Title: Locked Room
Series: How Wild Are We
Characters: Kay Richards, Rhys Maddox
Summary: Rhys builds Kay a room for the full moons.
Notes: Written as part of Get Your Words Out's Build-A-Bingo Challenge, with the prompt "locked room."
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Kay ran her fingers over the padded walls. Soft cloth gave way to metal underneath. Strong enough to hold against an assault, cushioned to protect skin and bones. It reminded Kay of the way Hollywood portrayed mental hospitals: a room to lock someone in and throw away the key.
Only she would be the only one using this room, and only for the full moons. Even the flooring squished beneath her bare feet. In here, she wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone in her werewolf form. Perhaps it might even save her from the bruises, cuts, and scrapes she suffered before.
She walked a slow circle around the room. Rhys leaned in the doorway, watching her. “What are you thinking?” he murmured. “I haven’t signed off on the project yet, so the contractor can make any changes you’d like.”
While Rhys would spend the full moon leading his pack — their pack — Kay would be locked in here. It would keep the others safe from the monster within her. Even now, she could feel the telltale itch to transform creeping along her spine.
Without realizing it, her fingers traced the scars along her left arm. Here, in the Maddox mansion, she would never be confident enough to let anyone but Rhys see her scars. Her sweater hid the worst of the damage, but the wounds on her soul would always remain.
“The door is reinforced?” she finally murmured. “We need to make sure I can’t get out.”
“Triple,” Rhys confirmed. “Including a security lock here.” He tapped his knuckles against the keypad next to the door. “It requires both a thumbprint and passcode to unlock.”
“A human thumbprint?” Would her claws count?
“Yes.” Anyone else might have been frustrated, even exasperated by her questions. Rhys understood her fear, both at the monster within and the thought of hurting someone else.
No one should ever go through what Kay did. She’d make sure it never happened again.
“Who has the codes?” She pressed her nails into her scars through the fabric of her sweater, the pressure keeping her in the present moment.
“You and me. And anyone else you feel should have it.” He pushed off the doorframe and drew her into his arms. Kay melted into him, trapping her left arm between them. “Corwin, perhaps?”
Her brother should be able to use this room, but she knew what would happen should they both shift at the same time. Two werewolves, trapped in a small room? There would be nothing but blood and fur; it had happened before. “Yeah.”
Rhys cupped her cheek, guiding her head up. He stroked her cheekbone until she met his eyes. “I know the moons will never be ideal,” Rhys began. “I would give anything to change that for you. But since I can’t, ensuring you are safe and protected is the next best thing.”
Tears pricked behind her eyes. Kay buried her face into his chest. His scent flooded her lungs — espresso from his latte mixed with wild earth and crunchy fall leaves. It always comforted her, just as much as when Rhys held her.
He was her mate. More than that, he was her alpha. Rhys would never let anything happen to her. It was his role within the pack and vow he’d made the night they mated.
“I don’t—” She wanted to say she didn’t deserve it, but Rhys’ blue eyes on hers silenced her. “It’s perfect. But I’m still allowed to hate that I need it, right?”
“Of course.” Rhys pressed a kiss to her forehead. “All we can do is make the best of a bad situation. I wish I could stay with you.”
“No, you don’t.” Just because Kay couldn’t turn Rhys, as he was already a wolf, didn’t mean she couldn’t hurt him. She tightened her arm around his waist. “Will you be here when the sun comes up?”
He brushed his lips over hers. “As soon as I see the first rays of sunlight.”
Knowing Rhys would be waiting for her on the other side of the door eased some of the anxiety curling in her chest. Of course he’d also have to take care of the pack, since he was the alpha, but he’d never abandon his mate.
“As lovely a gift as this is” — and it was, even though Kay resented needing it — “please don’t be mad that I don’t want to hang out here any longer than necessary.”
“I understand.” With a hand on her shoulder, Rhys guided Kay out of the locked room. A quick input on the keypad had the door whooshing shut behind them.
Kay blinked. “Is that passcode what I think it is?”
Rhys grinned. “2187. Finn’s stormtrooper designation.”
“And Princess Leia’s cell block number.” References to her favorite movies always raised her spirits. “You did pay attention!”
“It’s important to you,” he said. “And easy for us both to remember.” Rhys smirked. “Even if we didn’t exactly watch most of the movie last time.”
Her cheeks reddened, remembering exactly what Rhys did that night, and how many times he’d made her scream with pleasure. “Maybe we could watch it again?” Kay suggested. “You know. To catch up on the parts you missed.”
He chuckled, low and deep, the kind that promised filthy thoughts and an entertaining evening. “I could be convinced.”
The full moon was only once a month. For as much as Kay feared it, she didn’t need it to rule her life, either. She’d struggle to accept that reality for the rest of her life, but it helped to have a mate who stood beside her every step of the way.
Tonight, they’d watch a movie, order in, and enjoy each other’s company — whether that meant snuggling or something more. Kay refused to let the full moon or the werewolf inside her decide her future.
Until then, the locked room in the Maddox mansion would be there, waiting for the night Kay needed it the most.
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