Daniel cries out, jolting against him. “D-don’t,” he gasps and his hands come up, covering Liam’s. He doesn’t pull Liam’s hands away, but he might want to.

“What is it, sweetheart?” His voice is rough with desire and rising dominance.

“No one touches them. I’m not supposed to and—and no one else is, either.”

“That’s wrong. Your chest needs to be worked, honey. You’re a submissive. You’ve been changed and this is one of the most common changes that happens to men who become submissive. This tissue is heavily glandular. It gets congested, hot, sensitive to touch, and frequently becomes incredibly erogenous. If you’ve been told not to touch here then you’ve been denied, and it’s going to affect your health and limit your pleasure.”

“I’m not… pleasure isn’t something I’m allowed.”

It’s a horrible thing to hear.

“You weren’t allowed pleasure and look where it’s gotten you. You can’t deny your needs and go on functioning. You’ve been starved, Daniel. And while we’re together you’re going to get the things you need.”

“And then what? My father will recover, take over my care, and then I go back to nothing?”

Liam forces himself to slow down. Daniel deserves the truth. “With your designation you don’t have to stay in the military, Daniel. It’s so high that you could leave. Or you could demand to have a Dominant. He has no right to interfere with your life like this.”

Daniel laughs bitterly. “He’s controlled me and my brother for all of our lives. Every time I even thought about disobeying him, he knew and he’d punish me or my twin. Do you know the easiest way to keep someone in line? Threaten what they love. I love my brother more than I love myself. I can’t leave him and my father knows that. If I disobey him, I won’t just be losing my parents but my twin. I’ll lose my name and my place in the world. Before the change, I could have survived those losses but now it’s too difficult. I don’t have the courage to leave it all behind. They took that from me. I don’t know who I am now, I don’t know what I’m capable of, or if I’m capable of anything, honestly. I just go where he sends me, I have these procedures done and hope that whatever they do, maybe I’ll come out of it and I’ll be… done. Finally be enough.”

It’s heartbreaking.