A.N.: Sorry for not updating recently. I've had a death in the family and honestly haven't been inspired to write lately. I plan on a lot to happen in this book, it just takes a lot of creativity and I just don't have that at the moment. I hope you enjoy a little snippet of what Birch's life is going to be like for the next few chapters.

Love, Sunny 🌞 🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃🍃

Birch's POV

I partially wake up in the backseat of a car, my visions blurry and unfocused and I see Myka, Jewel, and Roman laying next to me in what looks like a van.

I link my fingers in with Roman's, he looks at me with tears in his eyes as he brings me closer to his chest in a protective hug.

Just before I fall back asleep I hear him mutter, "I'll get you out Birch, even if it's the last thing I'll do."

I barely feel him kiss my head as I fall back under the affects of whatever Alex injected me with.

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I wake up with a foggy mind and I look to be in a living room. It's definitely not at the institute or the hospital, it looks like it's in someone's home.

I have trouble recalling what happened but when I walk to the window and only see sandy beaches and ocean, I instantly remember that Alex took me and my friends. I wonder where everyone is?

As I'm sitting by the window. Watching the waves crash by I hear someone enter the room.

"Looks like your up, good timing little bunny! It's almost time for luch but we have some business to address first." Alex said as he sat in the couch with a lady I didn't see come in, I join him when he gives me a come here look, I instantly go. Being too scared of him to do anything else.

"We're going to go over the rules as your new mommy and daddy! Isn't that exciting?!" Alex said in an overly fake voice that grated on my nerves.

I give him a deadpanned look and don't react to anything they say. I haven't looked much at the lady sitting next to him. She's pretty enough, with tanned skin and short dark brown hair and hazel eyes.

Alex throws a plain sheet of paper in front of me with some pens and stickers and says, "Alright, I'll say the rules and you'll write them down. Easy enough, little bunny."

He looked at me in a condescending way, I hated the way he always looked at me, like I was nothing.

I knew I was, it was the same feeling father gave me.

I instantly paled at the thought of writing anything down. I was getting better at reading, but it was nowhere near the college level texts I saw Arundelle reading in the library or the comic books I saw that Jewel enjoyed. I'm more on the level of children's storybooks, which is utterly infuriating when I'm 16 years old and can't function properly. I hate that my father stunted my learning in such a way.

I looked at Alex with an embarrassed flush in my cheeks and muttered quietly, "Can't."

"What was that, darling?" The lady asked, she seemed nice and looked at me with a fond expression.

"I... just learned recently how to read, kinda. Not that g-good yet. Been working on speaking better. Daddy only taught me how to write my n-name." I mutter while playing with my shirtsleeves, I'm so ashamed at myself for stuttering so much.

Alex seemed to be thinking hard about something, the lady kept looking in between us in a worried way, she seemed to be scared of him. I understood, Alex was scary and unpredictable in the way he reacted to things. Maybe she doesn't want to be here too?

Alex cleared his throat then said, "No matter, the rules are simple you will call us daddy and mommy, no running away or escaping, eat what we give you, wear what we put you in, bedtime is 9pm no objections, your diaper is to be used for its intended purposes, only watch children's shows in and out of headspace (your still our innocent baby boy), and absolutely no hitting, biting or scratching us if you do so then a punishment will come. All right then, it's time for lunch, then a nap for our little bunny!"

He scooped me up and carried me to the dining room. My head was still pounding from the drugs from earlier. Silas never really made me have much of a bedtime, or made me wear a diaper since I wasn't fully comfortable being a little yet.

The idea of a punishment from Alex made me almost vomit. I knew that Mika, Jewel, and Roman were somewhere around this beach house, I just don't know where yet.

We have to get out, by any means necessary.

I squirm when I see the high chair in the dining room, but don't fight Alex on strapping me in. I'm more scared of his muscles, he could break me like the twig I am.

"Such a good boy," He cooed at me with a forehead kiss. I flushed at the praise and kiss. Don't blame me, I'm just an innocent little bean!

Alex grabbed the plastic plate and bottle from an elderly woman who looked at me with fond eyes. It made me wonder if I had a grandmother, I never thought to ask my mother that one time we met. It seems like I'll never get the chance to ask now.

I looked down at the pb&j with potato chips and carrots. Not a bad meal, and I was hungry so I immediately put a chip in my mouth as Alex sat down at the table as the maids served them their lunch.

