Page 209 of Captive Omega

Garrison calls out, “No broken bones. We have somewhere we need to be tomorrow.”

“Sure thing.” Vaughn waves him off.

Then he charges me, head down, like a bull diving for a red flag. And grinning, I wait to toss him to the mat because he still hasn’t learned not to drop his shoulder.

He will.

Chapter 58

Resa

Home is still not feeling like home, and I’m no closer to figuring out why that is.

It’s on my third morning walk to the nearby park with a small bag of seeds when a sudden gust of wind blows a familiar cedar and leather scent my way.

“I know you’re there.” I take a seat on my usual park bench as a ball of nervous excitement bubbles up in my belly.

For two long seconds, nothing happens. Then Garrison takes the seat beside me, head forward, profile strong, as he watches the swans and ducks gliding across the pond.

I study him out of the corner of my eye.

In his smart gray shirt with black pants, short dark hair brushed back from his face, and no hint of stubble, he looks the same. Nothing has changed. So then why is it requiring brute force to take my eyes off him?

I throw seeds into the water the way I used to with my mom years ago. “How long have you been following me?”

“From the start,” he says in the quiet, serious way I’ve missed so much more than I thought I would.

“Why?”

“You’re ours. That means keeping you safe takes priority.”

I disappoint the swans eagerly peering my way by turning to face Garrison. “Surely the safe thing would be for me to stay inside so you don’t have to follow me around.”

Only now does he look at me. Serious. Always so serious.

“You are free to live the life you want to live, Resa. We will protect you.”

I study the swans. But I’m not paying the swans as much attention as the man sharing this bench with me. “I got your letter about the heat suite.”

“I wish I’d thought of it before you needed it. We all do,” he says.

I throw more seeds into the pond. “It would make more sense for me to stay with you, then I wouldn’t be taking up a heat suite another omega would need. I would have alphas to help me through my heat.”

The bench creaks slightly as he sits back. “It would make perfect sense if that was something you wanted.”

“So it’s not what you want?” They let me go. Let me return to my parents without a word. No one tried to stop me or convince me to stay, and now I can’t help but wonder—or maybe I’ve been wondering all this time—that maybe they don’t want me at all.

“This has never been about what I want. Blaine and Vaughn feel the same way. We promised we would return you back to your life.”

I swing to face him, suddenly angry. “But I didn’t think you actually meant it.”

I was glad about it before. Now I don’t think I’m glad about it at all.

And that’s the thing. I don’t know how to love alphas. I only know how to hate them.

“Did you want me to mean it?” he asks quietly.

“I don’t know.” I lick my dry lips. “Did you mean what you said in the letter about one year or ten?”

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