The Alphas Next Door

KAIA

Hailey's nursing quietly, her tiny fingers clutching the hem of my shirt like it's her lifeline. I'm halfway through humming something off-key and dozing off when the front door opens.

I don't look up right away. He usually mumbles a half-hearted hello and disappears up the stairs since he's always in a foul mood after work.

But then I hear it.

A thud followed by the unmistakable scrape of luggage wheels.

I pause, blinking before looking up.

And indeed, Robert draws a brown Versace luggage into the living room.

"Hey Rob." I call in a whisper. "Are we expecting anyone?"

He scoffs as he leaves the box by the sofa and proceeds outside again.

Robert is weird.

I turn back to Hailey who's still sucking me eagerly, eyes closed, sweat framing her chubby cheeks.

The door opens again and I turn back to see Rob. My breath catches in my throat because this time... he's not alone.

He holds a pink bag, his other hand intertwined with another lady I've never seen before.

She's stunning.

Luscious bright golden hair, olive skin, curves and... a protruding belly.

"Rob..." I call hesitantly. "Is she... a friend?"

"No." He says, leading her into our... his home. He always tells me it's not our house since I didn't make any contribution financially.

"Who's she then?" I ask.

"Kaia, this is Bethany. Bethany, this is Kaia. Kaia, Bethany is already tired from the seven hours journey, coupled with the fact that she's pregnant. I'll be back shortly."

He didn't wait for my response as he drags the luggage and takes Bethany's hand before tugging her upstairs.

I don't cry.

Not when I tuck Hailey into her bassinet, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead while her little lips still make sucking motions in her sleep. Not when I straighten, heart pounding, the echo of heels on the stairs creeping down like a countdown to my unraveling.

I don't cry.

I straighten.

Because if there's one thing Robert taught me-accidentally-it's how to bleed quietly.

Some minutes later, he comes down the stairs with his jacket already off, sleeves rolled, like this is just another Tuesday. Like he didn't just bring a stranger-a pregnant stranger-into the living room while my milk is still warm from feeding our daughter.

"Rob," I say, keeping my voice even, fingers curled slightly at my sides. "What is going on?"

He doesn't meet my gaze as he heads for the open kitchen, muttering something about being tired.

I follow him. "Please don't tell me it's what I'm thinking Rob. Is this why you told me to move out of the Masters bedroom two months ago?"

He stops and exhales like I'm the one being unreasonable. "It is."

The world stops. My breath catches in my throat.

I've been expecting this day. I just didn't expect it to come so soon.

First, he stopped listening.

Then, he almost stopped caring.

Eventually, he stopped looking at me like I was someone worth losing. In the house, I feel like we were roommates instead of partners.

Worst of all, I'm happier without him because every interaction leads to a full blown argument. We haven't had sex in a year, unless you count passive-aggressive laundry folding as foreplay.

So yeah, I saw it coming.

I just had thought we had a little more time before the whole damn thing went up in smoke.

Turns out some fires don't need matches. Just silence and a side chick named Bethany.

But still, I latch on.

I spare a glance at sleeping Hailey and turn back to Rob, shaking my head wildly. "You can't do this to me, Rob."

He turns to me, a tired look on his face.

"I can Kaia. See, the baby in her belly is a boy. And we both know mom doesn't like you. Mom likes her and I'm going to marry her soon. She didn't get pregnant at seventeen."

I gulp.

She didn't get pregnant at seventeen.

Fuck, that hurts.

Tears prickle at my eyes.

I take a step closer, shaking my head. I latch onto his arm, gripping it tightly. "No Rob. Please don't do this." I shake my head. "You can't do this to me. Hailey is only seven months. Why do you always do this to us? How will you act if I was the one that keeps cheating everytime-"

A resounding slap lands on my left cheek, jerking me away.

"I... I..." I stammer, speechless, the tears finally falling while I hold my cheek.

This is the second time. This is... the second time.

"What did you fucking say?" He asks, deceptively calm, jaw clenched tight. "You are going to cheat on me?"

"You keep doing that all the time!" I scream, sad angry tears bursting free. "I do everything you want Rob. I don't even know how to keep you anymore! See, I'm done! I'm fucking done! I'm going back to the orphanage!"

