Page 426 of Omega for the Pack

“I walked her to her college, but when I came back to pick her up,” he said. “Reyna was gone. I found out her parents had auctioned her off. I don’t know what became of her. I wasn’t strict enough on her.”

“Oh,” I said as chills went through me. This was when Omega Auctions were legal, which had now been outlawed. “I…that’s horrible. Did you have…feelings for Reyna?”

“I did not. And I don’t want anything bad to happen to you,” he said, gazing at me with a dark expression. “If anything happened to you, I would go mad. I never felt more inadequate than after that day and tried to leave my job. But my boss wouldn’t hear of it. Imagine someone trusting you with their life, and then you disappoint them. I have no idea what became of her.”

I bit my lip.

“I’ll try my best, Ryder,” I said finally. “I’ll try to cooperate, but I can’t keep doing this and disappoint my fans.”

“I understand,” he said. “It’s not something that will happen a lot, I promise. We just need to be cautious.”

“How about tomorrow then?” I asked. “There’s a baby shower I have to go to. I already bought presents, and my cousin is coming over tomorrow to go with me.”

“That’s fine,” he said. “I don’t have a problem with that, and it’s indoors.”

“Well, thank god,” I said, and he wiped a tear from my cheek with his thumb.

“I don’t like seeing you cry,” he said. “You should feel happy, protected, and safe with me.”

“I feel safe but definitely not happy.”

“Don’t be a brat, Lacy.”

“I’m not,” I pouted, throwing a pillow at him with all my force. Some of the feathers stuck in his hair, and I tried to keep a straight face. He sat there looking momentarily shocked, unable to believe that I dared throw a pillow at the pack leader.

But he wasn’tmyleader.

“Why did you throw that at me?” he said simply, unmoving as he watched me calmly. But I could see the brewing storm behind his eyes.

“This morning, you pretended I didn’t exist. What the hell was that about?”

“I didn’t want to confuse you,” he said.

“You’re not making any sense.”

“I want to keep things professional because you would never want to be with a bodyguard like myself,” he said. “We don’t belong together. You’re a celebrity, and what am I?”

Butterflies swirled in my belly at his statement. He was fighting his feelings.

But he hadfeelings.

“You’re right,” I said in a low voice, not wanting to make things awkward. I didn’t want babies or anything like that, so I needed to keep things professional, too. But at the same time, Isaw nothing wrong with us wanting to be together if we wanted to. Sure, it'd create a splash on the news, but I didn't care.

He touched the small of my back and hugged me from the side. I leaned into him, feeling his warmth on my body and wishing he didn’t make so much sense all the time. He wasn’t a bad alpha. He was trying to protect me. To protect my feelings and my physical well-being.

And I respected him for it.

“It’s for the best little omega,” he whispered.

The next day,I was sitting quietly as everyone chattered away at the baby shower. I was still bummed about missing out on my singing gig. And when Ben told me about getting booed on stage, it upset me.

“Lacy, why don’t you take part in the challenges?” asked Alana gently as she sat next to me. Her belly was round with her third child, and her eyes glittered with excitement as she watched the crowded room. She looked beautiful in her flowing emerald dress with the braided shoulder straps, complimenting her golden skin. “Is something the matter?”

“No,” I said, forcing a smile on my face.

“Do you want your bodyguards to leave my house? I can kick them out for you, don’t worry. I can see you looking at them, annoyed and all.”

“No, it’s okay. I’m just a little hungry, that’s all,” I said.

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