Pledge to Me

Chapter Twelve

The forest surrounding our secluded cabin was bathed in the soft hues of twilight, a haven of tranquility away from the oppressive world we were trying to escape. Around the crackling campfire, the warmth of the flames seemed to dance in rhythm with our heartbeat. The bond that had formed between us during my heat was a secret we could no longer ignore.

Maybe it was the knowledge of what had transpired inside only hours ago made them suddenly long for the outdoors, but there was a quiet agreement to convene outside in the cold in front of the firepit we'd built last week.

I didn't know if they shared the same fear, but it felt like if I stepped one foot inside that room, inside the den I still hadn't deconstructed even after my heat waned, I'd be there on my knees again, taking their knots until the sun set another day.

That's why I sat out here, with the others, trying to stay warm under the layers and before the fire.

Leo roasted a few pieces of meat on some sticks from one of his earlier kills, still deadset on feeding me. But I didn't mind it this time. For some odd reason, I wasn't bothered by the treatment anymore. Instead, I chose to watch him, snuggling up with the blanket wrapped firmly around me.

It all began with a sense of wonder, an insatiable curiosity about how it had happened. The moment when we'd bitten each other's scent glands during that fervent heat had left us all in awe. In the teachings of the Trinity Church, an Omega bonded with only one Alpha, an absolute doctrine drilled into our minds. But as I looked at Leo and Anders, my Alphas, I couldn't help but question that rigid belief.

"Have you ever heard of anything like this happening before?" I said, voicing my thoughts into the night, full of muted wonder as I directed the question to Leo and Anders. The fire's flickering light cast a strange, almost surreal ambiance, punctuated by the full moon's glow.

Leo, the usually stoic Alpha, met my gaze with an intense, unreadable look in his eyes. "No, never," he admitted, his voice a deep, soothing rumble that sent shivers down my spine. "But does that mean it's wrong?"

It had to be, right? But then, maybe he had a point. It certainly didn't feel wrong. It felt absolutely right.

Anders, always the analytical thinker, chimed in, "Maybe we've been conditioned to believe that this kind of bond is forbidden by the Church. What if it's just another facet of our biology they've suppressed?"

The air was thick with unspoken tension, our thoughts heavy as we contemplated the implications of our newfound connection. It was a bond we couldn't reveal to anyone. How would we survive outside of this cocoon of safety? Everything would change once they went back to the Force and this training officially ended.

"Maybe," Anders began, his voice laced with frustration, "the Church's teachings are meant to keep us subservient, to control us. Make us believe we need their guidance, even when it doesn't make sense."

Leo nodded in agreement, his green gaze flickering with anger.

Anders continued on."They've been dictating our lives for so long, telling us how we should bond, who we should be with. It's as if they're creating a world where we're always dependent on them."

And we were, weren't we? Betas came first. They always did. And because of their self-proclaimed perfection, they've always held everything away from us, made us beg for scraps. And if we stepped out of line, they took everything away like they had the right.

Why did we let them?

I couldn't help but voice my own doubts. "We can't keep letting them dictate our happiness or suppress what we've found in each other. Our bond, it's real, isn't it?"

Our eyes met in a shared moment of determination, and the words that escaped Leo's lips sealed our unspoken pact. "Yes," he said firmly, "it's real."

"Then we can't let them take it away from us. Despite everything they've preached, I don't feel unbalanced. Not in the slightest. This is the most settled that I have ever felt in my entire life."

Anders and Leo nodded in agreement. Anders tugged me closer to his side, letting me feel some of his warmth and comfort through the layers of the blankets. Like a gentle breeze, he and Leo's scents washed over me, covering me in a cloud of protection.

I liked it. I actually fucking liked it. And I would do anything to keep it.

As the days turned into weeks, our relationship deepened, and we found solace in each other's presence. Instead of the assumed instability, we experienced an unexpected sense of equilibrium. Doubts about the Trinity Church's teachings began to creep into our minds, and we questioned the rhetoric that had dictated our lives.

As the weeks passed, our bond grew stronger, and our sanctuary in the heart of the forest became a haven where we could be ourselves, free from the watchful eyes of the Church and the Force, the obligation that had taken us from our possible futures.

But beneath the surface of our shared secret, a cloud of uncertainty hung. We knew that our time in hiding was limited, that the Force would eventually come for us, tearing us apart. The mere thought of leaving Leo and Anders behind, of being separated from them, tore at my heart.

One evening, sitting close to the fire, Anders brought up the topic we'd been avoiding. "What do we do when they come for us? When we return to the Force?"

A heavy silence fell upon us as we contemplated the impending separation. Leo's fingers brushed against mine, a reassurance that spoke volumes. "We can't let them see our bond," he said, his voice tinged with sorrow. "They can't know."

It'd be nearly impossible to hide. The bite marks on all of our scent glands would give us away almost instantly.

My chest tightened at the thought of being labeled as sacrilegious by the Church or having our bond forcibly severed. We couldn't allow it, but the weight of our secret pressed down on us.

Through out the month, despite how much I fought against the idea originally, I found myself slowly opening up to the idea of having Alphas in my life, Alphas who cared for me beyond the constraints of the Church's teachings. I realized that I enjoyed their company, that our bond had brought me a sense of belonging that I'd never experienced before.

For so long I had been the broken Omega. I didn't feel like that anymore, not with them.

Yet, the impending return to the Force gnawed at my apprehension. The thought of leaving Leo and Anders behind, of being separated from them, was unbearable. My heart ached at the void it would leave.

One evening, two days before the Force planned to retrieve us, lying beneath the starry sky, I couldn't contain my fears any longer. "I don't want to leave you both. I don't want you to go back to the Force and leave me behind."

Leo and Anders exchanged a knowing glance, their fingers intertwined with mine. "Then we won't," Leo said softly.

I looked at him, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Anders explained, "You could always stay in the Force."

"Wouldn't that be too risky? They'd find out we were bonded almost instantly," I protested, twisting to look at him.

He didn't seem perturbed in the slightest.

"It's a risk we already took. Too late to go back now. Besides, it would allow us to get a place together. Once our training is done and we're given official employment, we can get an apartment in the city, together. They won't question it, not if we don't give them a reason to."

Two Alphas and an Omega in one apartment, that would definitely draw suspicion. However, if I had been assigned to this group from the beginning, that means they already have one of us inputted as mated.

Could this actually work in our favor?

Tears welled up in my eyes as I realized what they were offering—a chance to be together, to defy the Church's teachings and the Force's authority. As the night stretched on, we whispered our promises to each other, our bond growing stronger with every word. We knew that we were choosing love over doctrine, unity over separation, and it felt like the most courageous decision we had ever made.

"Okay, I'll stay."