The wheels of Erika's car stopped with a soft screech as she parked in front of the building. She got out with clumsy movements, as if her body still didn't obey her; her hands trembled even as she slammed the door shut, shaking with the noise.
A few meters behind her, a dark car remained motionless. Inside, Emma, at the wheel, watched silently, her jaw clenched, her eyes fixed on Erika's swaying figure. Her lower lip was caught between her teeth.
Alison also stared at the omega. Her brow furrowed, and she pulled out her phone and dialed a number, without taking her eyes off her.
"Answer... please answer," she whispered through her teeth, while the ringtone echoed like a silent countdown.
The scene faded away, swallowed by the stillness of the building Erika was heading toward.
Once inside, Belion crossed the hall as if walking underwater, leaning against the wall with her palm extended, dragging her feet.
The hallway lights flickered unsteadily, but she ignored them. The older Belion felt empty and dirty.
The stairs were a torment. Each step was a protest from exhausted muscles. More than once, her body faltered, and she held on to the handrail as best she could, panting as if all the air in the building was foreign to her.
Finally, she reached the door. She recognized it not by sight, but by the feeling of security emanating from the old, worn wood. She didn't have time to look for the keys she had, since the door opened from the inside before she could.
"Erika."
The voice was firm, warm. Familiar.
Melina was there.
As soon as she saw her stumble, the younger woman ran to support her with both arms. Erika fell into her embrace, losing what little strength she had, recognizing the scent of home on her sister's skin. That scent that always comforted her.
"Come on... you're okay. You're home now," Melina murmured, with a measured calmness that contrasted with the agitation in Erika's chest.
Without another word, the younger woman led them both through the door, closing it with her foot and blocking it as best she could. She held Erika by her side while the older woman wordlessly let herself be led.
On the way, Melina took the coat she was wearing, leaving it on the side of the floor, making a mental note to look for it later.
When they arrived at Omega's room, the younger woman helped her sit on the edge of the bed. Her movements were precise and gentle, not wanting to make any sudden movements as if she had rehearsed them many times in her mind.
She undressed her carefully, without intruding. Taking off the dress she was wearing slowly, letting Erika set the pace, avoiding any gesture that might make her feel more exposed.
When she finished, she gently tucked her under the sheets in silence. She watched as her sister turned her face to the side, closing her eyes as her breathing began to calm.
Melina leaned down a little and kissed her temple.
"Good night, sister," she whispered, with a fierce tenderness that seemed too great for someone so young. "I'm here. You're not alone."
Erika didn't respond.
Sighing a little, Melina left the room silently, closing the door as slowly as she could, leaving one palm resting on the wood.
"You're safe," she murmured. "You'll always be safe here... I swear to you, sister. I'll always be here to hold you."
Now calmer, the little white-haired girl began to walk down the hallway toward the room she shared with Rose, but after a few steps, her body tensed and her legs began to tremble. The wave of heat hit her like an invisible wall, forcing her to lean against the wall, gritting her teeth, until she finally fell to her knees without a sound.
A dense, vibrating pressure coursed through her chest.
Melina closed her eyes, clenching her teeth until her jaw ached, trying not to release the scream burning in her throat. But even so, small growls escaped her, deep, guttural, too raw for a child. Between her parted lips, her fangs poked out, sharp, new, undeniable.
And then, she recognized what was happening, and instantly she hated it.
(Shit... so many days of holding on. And right now, right now, my body decides to betray me.) She thought desperately, as the tremor ran down her spine like a shock.
All of this revealed something the little girl was trying so hard to hide.
Her introduction as a wolf.
Since her introduction had come weeks ago, in the middle of a stifling dawn. She woke up drenched in sweat, her heart pounding in her chest, and a strange, raw, and thick smell was coming from her body and filling the air around her. She didn't need anyone to tell her what was happening to her to realize what was happening.
That night, she could only stagger out, her muscles tense and her senses heightened, locking herself in the bathroom as best she could, trembling, and in front of the mirror, she saw him.
The wild gleam in his eyes.
The uncontrollable trembling.
The fangs are showing.
The truth is impossible to ignore or deny.
She was no longer a child. She was no longer just a sister. Something else had been revealed within her.
But she kept it a secret.
She learned to hide the changes, to breathe deeply when instinct ignited, to bite her tongue when the inner voice demanded control. No one knew, not even Erika.
But tonight... tonight had ruined everything.
The outbreak of her sister's heat, the vulnerability in her gaze, the overwhelming scent that saturated the air... all of it had touched something primal and deep in Melina. Something she could no longer fully contain. The wolf stirred beneath her skin, scratching, howling, wanting to get out.
(You can't. Not here. Not now.) She repeated to herself, digging her claws into the ground, seeking to anchor herself to something.
Erika mustn't know.
Because if she did, if she ever smelled or sensed it, she would do what she always did: sacrifice herself. She'd find a specialist, work as many shifts as possible, beg for favors, buy suppressants they couldn't afford... All for her. She'd do it without thinking, without asking.
Melina couldn't allow it.
She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling another growl wanting to come out, but she stifled it by biting her tongue. The metallic taste anchored her.
(If I'd been with her a little longer... if she'd smelled me... she would have caught me) The thought chilled her with fear.
She shouldn't add any more weight to those already cracked shoulders.
She took a deep breath, holding back her trembling, forcing herself to remember the way Erika went out every day, limp, smiling so as not to worry them. The way she endured everything in silence.
(Hang in there. If she can handle everything she endures every day, you can handle this too. It's not that hard, right? It's just another night... It's like the rest.)
Little by little, the heat subsided. The ringing in her ears faded. The trembling continued, but now it was fainter, making it more bearable.
She sat up slowly, but more firmly.
For Rose. For Erika.
For the promise no one asked her to make, but which she decided to keep anyway: not to be another burden.
Even if it meant swallowing her own nature. Even if it consumed her, day after day, night after night.
Melina Belion refused to become a bigger burden on her family.