Four grueling, heart-wrenching days passed, far too slowly for Kell. It seemed as if he’d been in jail forever, his life on the outside only a terrible nightmare that he’d woken from to find himself forever a prisoner. The only time he spent outside of his cell was when he met with Braun or Ronin, and he came to treasure those respites. He loved seeing Braun again, but had no idea what to say to him. On the other hand, everything about Ronin, from his suit jackets to his scent, calmed Kell’s anxiety enough to help him think. His strength and formidable presence didn’t scare Kell; it bolstered him, and it got him through the memories they discussed on a daily basis.

And so far, Kell had only told him about the things Krause had done to him. Not the others.

On the fifth day—Kell had no sense of what day of the week it was anymore—he was waiting for his usual meeting with Ronin. The guards no longer left him cuffed to the table, so he paced back and forth, grateful for the larger space. But he was so out of shape that the pacing left him panting after only a few minutes, his heart racing too fast.

He wasn’t eating enough, he knew that, and not because the food was terrible. It was serviceable. No, his stomach was a constant tangle of nerves, and he frequently threw up whatever he’d eaten out of sheer terror that somehow, Senior Iverson had poisoned his food. He barely slept, because someone could come into his cell at any moment. This morning, he’d woken after a brief, hazy nap to find a dead, mutilated mouse on the floor of his cell, which was why he was pacing.

I won’t last much longer in here. I’ll either be killed, or end up hospitalized.

The hospital had even worse security.

Dizziness swamped him, and the world tilted sideways. Kell hit the floor on his left hip and cried out at the sudden shock of pain. He’d gotten unused to physical pain since Krause’s death, and this fresh reminder made his eyes water.

Naturally, this horrible moment of weakness was when Ronin opened the door.

“Kell?” He dropped his briefcase and raced over, bringing his wonderful, familiar scent. “What happened? Are you hurt?”

Ronin reached for his face, and Kell flinched away without thinking. Ronin, bless him, didn’t seem hurt by the instinctive reaction. “Got dizzy,” Kell replied.

“I’m not surprised. You’re dangerously thin and pale as paper. Are you eating?”

“Not really.” He tearfully confessed his fears of being poisoned and the dead mouse. “I’m so scared, Ronin, and I don’t know what to do.”

“Then my news is well timed. Hey, look at me.”

Kell dared raise his head and he focused on Ronin’s smiling mouth.

“I spoke to a judge on your behalf, and using my home as collateral, you’ve been released into my custody,” Ronin said.

Even though Kell both saw and heard the words, they didn’t make sense. “What do you mean?”

“It means that once the paperwork is processed and signed, you’re free to leave the station, and you’ll be my responsibility to produce at the trial date. If you don’t, I lose my house and go to jail for three months. It also means you’re under my protection as an alpha, so no one else can touch you without my permission. And Kell?” He brushed his knuckles lightly over Kell’s cheek. “No one will ever get my permission, do you understand?”

Kell’s heart began beating so hard he feared an attack. “I can leave?”

“Yes you can. No more nights spent wondering if you’ll be attacked. No more fear of your food.”

“You’re serious?”

“Dead serious. There are a few caveats around your behavior, but—”

Kell threw his arms around Ronin’s shoulders and hugged him tight, as a strange burble of laughter rose in his throat. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d laughed. “Thank you so much, oh my goddess, you saved my life.”

Ronin held him with his big, muscled arms. “You’re welcome, little one. I’ve hated leaving you here the past few days, and now you’ll be in a safe place.”

“Where are we going?” Kell didn’t honestly care, but if he didn’t ask questions, he’d probably give in to the urgent need to sob all over Ronin in gratitude.

“Tarek gave me the name of a place that rents micro-apartments long-term. They’re about the same size as a hotel room, but they have a small kitchen, as well as two-bedroom options.”

Kell’s entire body shook as a flash of terror over living with an alpha again struck him. “You mentioned caveats. Will I be allowed to leave the apartment?”

“As long as I’m with you, yes. However, and I know you aren’t going to like this, I’ve been instructed to keep you from interacting with anyone directly involved in this case.”

