Page 69 of The Omega Archives: Part Two

The words lingeredin my mind, but Ididn’twant to ask her to elaborate. Already, my thoughts were consumed by memories of my time with Demetri, trying to decipher his intentions.

“Yeah, something like that,”I mumbled, feeling a mix of confusion and warmth at the thought ofDemetri'sprotective instincts.

“You’retaking on pack life easily,”said Rita now. Abit of a question.

As I settled back in my chair, the familiarity ofDemetri'soffice enveloped mealongwith the hint of his warm scent. His presence still being here was both comforting and overwhelming.

Maybe being in a packwasn’tall so terrible, I thought, despite my lingering uncertainty, but…

“I’m… not committing myself to anything yet.”

“Okay.”

“They’re nice and they are keeping my secret for now.”

“Well, that’s good.”

“It is,”I agreed.“And Cal is here.”

“Ah, right. Cal. How did he feel?”

“Ithink about as startled as the rest of us,”I chuckled.

At least I was being fed andtaken care of, even if they were all still keeping their distance to make me comfortable. Not that I would admit it out loud. The thought of feeling grateful for their consideration felt foreign, almost unsettling.

“Which other ones have you been with yet?”Rita asked, reaching for one of the snacksthat Markomust’veprepared for our visit on the table. Ihadn’tnoticed them until now.“I’msorry, this isalllike the best soap opera ever. I have questions. I must know what is going to happen next.”

Of course, she did. I wanted to laughthough.Thiswas Rita. Though she was serious about her studies. The rest of my life was…fun with her.

No wonder she kept me around.

We both needed each other in a way.

“I haven’t been with anyone,” I admitted, feeling a pang of embarrassment at my lack of experience.

“You’rekidding,”Rita exclaimed, her eyes widening in disbelief.

I shook my head, feeling self-conscious under her scrutiny.“Like I said.It’snot like that.”

“Yet.”

Yet.

“That is some serious self-control,”Rita remarked, her tone tinged with admiration.

I appreciated her attempt to lighten the mood, but Icouldn’tshake the nagging feeling of inadequacythat lingeredwithin me.

“Tell me more about this other guy you met on your conference trip,”I interjected, eager to change the subject and escape the weight of my insecurities.“I need to get my head out of everythingandIfeel likeI’mmissing everything.”

“You’re not.”

“Still tell me?”

Rita launched into a lively recount of my encounter with the mysterious stranger I had heard about over the phone.

I took it in stride and listenedcloselyas I started to devour the snacks between us, one after another. I found myself momentarily distracted from thoughts of Demetri and the complexities of pack life that she brought up.

But deep down, I knew that my feelings for Demetri would continue to complicate everything, whether I was ready to confront themor not.

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