As Lake had dragged him out of the shed and toward a house that was both surprisingly normal looking, save for the glass walls, and surprisingly close by, the sunlight was unbearable. John had been bound to the bench for so long that the moment Lake released his arms, he collapsed on the wooden floor.

For a few moments, Lake stared down at him, carefully considering. John’s entire body was trembling, and he couldn’t tell if it was from physical shock, dehydration, exhaustion, or the truth he had just learned. Perhaps a combination of all of the above.

When Lake finally spoke, it was as if he hadn’t spent the last month torturing John. As if they were old friends. “You’ll be needing a shower,” he remarked. “Can you stand?”

John stared up at him, frozen in disbelief. He didn’t know what new game this was, but adrenaline got him back to his feet even as his teeth chattered. Lake kept things cool, and his house, while lavish and comfortable, was a stark temperature change from the humid shed.

“Come,” he said, turning to lead John down the hallway.

The beta stood where he was only for a second. Even if he could reach the door, he had no doubt Lake was prepared. No doubt he wouldn’t make it past the entrance without getting shot. It was still a risk he might have taken a day ago, if he’d had the chance. Before everything had changed and his life was no longer his own to risk.

The bathroom was as big as John’s entire apartment, and everything was blue or white or chrome. It felt appropriately like the winter kingdom the rest of the home was and as he stepped onto the tile with his bare feet, a shiver ran down his spine. “I will leave you to your privacy,” Lake said, taking the razor off the ledge of the tub.

John stared at him. “Why are you doing this?” he asked, his voice shaking like the rest of him. He wasn’t sure where the line was between the physical cold and the one Lake’s gaze sent through him.

“You are carrying Peter’s child,” he repeated, as if that was all the explanation needed to make sense of his bizarre one-eighty in behavior. “The rules of the game have changed.”

With that, he closed the door and left John to wonder what new horrors this “game’ would bring. For the moment, the prospect of showering like a human being was too tempting to linger on it. His hands were too weak to turn the water dials at first, but he finally got them on. Hot steam filled the room as he climbed in and barely managed to grasp the rail before he collapsed. He sank gradually to the tile floor and let the water run over him.

It burned. It was agony, and it was glorious. He trembled, his teeth chattering and his breath hissing through them as the dried blood melted on his skin, running down the drain in dark rivulets. It seemed to take forever until the water ran clean, but his tender skin finally adjusted to the water and he let himself relax against the shower wall.

The shift in position sent stabbing pain down his spine and he let out a rush of breath with a moan of anguish, but it was too much to stand up. He let the water pour over him and batter his aching muscles. He wasn’t consciously aware of curling up on his side under the blanket of the water, his hand pressed protectively to his stomach. The exhaustion had simply taken over and while he’d never fallen asleep in the bathtub before, it was the first time he’d truly slept in weeks.

At some point, he became aware of the water being turned off and a thick robe with the texture of a heavy towel being wrapped around his body as he was lifted out of the shower. He was too weak to open his eyes, too afraid of what he’d find if he did. The Alpha’s scent was familiar enough to fool him with fevered hallucinations and he called out to Peter in his half-conscious state.

He was placed beneath the blankets in a large bed with a surprising amount of care, covered to his shoulders. He felt someone standing in the room, watching him for a long time, saying and doing nothing. When he finally managed to pry his eyes open, he saw Lake with a troubled expression, just staring at him like he was the one who was bewildered.

He passed out before he could decide whether that act of bizarre kindness was part of the dream.

* * *

When John opened his eyes, he smelled food and was convinced it was a hallucination. The fact that he’d fallen asleep in a real bed had to be part of it. As he sat up, his body screamed in protest, but he saw the clothes waiting for him on the foot of the bed.

Lake’s strange hospitality the night before came back to haunt him. At least, he thought it had been a night. He pulled on the shirt and pants, surprised there was a sweater with them. The house wasn’t nearly as chilly as it had been the night before. In fact, it was warm.

John reached for the door, hesitating until he realized that he’d been asleep for hours and if Lake wanted him dead, he already would be. He found the Alpha in the kitchen with a massive butcher knife in his hand as he carved raw steak into paper-thin slices.

“Hello,” he said in that new pleasant tone that unnerved John to no end. The beta kept a safe distance and the Alpha looked down at the bloody knife for a second before setting it aside. “I thought you could use some protein.”

