Page 16 of Ulfar

“Sarah,” I start, my voice steady by some miracle. “There’s something I want to—”

Suddenly she cries out, racing across the room to pick up an old book lying on a table by the door. It’s a worn paperback, not common on this world, but I had it imported especially for my collection. She holds it up with glee.

“You actually have it!” Sarah says in awe, flipping over the cover. She squeals again. “And it’s signed by the author?! No way! How did you get this?”

I’m taken aback by the sudden shift of conversation, but I can’t help but laugh at her excitement. “I had it imported from Earth. Was a pain to get, but I told you. It’s one of my favorites.”

“Mine too.” Her voice comes out as a whisper. Our eyes meet just then, a silent, perfect moment of clarity.

I know what I have to do.

“Sarah, I need to ask you something.” I step closer to her, determination now pushing me forward. “Do you like my house?”

She blinks as if she expected something else. “Yes, of course I do. It’s a bit sparse, but cozy all the same. I love seeing all the things you made. You are a great craftsman.”

My heart stutters once more, and I take a deep breath. “That’s good, because I’ve never invited another female into this house.”

Her eyes widen. “Never?”

“Never.” Now for the hard part. “Do you know why that is?”

The book hangs by her side, all but forgotten. She’s trapped under my gaze, the rest of the world fading into the background as we draw closer and closer. “Why?”

“I made a vow long ago,” I say, taking her soft, small hand in my own. “That I would not bring a female into my home. And when I did, she would be the one I want by my side for all eternity.”

LOVERS

SARAH

All of the carefully constructed walls, all of the safeguards I put up around my heart, crumble at his earnest declaration. What am I supposed to say to something like that? The gravity of the gesture sinks in at last.

He loves me. In more than just a contractual way. He actually loves me and wants me to stay here, with him. It’s possible, of course—that’s what omegas like Janie and Isabella did—but for me? Even if I wanted to, I can’t.

A rush of anger flares up, unbidden. It isn’t fair. If it weren’t for my father and his ‘mistake’ so many years ago, I wouldn’t be in this mess. I would be free to do as I wished. I could build a life here, with him and the rest of the alphas and omegas in this small town. I could open a library. Share my love of books with a new generation, a new world even.

Too bad I don’t get to have any of that. All because of the Syndicate. Fresh tears well up under my eyelids and for once I don’t stop them. To Ulfar, it will simply look like I teared up at his confession. But it’s so much more than that.

It’s the realization that I may not ever get to have a normal life the way all these other women do. That even if I do this thing for the Syndicate, who’s to say they won’t find another way to screw us over in the future? The happily ever after that I read about in books...that’s for other people. Not me. Not this time.

Vi’s words at the creek ring in my ears, painful but present.Enjoy your time while you can,she said.Don’t spend so much time worrying about the future that you forget to live,she said.

One day, and one day soon, I’ll have to break Ulfar’s heart. But if there’s no way around it, then why can’t I take advantage of this relationship while it lasts? I look up at him, wide-eyed and lost.

“Ulfar...I don’t know what to say.” My heartbeat rumbles in my chest. My breath heightens. When my eyes meet his, something shifts between us. Like the expression on his face, his very presence is the anchor. The answer I need.

“Then don’t say anything,” he murmurs. Those brilliant golden eyes bore into my soul, and for a brief second I feel like he’s unlocked something there, deep down in my chest.

This time I don’t have to say anything. I do what he says, and simply act.

Wrapping my arms around his neck, I pull him down and into a passionate kiss. He responds in kind, freezing up for only a second before kissing me back with such ferocity it takes my breath away. I draw back, panting, and both of us watch each other with lust-filled, shocked expressions.

“Are you sure?” Ulfar breathes, eyes wide at my initiation. This is the first time I’ve actually prompted him to have sex with me in such an active fashion, and it feelsright.

We’re not in heat anymore. We’re not beholden to our hormones or our animal urges. This is us. The real us. Coming together as man and woman because we want to. Because we share a bond deeper than just alpha and omega. And even if I can’t be with him forever, I want to show him just how much he means to me tonight.

“Does it look like I’m sure?” I coo and kiss him again.

With a happy grumble, he hoists me into the air in a bridal carry and walks the short distance to the bed. Instead of tossing me into the blankets, he deposits me lovingly on top of the comforter, and it’s like lying on a cloud.

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