With that, I turn to the couch where Hailey is tucked in and pick her up, still crying.

Her tiny body nestles instinctively against mine, like she knows I'm falling apart and she's the glue keeping me from shattering. My arms shake around her.

Behind me, Robert sighs... like I'm the one being difficult.

I didn't turn at first. I just focus on Hailey, brushing my fingers along her back, trying to steady my breath, trying to keep her from waking.

But then his footsteps approach, slow, and heavy.

"Are you really going to do this to Hailey?" he asks behind me, voice low-almost gentle.

I whip around. "Do what to Hailey? Huh? Save her from growing up in a house where her dad parades other women every time while her mom is nursing?"

He exhales and runs a hand through his hair. "Kaia, you don't understand. It's not like that."

"Oh, isn't it?" I snap. "Because to me, it sure as hell looked like you were welcoming your pregnant mistress into your home."

"She's not my mistress," he says, like that makes it better. "Bethany is who my parents want."

I sniff because I know. No one wants an orphan that was impregnated at seventeen and is still courageously stupid enough to decide to keep the pregnancy.

I shift Hailey to my other arm. "Congratulations. You've officially won their approval. Want a damn trophy?"

He steps closer. I step back.

His eyes soften, and that's the worst part. Because he knows what that look does to me. He knows how to tilt his voice just right.

"But I chose you, Kaia," he murmurs. "I defied them. Remember? I stood there, in front of your social worker, and told them I didn't care that you didn't come from money. I didn't care that you were seventeen. I married you. I fought for you."

My throat tightens.

He keeps going. "Bethany might be what they want. But you're what I want."

He closes the distance, fingers brushing my elbow.

"And I slapped you," he says, voice breaking, "because the thought of you with someone else-Kaia, it kills me. I can't even breathe thinking about it. I love you."

I blink hard, tears blurring my vision again. Damn him.

Damn him for knowing exactly what to say. For wrapping his cruelty in just enough love to confuse the hell out of me.

For making me feel like the one doing the damage by always attempting to walk away.

"I love you," he whispers again. "Can we just... talk about this? Don't leave. Not like this. Not with Hailey. Are you really going to take her away from her father? What type of mother will you be?"

Hailey stirs, her tiny hand reaching for me in her sleep. I look down at her. I... I can't do this to her.

Then I look at him.

And I stay.

~ KAIA ~

•Six years later•

Six years.

Six whole damn years since I stood in this very kitchen, heart cracked open, baby in arms, and told myself I'll leave tomorrow.

Then tomorrow became next week.

Then next month.

Then never.

Turns out love isn't the only thing that makes you stay.

Fear does too.

So does shame.

And the very quiet soul crushing voice that whispers, 'you won't make it out of here alone'.

I stir the sauce slowly, the kind of slow that hopes time might pause with each circle of the spoon. My back aches. My ribs too. The bruise on my side pulses with a dull heat beneath the waistband of my leggings.

He always knows where to hit.

Where no one will see.

Where silence is expected.

But I stay.

I stay for Hailey.

I stay for the lies I keep whispering to myself at night: just a little longer... just a bit more strength... just not today.

"Mommy?"

Hailey's voice breaks through the silence, soft and broken.

I turn and freeze.

She stands in the doorway, tears streaking down her cheeks, one hand clutching the side of her face. Her glittering princess gown smudged with soil.

"Baby?" I rush to her, crouching low. My hands tremble as I gently move hers away from her cheek.

Red and swollen.

Faint, but damning in the shape of a hand.

My stomach coils. "What happened? Who did this to you?"

She sniffles as she wipes her nose on her sleeve. "Noah took my sweets. So I took one of his..."

"Is that why you're crying this heavily, sweetie?" I whisper, trying to keep my voice steady. She nods first, then shakes her head, curls bouncing with the motion.

And with trembling lips, she says, " He cried and said I stole them, and-" her voice breaks into a hiccup, "Daddy hit me here. He said I'm a thief. I didn't mommy."

My vision goes white. For a moment, I forget how to breathe.

He said he never would.

Not my Hailey.

That was the rule. That was one of the deal I made with the devil to stay this long.

My hands curl into fists before I even realize it. Not at her. Never at her.

