Page 91 of Generation Omega: Revealed

I give my next words a dose offirst alphaforce. “You’re trying to right old wrongs and prove that your experience and education will finally save the day. I get it, but so far, all that baggage is a liability to her—youare a liability to our pack. So, you’re going to turn around and walk away from this guesthouse. Go hang out with your good buddy, Sage. I’m sure she’s full of big plans. I’ll let you know if you’re needed.”

I’m feeling a movie star moment coming on, so I add, “And just to be clear, if your teeth get anywhere nearmyomega, I’ll rip them out and hammer them into your skull. Are we clear?”

“Yes.” His sudden paleness is satisfying, not because of my great threat but because my words were laced with a bark he can’t help but obey.

As soon as he’s gone, I step back into the room and shut the door. I lock it to protect anyone who might consider barging in and getting themselves killed. My inner alpha and I have officially had it with anyone outside this luxury guesthouse,convenientlyowned by someone nefarious enough to be a deterrent to both the government and omega hunters. Imagining the possibilities just sets me more on edge, if that’s possible.

I return to Tillie who still lies quivering on the bed, looking so small and fragile—she’s neither of those things. She’s mighty and fierce, uncompromising in the most astounding way. It’s such a struggle to accept whereday twoof this omegaverse adventure brought us. When I woke this morning with Tillie in my arms, giggling about her power to inspire my knot, I never imagined the sight before me.

Everything inside me demands that I help her, stop her trembling, ease her fears, and compel her to see how amazing our connection is and how incredible our life together will be. I want to do all those things, but not by force—not by assuming I have all the answers after knowing her for two days.

She’s yours. You know best.

Bite her. Bond her. It’s the only way to save her life.

The nagging legacy just keeps on yammering, and it can do that all day. It’s not going to force my hand or my teeth. The urge to bite her is powerful, primal, and unrelenting, and if our hearts were still beating as one, I’d already have surrendered. But without the certainty of our connection, there’s no way to make this feel like anything other than taking what wasn’t offered.

I can’t detect her perfume at all, and I’mreallytrying. All I smell is the intense cleanliness of the room, not a hint of anything that reveals an omega is here. How is she doing it? Stifling our connection and her fragrance, fighting back the only way she can. Freedom from this life—that’s what she wants. But is that what she needs? Does she know what she needs?

Ethan would say no, that the scars from her neglected past are running the show. I don’t doubt his knowledge or intention, but even his guidance must be questioned, because he’s not the one who will bite her and create a bond that seals her fate.

Kazimir said there’s no escape for her. Thatcher basically said the same thing. The legacy inside me is screeching that she can’t get free, that she was chosen and that’s irreversible. All of them believe that, so it would be wise for me to believe it too. The trouble is, more than anything, I believe in Tillie, and the obvious progress she’s made in extracting herself from the legacy leads me to another conclusion. Maybe she can free herself and return to her life.

What would that mean for the rest of us? What would it mean for Ethan to lose the bond he called beautiful? She would never want to hurt him, but a caged animal is beyond reason, bound by a primal need to survive at all costs. To wage a war with the feral omega inside her, Tillie’s become feral herself. That’s why she’s trembling, using more energy than she possesses to remain locked in this battle with biology.

But why? That’s the question that keeps circling back. What triggered this? Was it her childhood, whatever darkness she suffered there? Was it Thatcher’s arrival and his bullshitno outsiderspolicy? Was it the sudden distance from Ethan, who is more than her foundation? Was it the danger, the risk we may never escape?

The only thing I’m truly certain of—in the deepest, most sincere part of my soul—is that, if Tillie and I had been alone with each other all day, this wouldn’t have happened. It wasn’t between us that this doubt formed or the ferocity of her new mission was unleashed.

I listened to the instincts that told me to hold back when Tillie’s emotions began to fracture. Then Ethan listened to their guidance by trying to create space for Tillie to need her alphas. Hell, Thatcher’s probably listening to them right now, commanding him to storm the door and bite my girl. Intentionally or not, all of that rattled her enough that she’s now in a pitched confrontation with a legacy that’s existed forever.

We’ll trust the instincts until they give us a reason not to—that’s what we decided yesterday and that’s the destination we’ve reached today.

The combative, little jerks ramp up their pressure to get me to bite Tillie, which means I struck a nerve. I plan to strike a whole lot more than that.

As I move closer to her, the ache in my jaw magnifies, intent on convincing me that the only way free of this discomfort is to bite her. Good thing I like a little pain in my life—makes me feel alive.

I lie beside her and then take the only liberty I’ll allow myself, pulling her flush against me so that I can hold her just like I did this morning. It was the most perfect way to wake, with my sassy, sweet, feisty Tillie in my arms. I already know that no amount of time would ever be enough for me, but even if the end comes, I’d rather spend two days with her than live a dozen lifetimes without her. My fatalistic clarity arrives—I’m not ready to die, but I’m not ready to survive if it means stealing Tillie’s free will.

“Baby girl, I miss you.” I brush my cheek over her soft hair. “I wanted so much more for ourday two. I wanted to make you dinner. I’m saying it—I’m quite the chef. I was also thinking about a bubble bath for ourknot revealparty, maybe afeel it before you see ittheme, in case it’s all sorts of weird. I wanted us to talk. I want to know every single thing about you.”

My emotions are less controllable than they’ve ever been, my eyes watering and tears about to spill. “I wanted us to laugh about all this omegaverse ridiculousness, including your snooty second alpha and your murderous third alpha. Imagine the possibilities for the next two chumps the legacy selects for you—worst matchmaking service ever.” I kiss her hair. “I’m sorry I let you down, baby girl. I clearly did or you would have felt safe with me, not like I was just another bar in your cage.”

I smell her hair and there’s no scent at all, another knife in my chest. Her heart frantically beats, but mine has no power to steady her.

Memories begin to stir.

I’m a mess and no one’s savior. This is all a mistake.That’s what Tillie said to Titus.

“None of this is a mistake.We’renot a mistake. I’m more certain than I’ve ever been that you’re my fated mate, and I hope with everything I am that I’m yours. I want us to find a way through this and celebrate our connection. But more than that, I want to be what you need me to be, no matter what that means.”

I rest my hand on her neck, caressing her soft skin. “I don’t care about life and death. It’s all irrelevant unless we’re on this journey together. If you are with me, I’ll fight like hell, rut like a first alpha should, love you so fully that you never feel anything but cherished. But it has to be your choice, Tillie Marie Harrison.”

I whisper in her ear, “If what you want is freedom, then that’s what you’ll get.”

The omega legacy panics inside me, and I’m suddenly in the fight of my life.

CHAPTER42

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