Page 99 of Omega's Refuge

“Come on, T, let me tell you what I came here to tell you.” He pushed his lips out in a pout.

I gripped the door, my anxiety about Rex coming over increasing with every passingsecond. “I heard all I needed to hear when we spoke on the phone. You know, the day youabandonedme at that dude ranch.”

He rolled his eyes. “I didn’t leave you in the middle of nowhere.”

I sputtered, “Uh, yeah, that’s literally what you did.”

“What I’m saying is I left you somewhere you’d be safe. I didn’t dump you in a ravine out in the desert.” His mouth tensed. “I knew that fucking cowboy would be only too happy to soothe your broken heart.”

I kept my expression blank, praying he didn’t notice the fresh bite mark on my throat. He’d freak out if he saw that Rex had claimed me. I wasn’t sure what to do to get rid of him. All I wanted was to shut the door on Steve, literally and figuratively. But he seemed in no hurry to leave, and it was only a matter of time before Rex came over to see what was going on.

“Look,” I said as calmly as possible, “We have nothing to say to each other. It’s over and I wish you nothing but the best, okay? May you live happily-ever-after with Tony or whoever else you hitch your wagon to.”

“I don’t want Tony.”

I laughed gruffly. “Did he dump you? Is that why you’re here?”

His cheeks tinted pink. “No, it was a mutual parting of ways.”

“Pfft, sure it was.” I shook my head.

He waved his hands impatiently. “I don’t want to talk about Tony, I want to talk about us.”

“There is no us.”

He gave an exasperated growl. “T, let me explain why I did what I did.”

I crossed my arms, feeling annoyed and anxious. “There’s no point in listening. There’s no reasonable explanation for all the shit you’ve put me through the last year. We’re not good together. It’s that simple. We gave it a good try, but it didn’t work out. Let it go, Steve.”

“No.” He let out a harsh breath. “I can’t just let you go. We’ve known each other a long time, T. I claimed you. You at least owe me a conversation.”

I gritted my teeth. “I don’t owe you a thing. Not after how you behaved.”

Ignoring me, he continued, “What happened was I got scared, T.” He leaned forward, his expression earnest. “We were fighting so much, it spooked me. You didn’t care that I wanted to leave that ranch, and that really hurt me.”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s over and done with now.”

“It matters to me.” He started to take a step inside, but I pushed the door and stopped him.

“You don’t need to come in. You don’t live here anymore.” I gave an edgy glance over my shoulder. I was positive Rex would appear anyminute and then all hell would break loose. I needed to get rid of Steve ASAP. “Just go, would you please? We’re finished and there’s no changing that.”

His face fell. “Why are you being so cold? That’s not like you, T.”

I exhaled tiredly. “Steve, we’ve been down this road too many times. I don’t have the energy for it anymore.”

“You’re just throwing everything away? Even our friendship?”

I scowled. “What kind of a friend treats someone the way you treated me? I forgave you over and over, but it meant nothing to you. You never changed. I’ve had enough.”

“Just like that you don’t care about me anymore?” He truly did look wounded.

I grimaced. “Look, I… I still care about you as a person, and want you to be happy. But that isn’t going to be with me, Steve. That’s just a fact.”

His jaw tensed. “You know I love you, Tanner. You’re the only omega I’ve ever loved. I’m not going to just give up on us.”

“You have to. We’re finished.”

He slumped. “Don’t just shut me out. We should talk and work through things. That’s what couples do, Tanner. They don’t just give up when they hit some bumps in the road.”

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