And I almost ran to scream at him.

At the man who promised me our child would be off-limits.

At the coward who couldn't even hold his temper over sweets.

I pull Hailey into me, her tiny body trembling against my chest. I rock her gently, pressing kisses to her hair, to her temple, to anywhere he didn't touch.

"I'm sorry," I whisper, and it's not enough.

It's never enough.

She doesn't say anything as she continues to sob, melting into me like she's done a thousand times before.

My mind races to the bag under the bed-half-packed.

The envelope taped behind the toilet tank-emergency cash.

The prepaid phone in the drawer under my bed-used.

Three years of planning.

Six years of hurting.

And now, the line's been crossed.

He didn't just hurt me. He hurt her.

I grip her tighter.

Tomorrow can't be next week. Tomorrow can't be next month.

Tomorrow has to be tonight.

Because I know for him to hurt her now, he will do it again.

.

.

.

The wardrobe creaks as I yank it open. Clothes fly into the duffel without thought-mine, Hailey's, anything that can fit. My hands shake, but I don't stop. I can't.

Angry tears burn down my cheeks, hot and relentless.

He touched her.

The drawer groans as I slide it open, revealing the one thing I swore I'd keep safe until the time even though he never really supported me getting it while Hailey was still nursing.

A thin file. Inside: my license. My certificates. My freedom.

I pause for a heartbeat, my fingers trembling over the crisp paper.

The name stares back at me: Kaia T. Merrick, RN. (Registered nurse)

God.

I bled for this.

Fought for it through black eyes and sleepless nights.

Through the emotional pains of teenage pregnancy and being a teenage mother. Through abuse.

Through the threats from the orphanage that they'd cut off my funding if I didn't "clean up my mess."

And still-I made it.

Still, I became somebody.

I shove the documents into the bag like they're gold. Because they are.

I glance at Hailey. Her eyes are wide, scared. Watching me.

She shouldn't have to see this.

"I'll get us out of here," I whisper, my voice fierce even through the fear. "I swear to you, baby girl, I'll get us out."

She nods, a little soldier in a princess gown.

I zip the bag and sling it over my shoulder. Then, I grab her hand-just as a brutal knock lands on the door.

"Kaia."

Robert.

I freeze.

He pounds the door with his fist, causing it to rattle.

"Open this goddamn door before I break it down!"

I don't move. I barely breathe.

His voice is low and feral. The voice that always comes before apologies.

God. He's going to hit me again.

I turn to the nightstand. The key glints where I left it-the one to his car. The same car he gifted me after the first time he beat me bloody and forced himself on me when I refused to let him have me after he brought Bethany in. He forced himself on me that night and the car was just his way of keeping my mouth shut.

It worked.

That key is mine now.

"Open this damn door, Kaia! I can hear your heartbeat! You think you can leave me? You think anyone else will want you?!"

My heart is in my throat as I scoop up the key. My fingers find the window lock next. Last floor. We've practiced this.

I lift Hailey first.

"Hold the pipe, baby. Just like we did in the drills."

She nods, her lips trembling. She slides down carefully, dirt smudging her dress, her feet hitting the grass with a thud.

I drop the duffel next.

"Kaia! I'm going to fucking kill you!" The hinges groan. The door cracks slightly. He's breaking through.

I hurry to the bed and pull out the little box before grabbing the prepaid smartphone Ashby got me. Then, I rush to the window and swing my leg out, gripping the sill like a lifeline. My aching body screams in protest, but I drop-catching the edge of the balcony below before I land hard beside Hailey.

The wind rushes out of me and pain whacks through me. But we're down.

"Run, Hailey. Run."

She doesn't ask questions. She bolts.

I grab the bag and sprint after her. Gravel bites my bare feet. Behind us, wood shatters.

He's through.

I grab Hailey's hand, forcing all my energy into my legs as we sprint to the car.

"I'm going to kill you, Kaia." He screams from the window.

I didn't stop as I shove the key in and yank the door open. I throw the duffel bag in and Hailey climbs in.

Then, I hurry to the driver's side and hop in before shutting the door, making sure the window is rolled up.

I shove the key in.

The engine roars to life just as Robert bursts out onto the porch, his face twisted with rage, barefoot, shirtless, wild.

