I curled my knees tightly against my chest, making sure I was wrapped up as much as possible. My eyes scanned the room cautiously. Ryker could start the conversation whenever he was ready—I had no intention of pushing it. His room looked familiar, though my memory of it was hazy fromst time. Back then, anger clouded my attention. The space was dominated by dark tones-deep cks and cold steel grays. Everything was spotless, but I couldn''t tell if it was because Ryker preferred minimalism or if the omega responsible for cleaning had an obsessive streak.


    Without a word, Ryker slid his arm around me, pulling me snugly against his side. I instinctively leaned into him, as if this closeness was meant to be. "Before your mind spirals into whatever wild theory it''s cooking up, let me exin," he began. "Your clothes had toe off. You were nearly frozen solid, and I needed to raise your core temperature. You were barely breathing. Then the healer said skin-to-skin contact would speed your recovery. And second, I don''t understand why you give me such a hard time when I look out for you, but when Be asks you not to do something, you obey without hesitation."


    I didn''t voice it aloud, but the exnation about the clothes made sense. "It''s pretty simple, really. He''s not my mate.”


    Ryker waited only a moment before pressing, "Care to exin what you mean by that?"


    "There''s not much else to add," I said quietly. "As a mate, you''repelled to protect me. But I''m a liability-being human is a w in this world, and that makes me a target. Be can''t resist the urge to keep me safe, so I don''t do anything that might make his job harder. You, though, have the choice to focus on me or something more important-like the attack earlier today..."


    “A week ago. And you are important,” Ryker interrupted gently.


    I turned fully to face him, no longer caring if the sheet covered me or not. "Wait, what?" I asked, confused.


    "The attack, and everything that happened in my office-it was a week ago." "Then why am I not hooked up to a bunch of machines in the hospital?"


    "You don''t seem to need them. The healerse by regrly to check your vitals. You do have a needle in your right hand, so be careful with that-it''s for nutrients, fluids, antibiotics, that sort of thing. Please take it easy. It took a lot of convincing to keep you here, but your body responds better when we''re close. And the hospital bed can''t fit both of us. You''re not allowed out of bed until the lead healer says so- that''s her order, not mine."


    I nced down at my hand and thought I felt a tube tucked between my legs—so there was a catheter too. I rubbed my face with my hands, overwhelmed. "Why do all my embarrassing moments happen in front of you?" Then it hit me. "I''ve been out for a whole week?” He nodded solemnly. "I missed Christmas?" Another nod. "What did you tell Jeremiah? It''s our favorite holiday."


    "I told him the truth," Ryker said. "After I brought you home and got you warm and stable. He''s not happy about it and still won''t share what happened with your home pack a year and a half ago—or the details about your parents. I''d love to know when you''re ready to tell me. You must have some kind of Christmas radar, though, because that''s the day you started showing signs of getting better."


    I felt a sudden urge to call Jer and let him know I was okay. "I''ll do that once I move back to my room. When can the healere and take all this stuff off me?"


    "You''re not going back to your room," Ryker said firmly, tightening his hold on me.


    "What? Why not? Where am I supposed to go then?" I tried to look up at him, but the way he had me positioned made it awkward.


    "Apparently, Be and I both have a serious problem with locked doors when ites to you."


    "You didn''t... not again," I groaned.


    “It wasn''t me this time. Your Gamma was so furious when you sent him away, he got back before me and destroyed the door."


    He muttered thest part quietly. "And I might have done some damage to your patio door too. We''ve already moved all your things in here. This is where you belong."


    I sank into his side, feeling a strange mix of frustration andfort. Despite everything, this ce-this moment-felt like home.