Page 35 of The Omega Archives: Part Three

“More what?”

“Maybe not more, but less…”

I raised my eyebrows again, sensing a theme here. “Less what?”

“Less...submissive. You have this sort of…” He waved his hands around his head.

“Are you trying to tell me that I’m crazy?”

“No,” he chucked. “Just that you have this sort of fire in your eyes, I guess is what I’m saying. There is this little extra something or understanding there that the others don’t,” Lucas explained, his gaze still searching mine as if trying to decipher a hidden code. “It’s intriguing. Refreshing, even.”

I couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride at his words. A flicker of something warm stirred in my chest amidst the chaos of my thoughts.

Lucas saw me differently, saw past the traditional expectations for an omega like me, and recognized something more.

“Thanks,” I replied, a small smile tugging at the corner of my lips. “I guess I’ve never been one to conform to expectations.”

Lucas’s smile mirrored mine.

For a moment, the weight of everything else faded into the background. It was just him and me, two individuals navigating a complicated world that sought to force us into predetermined roles.

“Good,” he said softly, his thumb tracing circles on the back of my hand. “You shouldn’t change that about yourself.”

“Even if it doesn’t make me the perfect omega?”

He shrugged. “Doesn’t mean that. And, I haven’t found that out yet. We still have a whole list of fun questions on this worksheet to go through.”

I couldn’t help it, a small chuckle escaped me.

I was pretty sure everything we were doing said that I wasn’t a perfect omega, yet I felt a surge of relief at his words. He didn’t want to run in the other direction.

He didn’t want to leave me there, so maybe, my alphas–if they were still after not coming to get me–wouldn’t either.

It was also comforting to know that someone else could see past the facade I had been forced to adopt in this unfamiliar environment. Lucas's honesty sparked a flicker of hope within me, a glimmer of connection amid chaos.

“Some would say that I’m not the perfect alpha either.”

I narrowed my eyes, looking him over again. He basically… well when it came to alphas, I was pretty sure that Lucas checked all the boxes. Even if he wasn’t back here ravishing me right now which seemed to be the route everyone else was going with these instructional classes. “Really? Is this just because you designated late because that kind of stuff is just stupid.”

Lucas’s cheeks colored slightly at my skeptical tone, and he cleared his throat before answering. “Well, I’m not exactly the textbook definition of an alpha either way, though I did get teased plenty about designating late.”

Unfortunately, I imagined he did. Though Lucas was large, like all alphas, he had a softness to him left behind. As a beta. Or almost a beta.

Maybe we had more in common than I thought.

“I tend to question the status quo and challenge authority when necessary,” Lucas admitted after a few seconds as he weighed his words. “Like now when I’m supposed to be intimidating you and winning you over all at once.”

I dipped my chin once. He was right, looking around that is apparently what the ideal alpha would be.

Someone ought to tell Benjamin that he never quite got the winning over part before I see him again though if he thought this kind of place made him a man made for an omega.

“Right,” I said.

Lucas lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “Some might see that as a flaw.”

I found his honesty endearing. Lucas was, not what I expected. And for some reason, my silent omega inside of me warmed whenever I looked at him, even while the rest of me remained on guard.

“I think it makes you more interesting,” I said, surprising myself with the bluntness of my response.

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