"KAIA!" He screams.

But I don't wait.

I know Robert. He's really going to kill me if I land in his clutches again.

~ KAIA ~

•Three days ago•

"Hey booboo, I got you the job!"

Ashby's voice was all sunshine and breathlessness, like she hadn't just dropped a bomb in the middle of my exhaustion.

I was curled on the mattress in the studio apartment, eating peanut butter straight from the jar because everything else was gone. Rent was overdue. Even my soul felt overdue. Hailey was burning up and I hadn't slept in two nights.

So when she said it-got you the job-I didn't even register it at first.

"What?"

Ashby huffed. "I said-you got the job! That clinic I told you about in Sundale? They loved your résumé. You're officially their new in-house nurse. Full-time, benefits, housing included."

I sat up, peanut butter forgotten. "Wait... seriously?"

"They even paid a sign-on bonus. It's already in your account. Like, bitch-you're officially employed!"

And just like that... the crack of light I hadn't dared to hope for broke clean across the dark, my eyes darting to the mold in the ceiling of the studio apartment.

.

.

.

•Now•

It's almost laughable-the difference between this new place and what I just left behind.

The Sundale bus stop is quiet, almost too quiet. I blink awake the second the driver calls out the name, and for a moment, I think I'm dreaming. Because surely I can't be in the right place. There are trees. And birds. And actual air.

No peeling walls. No shouting neighbors. No cigarette smoke seeping in through broken vents.

Just peace.

I drag my duffel over the pavement, head swiveling as I take it all in. The buildings are simple, freshly painted with off-white siding and blue trim. Flowerbeds line the sidewalks. A maintenance guy is literally sweeping wet leaves off the front step of one unit.

The place even smells... new and wet.

Ashby wasn't lying.

This... this doesn't feel real.

My apartment is a corner unit with a tiny porch and a welcome mat. When I unlock the door and step inside, I just... freeze.

It's already furnished. Couch. Bed. Pastel coloured curtains. Even little touches like a vase on the table and dish soap on the counter. There's a working fridge and clean tiles. I haven't lived somewhere this clean in months since I left Rob's.

I walk slowly through the space, running my fingers over the back of the chair, the top of the dresser, the doorframe.

Then I see the envelope on the kitchen counter.

Kaia Merrick – Welcome to Sundale. We're glad you're here.

And that's when the tears come.

Not the frantic kind. Not the ones full of panic and exhaustion. No, these are slow and heavy.

I drop the duffel bag on the floor, gripping the cloth above my chest like I'm gripping my heart as I stagger to the couch.

And then, it hit me all at once-that I made it.

That I'm standing in a home he doesn't know.

That my name is on a contract that didn't require a man to validate it.

That a month and a half ago, I was bleeding. And now... now I'm breathing.

I sink to the couch, hands shaking and heart thudding.

I wish Hailey could see this. But maybe it's better she's not here for my mess of emotions. I want her to only ever see the strong version of myself.

And God, I survived.

I really did.

Even when I almost gave up on nursing school. When I wished I could sleep and never wake up again. When I blamed God for causing me all the pain but also blamed myself for getting pregnant in my teenage years.

But God, I'm angry too.

Angry at how much of myself I gave to a man who wouldn't even share a damn bed with me toward the end.

Angry at how many nights I spent crying while he snored beside someone else.

Angry that my youth-my body-my dreams-were collateral damage in a war I didn't start.

Minutes turn into what feels like hours.

And suddenly... I don't want to cry anymore.

I can't believe that fucker was still one of the first person I thought about after starting a new beginning.

I want to feel something else. Anything else.

I want to remember what it's like to feel wanted without having to beg.

To feel sexy without guilt.

To be touched like I matter-even if it's just for one night.

Just one night to erase six years of shame and silence and pain.

Just one night to kiss the old Kaia goodbye and say hello to the woman who clawed her way out.

I pick up my phone and scroll.

Honestly, I'm not looking for a future. I'm only looking for a warm body, a few drinks, a hard kiss, and the sound of someone calling me beautiful like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

With my sign-on bonus.

And just like that-

I open the dating app Ashby made me download "for emergencies" and type in:

Free for the night. Not looking for anything serious. Just looking to feel alive again.