Page 50 of Claimed

“It doesn’t change who you belong to.”

Rage surges up, sharp and desperate, but it tangles with fear before it can fully take hold.

“I’ll find you every time,” he murmurs.

The lights flicker overhead, once, twice, before everything drops into darkness.

His voice lingering as he whispers, “Don’t forget that, omega.”

I jolt upright, gasping for breath. Someone moves beside me, and a scream catches in my throat as I try to leap away in the opposite direction. Not realizing I’m in my human form, I stumble over a body in the bed and fall forward, landing hard on the ground on my shoulder.

Loud, masculine voices fill the air, and a strangled cry erupts from me. I jump to my feet, slipping out of reach of the large hands aimed my way. I see a door and yank it open, throwing myself inside.

Too late. I realize it's not an escape, it’s an empty closet. My legs tremble with fear as I collapse to the ground, quickly crawling forward to the corner and curling up small, my face hidden in my knees as I pray Blaze won’t find me here.

I gasp for breath as tears stream down my cheeks. Am I at the facility? There were no closets there. But Blaze’s warning reverberates around my mind, his voice so clear it clouds all reasoning.

“Shh, shh, it’s okay, baby. We’re here.”

That voice cuts through Blaze’s, and I hold my breath, wondering where it’s coming from.

“That’s it, come back to us, little mate.” That’s Maddox. Is he real? Is he here?

Needing to know the truth and pull myself from this awful mind-fuck of confusion, I force my eyes open. Light streams in from the open door, and my breath catches in my throat, finding Maddox, Chase, Gage, and Hunter, all sitting on the closet floor in front of me, even though they're crammed in like sardines.

“You’re real?” I whisper, hoping my eyes aren’t playing tricks on me. Someone squeezes me, and my head jerks up in surprise. I find Bain’s worried blue eyes staring down at me.

“We’re real, baby,” he whispers before pressing his forehead against mine. I close my eyes and breathe him in. All five of their scents wash over me, telling me they’re really here.

Realizing I’m sitting in Bain’s lap while he rocks me back and forth, I press my fingers to his chest, needing to feel him.

This is real. The facility and Blaze, that was all just a nightmare.

An awful nightmare.

I woke up and freaked out, and my mates, my wonderful mates, crammed themselves into this closet so they could comfort me. Not because they own me. Because they love me.

I don’t need words to see that.

That’s apparently the thought to break the dam. I throw my arms around Bain’s neck and press my face into him as I let the tears run free.

“Don’t cry, baby,” he says, sounding pained.

I want to tell him that I love him, that I’m crying from relief. I’m crying because that nightmare made me realize how much I care about them and how much I have to lose now.

“She needs to let it out,” Hunter says as several hands rub my back, arm, and leg.

“I don’t like it,” Chase says, sounding like he’s pouting.

“Can’t you tell the difference?” Hunter asks. “Before, she was crying because she was scared. This is different. She’s crying because she’s relieved.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Chase tells him, and Hunter sighs.

A low rumble starts to emanate through Bain’s chest, and I hold my breath, unsure what it is.

Everyone is silent for a moment until Gage asks, “Is he—Is he purring?”

I press my ear into Bain, holding him a little tighter, and realize that’s exactly what it feels like. He’s purring. I immediately feel the effects of it through my body. It’s not sexual, it’s calming. Realizing I’ve stopped crying, I wipe at my cheeks and turn a bit more sideways in his lap, so I can press my ear to his chest and let that sound sink into my bones.