Page 100 of Captive Omega

Garrison

When Resa is awake, taking my eyes off her is near impossible.

Now she’s asleep, tucked in the armchair, my coat covering her. The way she’s burrowing into it… inhaling.

I force myself to look away, concentrate on my puzzle.

A second later, my eyes return to the woman asleep feet from me. I stopped paying attention to my puzzle the moment I heard her soft treads on the stairs.

Mine.

My scent match is right there, and I cannot touch her the way I want to.

I think I know why she comes down here at the same time. After Blaine’s near-death, sleeping was a minefield. It’s what started my puzzle habit. Late one night, I decided I needed something else to focus on. Something that would keep my mind busy.

I tried everything: board games, chess, drawing, before I settled on puzzles.

There is something deeply satisfying about creating something when your mind feels shattered.

I’m still watching her when footsteps hurry down the stairs. Vaughn pops into view, blue eyes troubled. “I can’t?—”

I lift a finger to my mouth, silencing him, then point that same finger into the armchair across from me. The way Resa is cuddling my coat, he wouldn’t have immediately seen her.

His shoulders slump in relief, and I push myself up from my seat and cross over to him. “She’s here. Sleeping.”

“Is she okay?” His eyes slide past me. “Her door was open, and I thought?—”

“She’d run?”

He shakes his head. “That she might be hurt.”

We stand in the entryway, watching her chest rise and fall in sleep.

The day Resa collapsed will go down as one of the most terrifying days in my life. And that drive to the clinic was one of the longest. None of us had known what was wrong, and even now, we’re all watching her carefully, alert for more trouble.

It’s the reason none of us slept when she was in the clinic. Sadie had reassured us that she was okay. We’d needed to be sure.

I texted Lex. He did some research and hand delivered the knife he’d found in the chair Resa had been sitting in. He’d gotten rid of it like I requested as well. Early the next morning, he’d stopped at a bookstore the moment it had opened and made another delivery to the clinic as Resa had slept.

Now we’re all proud owners of a pregnancy book to ensure we know exactly how to look after Resa.

“I’m sorry about?—”

“Stop apologizing.” I grip his arm and squeeze. “She needs you. No more guilt.”

His gaze returns to mine. “But she should be with you.”

I take a step closer, lowering my voice so I don’t wake Resa. “This world has taught Resa to fear alphas and assume they will hurt her. You make her feel safe in a way that Blaine and I can’t. Don’t apologize for that. Don’t feel guilty about that. And she isn’t just our scent match; you are pack. She’s yours too.”

“What if the thing she needs is the fiancé? What then?” It isn’t Vaughn who speaks.

This voice is raspier and comes from the staircase.

Blaine.

He wasn’t happy about getting Resa a cell phone. He worried that the first person she would call was the fiancé. Vaughn didn’t think it was likely.

“If she wanted to be with him, she wouldn’t have been going to Ever Safe. She would have gone to him,” Vaughn says, and not for the first time.

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