Page 99 of Curvy Quirky Omega

None of them have ever ascended to the same level as Valor, Lopez, Steele, or Grimm.

I was in a unique position. I could leave Valor without my alpha putting out an execution order. I had connections to the Lopez pack thanks to Lucy and Frankie, and Grimm didn’t get involved with anyone really but I would say our relationship was amicable.

Steele was a wild card. I had faith in River, but no one else. I also didn’t trust whatever the fuck was going on with Gideon and Steele.

If I wanted to make a new legacy with just the three of us, I had to make a choice.

Being the strongest…honestly sounded exhausting. I didn’t want to bother with any of that shit, and if we stayed with Valor I wouldn’t have to do as much work. No one would have to feel threatened by a new pack.

But I didn’t want Cas to give up anything else either.

After his parents died in that accident, I became his only family, but taking away the last remnant of his parents seemed…cruel. I knew he would do it if I asked, but three years ago I’d given him a choice and he chose not to officially join Valor so he didn’t have to give up his name.

He did swear allegiance though.

To me. Not Valor.

So, I would give him another choice. Because I couldn’t do this with him as my shadow. I needed him to be my partner.

Equals.

“Which would you prefer?” I dug my thumb into the tattoo on his hip I knew was hiding under his shirt, the one he’d gotten for me. “Would you rather take the name Valor and rule that pack with me as my partner, or would you prefer I make a new pack and take over the whole fucking city as Liam Valentine with you by my side to prove we don’t need the Valor name to keep Lucy safe?”

Cas’s heart was pounding so hard I got a little worried, but then it settled into something a bit more regular even if it was faster than normal. His eyes darkened until the blue was as dark as Lucy’s ceiling of stars.

I saw war in his eyes and for some reason, it reminded me of the constellation Aries. The brightest star in that constellation was Hamal. It was a star used to find the position of the Tropic of Cancer when the Sun wasn’t in the sky.

A star that could only be seen at night, but there were theories it was a host to its own orbiting planets.

Cas wasn’t my shadow and never has been, at least, not to me. And for the first time, I could see he was realizing that for himself. It was stupid and petty, but I felt ridiculously pleased I was the one who got to witness the moment he realized he didn’t have to exist the same way I did to be my equal.

“There could be a war,” Cas warned, giving me one last chance to change my mind.

I leaned in and turned my head, letting my lips brush against his cheek. “If you want war, just say that.”

Cas shivered. “Is this another test?”

“No—no more tests.” I was going to fuck him tonight. Then I’d let him bond me. “I’m asking what it is you want so I can give it to you. If you want war, I can start one just to make you happy. We can do that as Valor or Valentine. It doesn’t matter to me.”

Those gorgeously psychotic eyes lightened and then plunged back into darkness before he smiled. Cas rarely ever smiled so every time he did, it made me fucking breathless.

“You want to give me what I want this time?” Cas chuckled and slammed me back against the glass. “Then tell me how you really feel. Just be honest, Liam. Don’t sugarcoat it. You know how much I fucking hate that shit. I need to know before I make my choice.”

I gave him a lazy smile when I heard my own words thrown back in my face. “About you, or in general?”

Cas growled, but his eyes lightened just enough to sparkle. “About us. Not the whole fucking world.”

“What exactly does ‘partner’ mean to you?” I raised an eyebrow at him, wondering if he was really that oblivious. “I want you to be my equal. I want you to help me be the alpha I want to be…the one Lucy can depend on – our family can depend on. But you need to know…the only person in the world I’ll ever kneel for is Lucy.”

“I don’t need you to kneel.” Cas released me and took a step back, some of that sparkle in his eyes dying. “I just need you to tell me why you want me to be your partner.”

Cas has never been very good with feelings, not until Lucy came along anyway.

So, I decided I was going to be generous for once and give him a pass for refusing to connect the dots and forcing me to say it now instead of when my dick was inside him while his teeth were inside me.

I closed the distance between us and smiled when he stiffened but didn’t back down. “I want you to be my partner because I love you,” I admitted as I gently wrapped my hand around his throat. “Because I need you.”

The way his pupils dilated told me this was what he needed even if the rest of him was as expressionless as a rock.

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