“I have no problem not interacting with Senior Iverson.”

Ronin frowned. “Unfortunately, that includes Braun, as well.”

“What?” Kell desperately wanted to spend time with Braun, more than almost anything in the world. Their brief, thirty-minute visits these last few days hadn’t been nearly enough to sustain him. “Why not?”

“Because the complaint against Braun is being used as evidence by the prosecution. And he’s being called as a witness by our side. I can speak to him on your behalf, but you aren’t allowed to interact outside of the courts.”

Kell wanted to complain, but the instinct to take what life dished out at him had been ground into him like shattered glass, painful and irritating against his skin. This alpha was giving him a gift with his freedom. He should take what was being offered without complaint. “I understand,” Kell said.

“I know this hurts, but in the long run, it’s for the best.”

“Anything that gets me out of this fucking jail is for the best.”

Ronin helped him stand. His hip ached from the fall, but Kell wasn’t permanently damaged. They both sat, and then Ronin fetched their usual waters. “I have a request,” Ronin said once they were settled.

“Okay.” Kell had nothing to offer Ronin, but he’d do his best.

“I’d like you to meet with a mental health doctor. This person specializes in memory disorders, so he might be able to help you unlock those hours you’ve repressed.”

Kell wasn’t sure he wanted to unlock those missing hours. Waking up in the hospital, his lower body in so much pain, he’d been glad he couldn’t remember what Krause had done when he returned to their bedroom. But if Kell remembered, perhaps he would remember not killing Krause. Maybe someone else did, and Kell had witnessed it?

“Can I think about the request?” Kell asked.

“Certainly. You saying yes or no doesn’t change your new living situation.” Ronin’s easy smile dropped. “Are you scared to live with me?”

“More nervous than scared. I’ve only known you a week.”

“And you find it difficult to trust, I understand. Will it help you sleep better at night if we install a lock on the inside of your bedroom door?”

“Yes.” Kell hated how quickly he’d responded to that, but Ronin didn’t seem offended.

“Then we will. My only motive here is to keep you safe, Kell, I promise. And I’ve said it before, but I will never, ever demand sexual favors from you in return for my generosity. I swear on the lives of my very large family.”

Kell’s lips twitched. “I believe you.”

“I may, however, ask favors such as vacuuming and light dusting on occasion.”

“I think I can manage that. And I can cook. I’m not gourmet, or anything, but after our omegin died, I did most of the cooking for Braun and our father.”

“That sounds like a fair trade. You give me a shopping list, and I’ll buy anything you want.”

“We can’t shop together?”

Ronin shook his head. “I don’t think will be safe for you. Being inside, you’ve been shielded from the media, but your name and face is all over the news. An omega murderer is a big deal, and they’re broadcasting it in other provinces, even thousands of miles away. When we leave, we’re going out a private exit, in an unmarked car, so no one knows where we’re going.”

Kell’s heart fell. “So I’m trading one prison for another.”

“This new prison has a balcony view of downtown.”

“I’ll take it.” Kell missed seeing the outdoors. He longed for fresh air, a comfortable bed, and food he wasn’t terrified could kill him. “Thank you again for this. You didn’t have to.”

“Yes, I did.” Ronin started to reach out, then snatched his hand back. “I care about you, Kell. I couldn’t live with myself if you were left suffering here for weeks, as we lead up to the trial.”

He imagined Ronin was getting tired of being thanked, so Kell took a chance and reached out. He lightly squeezed Ronin’s wrist. Ronin surprised him by twisting his hand so they were palm to palm, fingers entwined. It was an oddly intimate gesture that had a sudden, unexpected result. Warmth crept up Kell’s hand and spread from his shoulder to his toes. His belly warmed, too, and his heart kicked.

The mating bond. He knew what it was without asking, deep down in his heart and soul. The omega in him urged Kell to sink to his knees and defer authority to his alpha. The battered mate accused of murder refused to cow to another alpha ever again—or to mate with one.

Kell snatched his hand away.