“What do you want?” John asked, folding his arms. A moment alone with Lake and he felt the chill again, regardless of how warm the apartment was.

“Sit down,” he ordered, gesturing to the stool at the counter across from him. John chose not to linger, if only because standing still took too much energy out of him.

Once he was seated, Lake turned away to deposit a few slices of seasoned meat into a pan on the range. “As I told you last night, he rules have changed.”

“Because I’m pregnant?” John asked doubtfully. How could a man who had such little conscience care about such a thing?

Lake studied him thoughtfully without putting down the knife. “You think of me as cruel,” he said, dousing another row of steak slices with pepper and salt. “You come from a different world. In my world, we call what you view as cruelty fairness.”

“Fair?” John gritted out. “You think torturing someone you’ve never met for weeks at a time to get back at the man you call brother for daring to have his own life is fair?”

Lake’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t strike out the way John would have assumed. The most disturbing thing about his malice was that it didn’t seem to come from a temper at all. He was calm and collected, ice and stone.

“Pyotr betrayed me,” he said calmly. “You are the price for that.” He paused. “You were.”

“So now you’re not going to kill me?”

“Not now. I haven’t figured out what I’m going to do long-term yet.”

“You mean after the baby is born?” John asked warily. On the one hand, the idea of spending that length of time in the Alpha’s “care” was horrifying, but on the other, it would give his child a chance to live.

“We will see.”

He could tell from the edge in the other man’s voice that he was done being questioned. That was usually the point at which John would pull out all the stops, but this was no routine investigation and the stakes were too high to push his buttons. He decided to try another tactic, even though it was not one that came easily to him.

Civility.

“Thank you,” he said as the Alpha placed a plate in front of him.

Lake gave him a look that said he knew what John was doing, but he said nothing. He started eating and John picked up his fork and knife. Somehow, the fact that Lake trusted him with one made him all the warier. “Shit,” he hissed as the three unbroken fingers on his right hand seized up on him, still numb and aching at the same time. He dropped his silverware, but before he could try again, Lake pulled his plate away.

John assumed this was another one of his games, his stomach aching in protest, but he didn’t say a word. Instead, Lake patiently cut up the steak into bite-sized pieces before sliding the plate back across the counter. “You need to eat,” he explained. “I’ll have a doctor examine you in the morning, but protein deficiency is not good for the pregnancy.”

Sometimes, John couldn’t tell if the Alpha was mocking him but it was far from safe to make that assumption. He swallowed his pain as he gripped his fork and took a bite. After barely subsisting on what little unappealing food Lake brought him, he was starving, but his body wasn’t used to eating. It took him a moment to swallow, only when he was sure he’d be able to keep the bite down.

“I have matters to attend to this evening,” Lake said casually, taking a sip from his glass. Probably whiskey, if he shared Peter’s taste. He’d offered the beta sparkling cider instead, but John had chosen to stick with water. The fact that Lake was suddenly that concerned with his health, or at least the health of the baby growing within him, was both unnerving and a relief.

John just wasn’t sure how long it would last.

“When will I see Peter?” he ventured, afraid of how long the Alpha would be gone even though he was equally afraid of his return.

“Not yet,” said Lake. “Not for a while.”

John wanted to press him but something told him not to. The little voice that had gotten him out of more impossible situations than he could count. He’d learned to heed it.

“It may not seem it, but we are not alone here,” he said calmly. “You may have free roam of the place, but I suggest that you don’t take advantage of it damaging property trying to escape. My guards have been instructed not to harm you, but accidents do happen and it would be unfortunate if the child was harmed.”

It sounded like a threat. It should have been, yet something in the Alpha’s blank gaze and monotone made John see it as a fair warning. He said nothing as Lake stood and grabbed a long black coat out of the closet. It hung intimidatingly over his broad shoulders, covering the hair pulled back at the base of his neck.

Without another word, Lake left and John heard the car in the driveway start up shortly after. Once he could no longer see Lake’s headlights through the window fog, he immediately tried the door.

Locked.

When he turned around, a blond man in a gray suit was staring at him. John was sure he had a weapon on him, but he made no move for it. The impassive look on his face made it clear he knew he didn’t need to.

John was outnumbered. He was alone. His only hope of escape was to wait and play by the rules Lake had established.

All he could do was hope that Peter was able to do the same.