Page 18 of Alpha's Second Chance

“Like what?”

“Like there haven’t been any arranged or forced marriages since you left.”

“Why didn’t you say so earlier?”

“I didn’t get a chance.”

“You’re getting one now,” I bit out. I pushed my hands against my eyes. “Ow.”

“What’s wrong”

“Even my brain hurts.” I took a step forward, but my legs crumpled under me. I didn’t have time to hit the ground, for Owen was there instantly, holding me up. “It feels blurry.”

“I’ve heard that’s normal,” he said.

“I’ve always dreaded that I’d lose control. It made me resent being an omega. The other omegas would talk about it when we were teens. They thought it was cool. They kept saying stuff like, I can’t wait for the day I’m overcome by passion, and I think it’s going to be so awesome to be driven insane with lust.” I made an exaggerated gagging motion. “It sounded awful to me.”

“How does it sound now?”

“It sounds tolerable.”

“Only tolerable?”

“If you consider that before today, it would have been a bighell nofor me.” I didn’t want to descend into another argument, but I wanted him to know it wasn’t personal. Or rather, it was personal. If Owen wasn’t the one with me, then I wouldn’t share my heat at all.

I was grateful we’d already slept together at this point. If I’d been facing my first time happening during a heat, I don’t know that I’d have coped.

I wasn’t sure how well I was going to cope now.

Owen

For now, Eve was asleep. But as her scent became more honeyed, I knew it wouldn’t be long before she woke, craving more.

Satisfying Eve during her heat? Not a hardship. At one point, it was the thing I wanted most in the world. I still wanted it, but I was apprehensive.

I’d make sure her heat was as perfect as it could be, and then we’d part ways again.

Even if a relationship had been possible -- which I was sure Eve would reject -- I wasn’t ready to give up serving with my team in MASK. As long as I was physically able, I wanted to use my skills to protect both shifters and humans. Like me, Eve had busted her ass for her career. And even after this threat, I doubted she would want to give up her position at the District Attorney’s Office. She’d worked hard for it, and I wouldn’t ask her to give it up, not even if we were mated.

And given Eve’s opinions on our clan, I doubted she’d ever want to mate.

As the Alpha, could I have a partner who wasn’t my mate? Could I have a casual girlfriend? No one in our clan had ever had such a half-assed relationship, but I’d be willing to give it a shot for Eve.

I wouldn't walk away from my MASK team, but if our clan and my family couldn’t -- or wouldn’t -- change enough to accept Eve on her terms, then I could walk away from my role as Alpha.

If I ditched my clan, my family would flip out. They enjoyed having me in charge.

I’d chosen the clan over Eve before, even though I hadn’t fully realized it. I wouldn’t do that again, if she gave me the opportunity to try again.

Did I want Eve back? Yes. However, I knew now that I’d never really had her.

The anger I’d had over her leaving me had begun to fade as she explained how trapped she had been. I’d been too young and self-absorbed to comprehend that.

I must have absorbed parts of it though, because like I’d told her, I’d worked to introduce few changes over the years to improve life for the clan. From her perspective, I could see my changes had been sadly lacking.

I knew how much I valued my autonomy. I put myself in her shoes. I imagined that someone else -- even Eve -- had the power to deny my application to MASK. Or to keep me from joining the Army at all.

My stomach burned. I’d have run too.

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