Page 23 of Puck & Her Blades

No wonder Cygnus has the whole perfect Omega routine down.

I hate that.

The moment that it became clear I wasn’t becoming a bonded match, I realized that I wouldn’t be fully accepted. If Roarke wants to give me my own home like he’s shaming me, then I get the last laugh.

He’s actually granting me my freedom.

I flush at the thought that Cygnus wants to move into the cottage with me.

I’d love that too.

When I look up at him (this Omega who I would have guessed had it all before today), I’m shocked by the loneliness, which is radiating from him.

Instantly, I shove myself to my feet, wrapping my arms around him.

Cygnus looks at me in surprise, as I stroke down his side.

Here in the dark, our closeness seems private and dangerously intimate.

As if our defenses have been stripped away, Cygnus says in a rush like a confession, “My Alphas were eager to bond with you. It was my sister who persuaded Dad that Jackson couldn’t be allowed to match with you, even as a lower status, Second Omega.”

My stomach swoops. My eyes smart with tears.

Hearing that should make me feel better.

Yet it doesn’t.

“Why?” I clench my jaw. “None of you even know me.”

“You don’t know us either,” Cygnus throws back. “At least, you only know the rumors or the PR. But I do recognize you, Ice.”

I jerk on hearing my real name.

Cygnus’s smile is a fragile thing like he thinks I may slap it off at any moment. “Dad confined me to the house. So, stuck inside and not allowed to do any sports myself, I’d watch sport on television. Of course, I heard about the Omega who was competing in figure skating. I had to watch to see if it was true. The first time that I saw you, I was mesmerized. I never missed a single one of your performances. Your sparkling brilliance brightened my dull life. When I felt depressed and lonely, I came alive in the moments that you danced. You’re the reason that I battled to keep on living, when I was sick. You’re so brave on the ice. I wish I could have that courage. You’ve inspired me more than you could imagine. An Omega on ice…? You were like poetry.”

I can’t stop it. A tear chases down my cheek.

I’ve been praised before by commentators, press, and fans.

But never by another Omega.

Never by somebody whose life has been changed because of my performances.

Who fought to live because of me.

An avalanche of emotions hits me. “But I let you down. I let every Omega down. I fell.”

“Everybody falls but not everybody has the courage to try and fly in the first place.”

I gasp, searching his expression to see if he means it.

He stares back with a sincerity that takes away my breath.

It’s as if a crushing weight on my chest, finally begins to lift. It’s replaced by a soaring joy. I haven’t felt anything like it in over a year.

Grinning, I twirl Cygnus in my favorite spinning dance, and he laughs, as I dip him.

I want him to experience a taste of what it’s like on the ice.

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