Max was the first to reach the bedroom door. He didn't knock—he slammed it open.
What he saw made his blood run cold.
Sam was curled near the shattered remains of a crystal lamp, his chest heaving in short, rapid sobs. His hands were clenched into fists, digging into his thighs, knuckles white. His scent was wild—raw, wounded, acidic with panic and shame.
Lucien knelt beside him, arms halfway extended but not touching, trying—desperately trying—not to push Sam any further.
"No, no, no," Sam kept muttering. "They know… they know now… they'll hate me… they'll throw me away like everyone else did—"
Max stepped forward, fury rising.
"Who said that to you?" he demanded. "Who told you we'd ever hate you?"
Sam didn't look up. "You don't understand. I'm not like you. I was never like you. You were born perfect. I was born… a mistake"Stop it," Silas said, his voice thick with emotion as he stepped in beside Max. "You are not a mistake, Sam."
But Sam didn't hear him.
His eyes were distant, frantic, like an animal trapped in its own cage. "They always said something was wrong with me. That I was too soft, too strange, too different. I tried to hide it—I tried so hard—but now everyone knows. They'll take you away from me. They'll say I'm not worthy."
Leo appeared in the doorway, Robert behind him, both of their expressions pale with grief. Elias stepped in quietly beside the others, but before anyone could speak, Sam let out a broken scream and curled tighter into himself.
"Don't look at me!" he shouted. "Just go away! Just—just go!"
Lucien reached for him. "Sam, please—"
"NO!"
Sam's voice cracked, and his scent lashed through the air like a storm. Pain. Fear. Rejection.Max's eyes glowed faintly gold.
He didn't hesitate.
He stepped forward, his voice dropping into something ancient, something commanding—his Enigma voice.
"EVERYONE OUT."
The words echoed in the air like thunder, not yelled—but felt. The sound vibrated in the walls, in their chests. Even the alphas flinched.
Leo opened his mouth, but Robert touched his arm and pulled him gently back.
"We'll wait outside," Robert said softly.
Lucien hesitated, but Max's glowing eyes turned on him.
"I said out, Lucien."
Lucien nodded once, slow, and moved toward the door with the others.
The second it shut, the silence was almost unbearable.
Sam was still shaking, his back to them.
Max exhaled shakily and stepped forward again.
He knelt beside him on one knee. "Sam," he said, no longer using the command voice, but the softest version of himself. "Please look at me."
Sam's voice came out like a whimper. "Why? So you can say you're disappointed too?"
"No," came a new voice—Silas's.
He moved to Sam's other side and sat beside him on the floor, legs crossed, eyes warm. "We came to tell you we love you. You thought we'd run. We're here instead."
Sam's head jerked up, eyes wide. "You heard."
Max nodded. "We heard everything."
"And we don't care," Silas added quickly. "Not the way you're afraid we do."
Sam looked between them, broken. "You're not disgusted?""No," Max said softly. "We're heartbroken. For you. Because you've been carrying this alone your whole life."
The door opened quietly.
Noah stepped in, his shirt wrinkled, hair a mess from sleep, but his expression was deadly serious.
He walked over to Sam and knelt slowly.
Then cupped his cheeks gently and kissed his forehead.
"My baby girl," he whispered, "do you really think I'd ever let anyone make you feel like you're less than perfect?"
Sam's lips trembled. "I'm not a girl, not really."
"You're you," Noah said. "And that's all I've ever wanted."
Then Lucien came back in, moving slower than the others. His deep voice was calm. "You're strong. You think hiding it made you weak, but it didn't. It made you survive."
Sam blinked, heart stuttering.Silas reached forward and took his hand.
Max took the other.
Noah wrapped around his back.
And Lucien gently brushed back his hair.
Then—together—their scents spilled into the room, low and calming, surrounding Sam in a protective cocoon of their bond.
Love.
Safety.
Home.
Tears filled Sam's eyes again.
But this time, they weren't from fear.
"I love you," he whispered.
"We love you more," Max replied.
Sam exhaled, body finally going soft between them.
He leaned into Noah's shoulder, eyes fluttering shut, lips parting on a small, broken breath.And then—he slept.
Exhausted.
But no longer afraid.