.

I set her down on the top step long enough for me to unlace my boots and pull them off. I stretch out my arms, and Ana bolts right into them. It makes me feel like I'm a king, but something is still seriously fucked.

I need to figure out how to fix it immediately.

I get us inside the nest, pulling the curtain closed, and climb onto the mattress. I lie down with her on top of me to keep from crushing her leg, and gently move her to lie in front of me while she faces me.

"I-I n-need to leave," she whimpers, shoving her face in my neck.

"You're fucking killing me here, princess," I murmur, running my hand over the back of her head.

"I c-can't go back there," she sobs. "I w-won't. I don't know exactly w-what'll happen, but it w-won't be good."

My gut sinks. I don't like the sound of that, not one fucking bit.

"I have to leave," she whispers. "I don't know where I can go, but I have to get out of here."

"No," I say firmly. "That's the last thing you need to do. You're on the verge of your heat. I can't let you leave, knowing what could happen."

"Is that a threat?" Ana squeaks.

"No, sweet girl, it's the opposite. You're an unclaimed omega. It's too late to try to go back on suppressants. I can't let you walk out of here, knowing the kind of pain you'll be in for without alphas," I say, blowing out the breath I've apparently been holding.

Ana pushes against my chest and tries to sit up.

"What makes you think you get a say?" She finally succeeds in sitting up, and I face her. "I know I'm not a good person, but if I don't look out for myself then no one else will. I'll deal with what I have to."

"You think you deserve to suffer?" I ask. My head tilts as I study her face.

She shrugs. She pulls her hand to her mouth and chews at the edge of her thumbnail.

"Anastasia," I growl. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way. The choice is yours, but you might not like it if we go with the second choice."

"Again with the threats." She laughs derisively.

"No," I bark. "Not a threat. A promise. The other side of that agreement is my guarantee that I'll never use my strength or position against you."

She frowns, chewing away at her lower lip.

I grin. "Well, never in a way you won't enjoy. I know something is eating at you. That's the thing about giving up control. You're no longer responsible for your guilt. If you give me your submission then you give me your shame, too.Whatever is weighing on you becomes my problem to solve, not yours."

---