Ronin’s nostrils flared, and despite using a suppressor, Kell scented the alpha’s distinctive pheromones. Pheromones that, combined with an omega’s heat, would produce a knot and possible pregnancy. A pregnancy that could be fatal for Kell.

No, no bonding, no mating, not ever again.

“I didn’t mean for that to happen,” Ronin said, his tone soft and sad. “I’m sorry if you’re offended by me.”

“Offended?”

“Perhaps offended isn’t the right word. I should be honest with you, Kell, I felt a mating bond with you all those years ago, that day with the cupcakes.”

Kell’s eyebrows shot up. “You did?”

“I didn’t realize what it was until later, when I missed you and couldn’t understand why. It happened when I was comforting you.”

The confession both confused and delighted him, but the confusion was stronger. “Why didn’t you ever say anything?”

“Because of our age difference. I didn’t want to pressure you into making any promises to me, especially when you were still so young, and so far from your first heat.”

Anger turned that small bit of delight into ash. “Right. No sense in tying yourself to a too-young omega who might not heat fast enough to satisfy your hungry alpha cock and give you babies.”

Ronin’s mouth fell open. “No! I thought you needed to have a choice in the matter, so I gave it time, and then we moved, and there was no time left. I debated telling you the day I went to your house to say goodbye, but then it didn’t matter, because you weren’t home. That felt like a sign from the universe to let you go.”

The genuine grief in Ronin’s voice doused most of Kell’s anger, replacing it with a smidge of sympathy. “And then you never found another omega that you bonded with. You’ve been alone these last ten years.”

“I’ve been alone, and I left you behind to live in one hell after another. It’s time I fixed that mistake.”

Mistake, right. He regrets that what he did landed me in jail for murder. That’s all this is. That’s all this can be.

Someone knocked. Constable Jenks poked his head inside. “The paperwork is processed. You’re free to go, Mr. Kell.”

The words “you’re free to go” bounced around in Kell’s mind like a ping pong ball. They didn’t make any real sense. He was technically free to go, but he wasn’t free. He was going to an apartment where he’d have to stay until the trial. But he was leaving this particular place, this hellish jail where he’d cowered in terror of everyone for the last week of his life.

Everyone except Ronin.

“Excellent news,” Ronin said. “Is my car waiting?”

“It is,” Jenks replied. “I’ll escort you both to the garage. Media hasn’t been made aware Mr. Kell’s release, so you should get to your destination with no issues.”

“My thanks.”

“I brought this, as well.” Jenks stepped inside and held out a paper shopping bag. “I didn’t figure he’d want to leave in the jumpsuit, and he wasn’t wearing anything when he was taken to the hospital.”

“Again, our thanks.” Ronin accepted the bag, because Kell didn’t have enough sense to assume whatever was it in was for him.

“There’s a washroom two doors down where he can change.”

Ronin handed the bag to Kell, who finally snapped out of it. The bag held clothes and a pair of shoes. For him.

“Thank you,” he said to Jenks.

“You’re welcome,” Jenks said. “I’m investigating you because it’s my job, not because I think you should be punished for what you did. No one should have to live like that, not even an omega.” Before Kell could be grateful to the man, he ruined it by adding, “You folks need discipline, sure, but not torture.”

Ronin growled and put a hand on Kell’s shoulder.

Jenks backed out of the room.

“Come on,” Ronin said. “Let’s get you changed and get the hell out of here.”

“Yes, please.”

* * *

The jeans and sweater Jenks had provided were a little loose, and there was no belt, so Kell had to hold his pants up with his hands as they walked to the underground garage. He’d never complain, though, not for such an unexpected, generous gift from an alpha who expected nothing in return except thanks.

A black car with heavily tinted windows was idling near the stairwell exit, with a patrolman watching over it. Ronin stayed in front of Kell as he surveyed the underground lot, which seemed empty of other people, before leading him to the passenger side of the car. Kell expected to be ushered into the backseat, as had always been his place, but Ronin opened the front passenger door for him.

