Page 74 of Omega in Hiding

I have my arm around Connor and I can feel he’s trembling. The fact he’s scared only makes me more protective of him. Now that everyone knows who he is, I’m sure it’s terrifying for him to be in the lion’s den, so to speak. But we had to face this head on. I want Connor to be fully immersed in my world, and that can’t happen without my family’s blessing.

“He’s a fucking Murphy,” Valentino growls, jabbing his finger in Connor’s direction.

Nico shakes his head. “Everybody knows that already, dear.”

“Well, he shouldn’t be in our house.” Valentino rakes a hand through his dark hair. “He’s the enemy. I can’t believe you brought him here, Paolo. What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking I’d like to introduce my omega to the family,” I say, doing my best to sound confident. Hopefully, nobody can tell my legs are shaking. He may be my brother, but Valentino is a force to be reckoned with when angry.

Mother winces, but holds on to her composure. “Are… are you saying you officially claimed him, Paolo?”

“Yes.” I lift my chin.

Connor stiffens as all eyes turn to stare at him.

Nico grimaces. “Uh, oh.” He gives his husband a wary glance.

“I’m sorry.” Valentino huffs like a coal engine. “You didwhat?” The word ‘what’ is an octave higher.

I suck in a calming breath. “We love each other. I want to be with Connor, so I claimed him. You’ve been hounding me to claim an omega for years. You should be happy I finally did it.”

The veins in Valentino’s face and throat bulge. “You know perfectly well I expected you to claim an omega from an upstandingItalianfamily. Connor is not onlyIrish, he’s the son of SeamusMurphy.”

“I know exactly who he is, Valentino.” I rub Connor’s back because his trembling is getting worse.

“Show me the bite mark,” Valentino growls.

Connor moves closer to me and I hug him. “Stop shouting, Valentino. Jesus, you’re scaring Connor.”

“I don’t care if I’m scaring him.” Valentino’s dark eyes are malevolent. “Show me the bite mark. I need to be certain this is really happening.”

Connor pulls away from me and he bares his neck to the room. There’s a collective gasp as they all take in the bite on his throat.

“You’re unbelievable.” Valentino shakes his head. “Why can’t you ever just do things the way they’re supposed to be done, Paolo?”

“You wanted me to claim an omega, and I have.” I scowl. “What’s it to you who I choose? I think love is more important than social standing.”

Dario laughs harshly. “Since when? You’ve mocked the very idea of love most of your life.”

“That’s not true.” I frown. “I was always envious of Valentino and Nico’s relationship, and yours and Alessio’s too. I have no issues with love.”

“You slept around a lot,” Nico says quietly. “You were extremely vocal about not wanting to claim an omega, Paolo. Even I know that.”

I meet Nico’s gaze, by face warming. “Well, that was before I met Connor. Something clicked when I met him, and I wanted to claim him.”

“Even though he’s the son of Seamus Murphy?” Mother asks, her voice wobbling. “You know very well that man and your father hated each other with a passion.”

Connor surprises me when he speaks up. “That was after I left home. I didn’t know anything about the feud my father hadwith your husband, Mrs. Syracuse. I never had any beef with the Syracuse Mafia myself.”

“So you say,” mutters Valentino.

I scowl. “How can you blame Connor for things his father did? He left his family because he didn’t agree with how they were. Why should he be held responsible?”

“How do we know he really left them behind?” Dario says. “For all we know he’s feeding them information.”

“About what?” Connor frowns. “I’m not privy to anything you guys are doing. I haven’t even been around for a month.”

“That’s true.” Nico nods. “I also agree a person shouldn’t be blamed for the sins of their father.”

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