Mostly, there was glowing light.
Eager to reach the window, she stepped forward only to find her arm still chained to the man behind her. Claire was confused. "This is not outside."
Shepherd escorted her forward, his torso warm on her back. "I never agreed to allow you outside. I believe the arrangement was that I would allow for you to see your sky."
Technically he was right, and Claire knew there was absolutely no point in arguing.
The prospect the small room afforded was unlike anything she'd seen in a house; a vast display of rugged tundra. The window was an actual part of the Dome; if she touched the glass, she would be touching the only thing between her and hundreds of miles of snow—a thing forbidden.
Reaching forward, ignoring the uncomfortable handcuff and arm that followed to allow her movement, Claire put her hand to the glass and felt its chill. Wild nature was her view, in a warm room, where she was chained to an Alpha to ensure good behavior.
The room's furnishings had been removed, leaving only that beautiful rug and a single large chair. It was angled at the window, filled with a man who drew Claire into his lap. With the lights on, Shepherd's looming presence at her back was reflected in the glass, his attention acute.
Meeting his stare in the reflection, Claire admitted, "Men have been put to death for touching the Dome."
Shepherd answered, "Or they are thrown in the Undercroft for daring to look outside."
Why would they look, there was nothing but snow outside. Yet Claire found herself taken with the view, all that white, of distant mountains and jutting ice. The land beyond the Dome was glorious.
Shepherd's body was warm, the purr soft and continuous; the perfect recipe for her to ignore him, relax, and just saturate herself in something other than four concrete walls.
The man did not ruin her comfort by speaking or making demands, and Claire was grateful for it. He was deep in thought, staring at the setting sun, his Omega held hostage on his lap.
The dark came, bright moonlight on glittering snow, and Claire fell into a dreamless slumber—the first she'd had in many weeks.
The whole night passed before intruding light set the backs of her eyelids glowing red. She woke comfortable with only beauty before her. It was almost as if Thólos did not exist. She could sit there and pretend; she could forget the man cuddling her was evil through and through.
But the truth could not be ignored. Though she was warm and safe, her people were waking up with nothing to eat, with no power, with no heat. Outside of that beautiful room, behind that grand view, the world was falling to pieces.
Shepherd stretched, his large hand cupped over the place where his child grew. "You enjoy this room and the view; you are comfortable here."
Looking away from the window, she surveyed the empty room. "Why did you have the furniture removed?"
"I did not want you to wrongly cultivate hope that I might allow you to remain."
There was logic to his rationale. Had there been a bed and other objects for comfort, she would have longed for more than just his lap on that oversized chair. She may have even grown upset when he'd demanded that they leave. "I see…"
"As I promised, I will bring you here." He took a breath of her hair, kissed a trail down her neck. "And as you promised, you will live as my willing mate."When they came back from her sky, Shepherd set her hand free. The handcuff had not been tight, but once he removed it she felt an ache in its wake. He took her wrist and used his big thumbs to rub the skin, as if he understood the feeling and why she had cradled the offended limb in her hand.
Claire watched his caress, finding it peculiar that with paws that could crush her, Shepherd seemed to know just how much pressure was appropriate. As the odd touching continued, she worried her lip and found him once again watching her carefully. When the silence stretched and his big thumb continued to rub, she grew nervous.
Unwilling to act without specific orders, unwilling to be tricked or manipulated, she thought to withdraw her hand.
Shepherd trapped her wrist in circling fingers that seemed far more binding than the handcuff had been. "How will you fill your hours while I am gone today?"
"Are you mocking me?"
"What did you do with your free time before I claimed you as my mate?"
That was easy to answer. "I spent every waking hour trying to find food for the Omegas."
The giant smirked, using his grip on her wrist to pull her nearer. "Before Thólos became mine."
"Thólos is not yours."
The bastard smiled at her. "Answer me, little one."
With a huff, she began to list off activities. "Aside from painting, I played my mom's old piano. I spent time with my friends… read stories, took cooking classes when I could afford to."