Kell slid inside, marveling at the unique experience of being in the front seat of a car for the first time in his life. He fiddled with the air vents and adjusted his seat, amused by the novelty. Ronin climbed into the driver’s seat and buckled himself in, so Kell did the same.

“Can anyone see me?” Kell asked.

“Not with this tinting. They’d have to press their nose to the glass to even get a glimpse.”

“Oh good.” He could look his fill without worrying that someone might see him and recognize the omega killer.

The garage itself was boring, and then they were outside in steaming sunlight, its glare lessened by the tinted windows. Kell longed to roll the window down simply to feel the sun on his face, but he’d have that chance once they were safe. Ronin was being so generous that Kell didn’t want to chance discovery, or risk angering him.

An alpha’s unpredictable temper was what worried Kell the most about this arrangement. While Krause had never been exactly sweet or doting, during those first few days of courtship, before Kell was given to Krause as a mate, he had been…nice. He never once showed his actual temper, despite the occasional belittling statement about omegas and their proper uses. Kell had expected life with Krause to be unpleasant, but tolerable.

He’d had no idea of the monster lurking beneath Krause’s posh suits and sunny smiles.

Kell drank in the sights as Ronin drove, enjoying the ability to…well, enjoy something as simple as a car ride. On the rare occasions he went anywhere with Krause, whether to a charity function or a fancy dinner out, Kell never seemed to leave the same general neighborhood. Fancy, expensive homes and fancy, expensive restaurants. The constabulary headquarters and attached jail was smack in the middle of the province, surrounded by the various neighborhoods and all the life and color they brought.

He watched three teens on a street corner passing a bottle in a brown paper bag. They passed two men arguing over something, making gestures that could lead to a fight. Men bought hot dogs from cart vendors and newspapers from dispensing machines. They walked with coffee cups and soda cans in hand. They waited at bus stops for the proper ride. Everyday people doing everyday things, and probably taking their freedom for granted.

Kell would never take freedom for granted again.

The radio only broadcasted at night, so the ride was silent, and he never stopped looking. So many faces in every shade of color on the streets of a province he’d lived in his entire life. If he asked a random stranger about the omega who was accused of murdering his alpha, what would they say? Hang him? Set him free? No way an omega had the stones to kill an alpha? Kell hadn’t seen any of the news coverage about himself, and he didn’t want to. He didn’t want to see if he was being portrayed as a violent killer, or as a pathetic, abused omega who wasn’t worth the taxpayers’ time to try in court.

Ignorance was truly bliss.

The apartment complex Ronin drove them to had its own underground parking, and he found a spot easily. “I have to go up to the main office and sign some paperwork and get keys,” Ronin said. “It’s probably safer if you wait here.”

“Okay.”

Kell didn’t mind. It was the first time he’d be completely alone in a non-jail setting in ages.

“All right, just keep the doors locked. No one should be able to see you, but an alpha might be able to scent you if one walks by.”

Oh wonderful.

“I’ll stay here, I promise,” Kell said.

“I’ll be back quickly.”

For an instant, Ronin looked like he was going to lean across the dash and kiss him. Thankfully, he got out of the car and shut the door. Kell hit the automatic door locks, and only then did he realize Ronin had left the keys in the ignition. A show of trust, perhaps? Trust that Kell wouldn’t start the car and try to drive away, despite having never driven a car in his entire twenty-four years? Trust that he wouldn’t run?

Running held some appeal. He could hit the streets and run as long and hard as his legs would carry him—except he was malnourished and exhausted, and he’d be lucky if his legs carried him out of the parking garage, much less a whole city block. Maybe Ronin knew that. He knew Kell wasn’t strong enough to run away, so he had no reason to fear leaving his keys behind.

What if he left them because he trusts you, you idiot?

No. That was stupid. Ronin’s house was on the line, if Kell didn’t appear in court. The keys had to have been left as a mistake. And Kell wouldn’t shit on Ronin’s continued kindness by running.

