Page 48 of Unhinged Alphas

I step over the threshold, the door closing softly behind me. Wraith's room is dimly lit, the shadows dancing across the walls like restless spirits. I stand just inside the doorway, suddenly unsure of myself. The air feels thick with unspoken words and barely contained emotions.

Wraith moves to sit on the edge of his bed, his massive frame dwarfing the furniture. He looks up at me, waiting. The silence stretches between us, a living thing.

I take a deep breath, steeling myself. "Are you... okay?" The words feel clumsy on my tongue, inadequate in the face of everything that's happened.

He nods, a slow, deliberate movement. Then his hands move, forming a single word.

Why?

Relief washes over me. I remember that sign, one of the few outside of the alphabet I've managed to consistently retain since our lessons started. It's a small victory, but it feels monumental in this moment.

I hesitate, searching for the right words. "I was... worried about you. After the meeting." My voice drops to barely above a whisper. "After you found out about your father."

I trail off, the weight of what I'm saying hitting me. Who am I to offer comfort to this alpha? This man who's seen and done things I can't even imagine?

Wraith's brow furrows, confusion evident again in his bright blue eyes. He signs "why" again, more emphatically this time.

"Why what?" I ask, then realization dawns. "Oh. Why was I worried about you?"

He nods, his gaze never leaving mine. There's an intensity to his stare that should make meuncomfortable, but it doesn't. Instead, I find myself wanting to step closer, to bridge the gap between us.

I open my mouth to answer, then close it again. Why was I worried? The truth is, I don't know. It goes against everything I've believed, everything I've told myself about alphas. About the world.

"I... I guess because I care about you," I admit softly, the words surprising even me as they leave my lips.

Wraith's eyes widen, a flicker of something passing over his features above the hard line of his gas mask. Shock? Disbelief? He stares at me for what feels like a small eternity, as if trying to decipher some hidden meaning in my words.

My heart pounds in my chest, a thunderous rhythm that surely he must be able to hear. I've never been this vulnerable with anyone, let alone an alpha. It goes against every instinct I've honed over years of survival.

But as I stand here, looking into Wraith's eyes, I realize it's true. Somewhere along the line, without my permission or awareness, I've started to care about him. About all of them, really. These alphas who were supposed to be my enemies, my captors, have somehow become... something else. Something I'm not quite ready to name.

Something so dangerous, I don't want to consider it.

Wraith's hands move again, slower this time.Why?

A nervous laugh escapes my lips, the sound brittle in the quiet room. "Why do I care about you?" I echo, my voice barely above a whisper. The question hangs in the air between us, heavy with implications I'm not ready to face.

But as I look at Wraith, really look at him, I feel a wave of grief wash over me. His eyes, usually so fierce and intense, now hold a vulnerability that makes my chest ache. It's a look I recognize all too well.

The disbelief that anyone could genuinely care.

"Thane cares about you," I murmur, surprised by the certainty in my voice. "I can tell." And it's true. I've seen the way Thane looks at him, the protectiveness in his stance whenever his brother is near. It's subtle, but it's there.

Wraith shrugs, a gesture that seems too small for his massive frame. His hands move again, slowly forming letters.

M-O-N-S-T-E-R.

My heart clenches. Before I can think better of it, I find myself moving closer, perching on theedge of the bed beside him. The mattress dips under our combined weight, and I'm acutely aware of how small I am next to him.

"You're not a monster," I say, my voice low but firm. Without thinking, I reach out and touch his shoulder. His skin is warm beneath my fingers, and I feel his huge bicep tense at the contact. "I've met a lot of monsters in my life. I would know."

Wraith goes completely still, his eyes widening in surprise. I realize with a start that I'm touching him. Voluntarily touching an alpha.

And I'm not even in heat.

The thought should terrify me, should send me scrambling away. But it doesn't. Instead, I find myself hyper-aware of the point where our skin meets. It's been so long since I've had any kind of gentle physical contact. His warmth seeps into me, and I have to resist the urge to lean into it.

Wraith's gaze flickers between my face and my hand on his shoulder, as if he can't quite believe what's happening.