I was interrupted in chewing on my carrot when I heard a commotion in the hallway. Alex muttered, "Finally. Their lunch is going cold."

That's when I noticed seven other places of lunch sitting around the table. Then I saw my three friends being escorted into the dining room.

Jewel came in first with a tall, heavily tattooed man that even riled Silas's height and bulk. He had black hair and brown eyes, and easily got Jewel in his seat. Jewel looked so frightened when he saw me, he looked mostly okay other than a few bruises on his arms.

"Eat," the man rasped next to him. Jewel squeaked then immediately started eating. He looked scared, the man must've done something to make him do. I hope it's nothing bad, I'd never forgive myself if my friends were hurt.

Myka then came in with a shorter man with red hair and a big tattoo of a bird of some variation on his forearm. They sat next to the nice lady and Myka mostly picked at his food as I munched on my lunch, barely tasting it but knowing I needed to eat if I ever had a prayer if escaping this nightmare.

Lastly, Roman came in kicking and screaming profanities at the two men with him. One was the tallest man I'd ever seen! He was big and muscular with a big scar on his face that made his blue eyes stand out, he had long blonde hair that was pulled back in a bun. His friend had brown hair and eyes and had a tattoo of a spider on his throat.

All these men are so scary and big. Yeah, we have absolutely no chance of escaping.

"Get off me you big overgrown toad! I'll fuck you up!" Roman screamed as the big blonde man wrestled him into a chair then the brown haired man strapped him in with straps like mine but they went over his arms so he couldn't use them.

"That's just the beginning on what we do to brats in this house, don't mistake Bjorn's mercy as a kindness. He's the most brutal man in my mafia. Isn't that right, Bjorn?" Alex said with a predatory gaze upon Roman.

My mouth went dry, their treating him like a prisoner. Roman's face went red in anger as he screamed at Alex and then spit in his face.

"Oh my, you really shouldn't have done that." Alex then looked behind Roman at Bjorn and nodded his head and cleaned his face with a napkin.

⚠️WARNING MATURE CONTENT AHEAD⚠️

I breathed heavily and I saw one of the men unstrap Roman and in a flash one pushed all the food away as the other slammed Roman headfirst into the table, he cried as his face hit the hard wood then continued crying as Bjorn took off his belt and then whispered into his ear, "I'll break you yet, Little firebird."

I cried when I heard the first slap of the belt then on the tenth hit, Roman went still. On the twentieth the tears were flowing not just on Roman's face, but mine, Jewel, and Myka.

"Please stop! He's had enough! He'll behave, I promise!" Myka cried.

I was too stunned to speak the sound of the belt brought me back to father's house. I knew the pain of it better than anyone.

Alex hummed then said, "Fine he'll stop... When little Birch over here agrees to call me daddy. Only then will your friend find a reprieve."

I swallowed and glared at him as Roman yelled, "Fuck you! You're not his daddy! Silas is ten times the man you pretend you are you monster!"

The brown haired man slammed his fist against Roman's face and I saw blood pooling at his lips.

I was crying, I didn't want Alex to win but my pride isn't worth more than Roman's pain. And I knew Alex wanted me to act like his little, cuddle with him, fall asleep with him feeding me, and mostly he wanted me to flip into headspace.

Tears pooled in my eyes as I heard the belt slapping against skin and I knew I had to give in, that we would never leave this place. This was our life now, I was praying to whatever cruel god was out there that he'd forgive me for what I was about to do.

The worst thing a little could do.

Break the bond of Silas and rebond myself to Alex.

Once I do it, there's no going back. I only hope Silas will forgive me one day.

Bonding to a caregiver isn't just the paperwork and all the legality that follows. It's like a magical tether that bonds on soul to another.

It's the strongest form of connection in our world. It's a rare and beautiful thing to connect your soul to another. Not many know of it, mostly caregivers and Littles but the same connection flows through alphas and omegas and masters and pets.

I honestly don't even know if Alex is a daddy and if he isn't then this won't work, but if it does then my fears will be confirmed.

That Alex is a daddy and I don't want to think about all of the consequences that will happen if I bond to him, the monster he is.

I severe my ties to Silas with a scream then I feel myself bond to Alex, I feel him pick me up as I slowly loose consciousness due to the pain.

I just lost my perfect sweet daddy Silas for cruel and vindictive Alex.

I hope that one day all my friends at the institution will forgive me.