Another car arrived and parked while he waited, but the pair of men who exited didn’t so much as glance at his car on their way to the elevator. Bored, Kell popped open the glove box, curious if this was Ronin’s car or a rental. He guessed rental, because the car had a faintly blah smell, and the paperwork inside proved him correct. It also listed Ronin’s home address.

Kell whistled long and low. Ronin had traveled more than five hundred miles to represent Kell in this case. He’d mentioned his home province, but Kell hadn’t fully understood that Ronin had come from so far away until now. Humbled by the discovery, he put the paperwork away and shut the glove box. He checked the radio out of boredom and got the expected static of silent stations.

Province-run radio was annoying as hell, leaving so many hours of silent airwaves. Kell desperately wanted music in that moment. So much so that he started singing one of his favorite songs. A lullaby Omegin used to sing when he and Braun were young. A happy song about the moon and the stars and love. He’d sung this song to Branson over and over while his son slept in his arms.

Kell’s heart and arms ached for his missing son, and he nearly wept with the force of his grief. No parent should ever have to grieve the loss of a child, whether from death or an unexpected, almost violently fast adoption. Krause decided, and Krause acted, leaving Kell to suffer the fallout.

“What sort of man will you be when you’re grown?” Kell asked the dashboard. “Please be loving and kind, my boy.”

He couldn’t stop a few stray tears, and he was still wiping them away when Ronin startled him by knocking on the window. Kell quickly checked his reflection, and then hit the unlock button. Ronin opened the rear driver’s door to grab his briefcase. “We’re good to go,” he said.

“Okay.” Kell pulled the keys from the ignition, and then climbed out of the car. He handed the keys over to Ronin, who took them with a happy smile.

A smile that faded. “What’s wrong?”

“Thinking unpleasant thoughts.” Kell waved a dismissing hand in the air. “It’s fine, I’m okay.”

“I hate that you’re hurting.”

“I know.”

Nothing else was said on the elevator ride to their floor. Ronin led him down a long corridor lined with numbered doors, until finally stopping at an end unit. He unlocked the sturdy-looking door, then stepped back so Kell could go in first.

Kell stopped a few steps inside and surveyed the new landscape. Open living space and television directly ahead, with a small galley-style kitchen off to the right. Behind the living area was a set of glass sliding doors and a balcony, as promised. Near the kitchen was a short hallway and three more doors. It smelled clean and fresh, instead of like urine and sadness.

“It’s nice,” Kell said. He stood there awkwardly, unsure what to do next. He didn’t have any clothes of his own, not even a toothbrush to his name. The snick of the door shutting behind him sent a flash of panic into his gut.

He was alone. With an alpha.

He won’t hurt me. Believe in that. Ronin won’t hurt me.

“Are you hungry?” Ronin asked. He passed Kell to place his briefcase on the small dinette set near the kitchen. “The pantry isn’t stocked yet, but we can order delivery. Anything you want.”

“I don’t know what I want.” After three years of sitting down to whatever meal that day’s cook decided to provide, Kell had stopped expecting. Stopped asking. The only time he’d been somewhat indulged was during his pregnancy cravings, and even then, it was Cook being kind, not a directive from Krause.

Ronin turned slowly, his expression carefully schooled. “What’s your favorite food?”

“Um.” The question made Kell’s head feel foggy, full of sand. Hard to think.

No, it wasn’t the question, because the world tilted again. Ronin scooped him up in his strong, capable arms, and gently deposited Kell on the couch. Kell sat there while the room stopped spinning and Ronin’s anxious face came back into focus.

“You need a doctor,” Ronin said.

“No, I’m okay, I just need food. I honestly don’t care what you order.” Kell’s gut gnawed at him with equal parts hunger and anxiety. He hoped all that was wrong with him was needing a few proper meals. But the hospital had cleared him for release to the jail, so….

Ronin still looked skeptical, but he got up and rummaged around the kitchen until he found a phonebook. He flipped through the pages a while, before calling someplace with the apartment’s landline. Kell didn’t pay much attention, too distracted by his new circumstances. This apartment would be his home for however long it took for the trial to begin and end. This could easily be his last home before prison or the gallows. No omega had ever been executed, but this was a unique case.

