Page 45 of Toxic

I shrugged and sighed a little.

"Honestly, I don’t get the taboo either. Omegas are really touchy about it. Anton and I once rented a place off-campus, and we sublet one room to another student—an omega. One time, I saw him nesting and said something innocent like, ‘Oh, that sash is a nice color, like a rich turquoise. It’d be perfect for carrying kids.’ And the dude freaked out, called me a ‘brazen beta’, told me to ‘shut my mouth’, said I didn’t understand what I’d just done, that it was like ‘sexual assault’, blah, blah… Total overreaction."

"For real? That’s rough. But my exes were more chill about it. Then again, I’m an alpha, and we were in intimate relationships."

The way he said ‘I’m an alpha’ had an obvious effect. My hole clenched, probably producing even more slick for him to sniff.

I knew I shouldn’t bring it up because it wasn’t my business, and small talk with him could lead nowhere good, but I asked anyway, "How many boyfriends have you had?"

Skye raised his eyebrows, visibly amused.

"Four. Dated one all through high school, then two during my freshman year. I met Martin junior year—he’s the one who left me for his High Mate. That’s why I transferred here."

"And besides that, you didn’t… you know. Hook up?"

Skye looked at me carefully.

"I know what you’re thinking. That because I wanted to pay for sex, I must do that kind of thing a lot. But believe it or not, I’ve only been with those four. You’re the exception."

The silence fell. I didn’t know what to say. I could sense he was telling the truth. I could almost feel it physically.

"What about you?"

"I only dated Anton."

"That’s not all I’m asking."

I didn’t answer.

Skye watched me for a moment but didn’t push. He went back to fixing his code.

I sat there, feeling waves of anxiety rolling through me. It almost came out. It was right on the edge, forming into words. I wanted to scream it, to finally let it out, but I clenched my mouth shut. Only my thoughts wailed desperately: I’ve only ever been with Anton—consensually! But something happened… something that wasn’t my choice.

Skye’s gaze shifted from the screen to me.

He frowned slightly. Then his hand gently brushed against my clenched fist resting on my thigh.

"You okay? I can… feel that you’re upset."

It was shocking how well he could sense my emotions. I wanted to snap that it was just like with my heartbeat, that he shouldn’t dig into what’s inside… but I didn’t. I just grunted.

"Everything’s peachy."

His fingers gently stroked my knuckles.

He knew it was bullshit.

"Soren—"

"I don’t want to talk about it," I muttered, my voice wavering.

He nodded, his fingers lightly tracing along my thumb toward my wrist—then suddenly froze.

I knew he felt the scars that the barbed wire tattoo around my wrist couldn’t quite cover, despite the wider band of ink there.

Skye’s gaze dropped to that spot, and he swallowed. With a sharp motion, I yanked my hand away from his grip.

"Focus on programming, that’s what you’re here for!" My voice came out cold and harsh.

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