Kell didn’t want to believe he was capable of murder, but it didn’t matter what he believed. In the end, it only mattered what the jury believed.

And that was all up to Ronin.

Ronin brought him a glass of water from the tap. It had a faint chemical smell, but Kell sipped at it anyway. “This is usually the time of day when we’re talking about your past,” Ronin said, “but how about we take the day off? After we eat, I need to run out and go shopping. We need food, and I have to stop by my old hotel and get my stuff. And then get you some more clothes and basic stuff.”

“I need a toothbrush,” Kell said.

“Of course. How about we make a list?”

“Okay.”

By the time they’d compiled a long list of not only groceries, but also personal items Kell needed, the doorbell rang. Kell moved to a corner of the room not visible from the door, while Ronin accepted their food delivery. The tantalizing scents of tomatoes and garlic filled the room, but Ronin didn’t have a pizza box in his hands. He took a paper bag marked Dino’s over to the dining table.

“Come see what we’re feasting on,” Ronin said.

Kell walked to the table and watched Ronin take four white cartons out of the bag. Each one had a different pasta dish in it, portioned for at least three people. Basic spaghetti and meatballs in one, lasagna in another. The other two, he wasn’t sure.

“That one is penne in vodka sauce,” Ronin said, pointing, “and the other is, under all that melted cheese, stuffed shells. I wasn’t sure what you’d like, so I got a buffet.” Ronin smiled shyly, and it hit Kell in the heart. Ronin was trying to impress him.

“Thank you,” Kell said. “They all smell amazing.”

“Take what you want, but start with small portions. You don’t want to shock your stomach.” Ronin also produced four different cans of chilled soda from the bag. “Whatever you want.”

Kell selected the lemon-lime soda, and then searched the cupboards for plates. Rentals like this always had cheap stuff on hand. He found the stack of plates, grabbed two, and then found cutlery in the very last drawer he checked. They set the small table together, and then sat down to eat.

The penne and vodka sauce looked safe enough, so Kell took a small scoop of that. The sauce was kind of sweet, but had enough tomato-y flavor to not make him queasy. When the penne stayed down, he sampled a bit of the lasagna. Cook had made an excellent lasagna; this was better. It had more sauce, more cheese, more meat. Just…more.

Kell didn’t know who Dino was, but he was a very good cook.

He resisted the other two dishes. His belly was already full and he didn’t want to risk vomiting up the delicious food. Ronin ate big portions, but there was still some of everything left over. Kell tried to put it away, but Ronin stopped him. Assured him Kell could rest while Ronin cleaned up.

An omega’s duty was to tend to their alpha, and Ronin wasn’t his alpha. Didn’t stop the instincts from kicking in, though.

“No one should have this landline number,” Ronin said, “but if it rings, don’t answer it. Unless it rings once, and then hangs up, and calls back. Then it’s me, asking you a question.”

“Okay.”

“And don’t answer the door if anyone knocks.”

“Okay.” The whole thing felt over-the-top and ridiculous, but Kell’s life was in danger, especially if Senior Iverson discovered where he was. He was probably in a state of apoplectic shock over learning Kell had been released on bond at all.

“I’ll try not to be gone long, but this is my mobile number in case you need me.” Ronin handed him a business card.

“Thank you.” Kell pocketed the card and nearly lost his oversized pants in the process.

“Try to relax a little while I’m gone.”

“I’ll do my best.”

After Ronin left, Kell turned the deadbolt as instructed. The silence of the apartment squeezed down on top of him, both exciting and overwhelming. He was alone. In a quiet space. No one to torment him, taunt him, or otherwise wish him harm. No moody mate to walk in and demand sex. No one there except himself and his thoughts.

Kell opened the balcony door and stepped out into crisp, cool air. The sounds of the city spread out into the distance, as did the sights. Cars drove up and down the streets. People walked the sidewalks. They ate, talked, and went about their lives, not knowing they were being spied upon by a tired, worried omega accused of murder.

But did I do it?

That was the most important, unanswered question of all.