Page 7 of The Honor of Being Hers
“I won’t be,” she said.“I have friends.You know that.”
“And I trust them.But they’re not registered guardians under OmegaSafe.And if you go into heat without warning, you could be in danger.”
“I won’t,” she interrupted.“Not again.”
William’s voice was calm, but firm.The tone of someone who’d made life-or-death decisions and lived with the consequences.“You can’t guarantee that.And I don’t want to gamble with your safety.”
The silence stretched uncomfortably.Neither was willing to budge until Lauren finally let out a breath.
“Okay.I’ll read it,” she said.
Tyler nodded.“We’ll wait.”
The first page was simple.Location, time frame, consent guidelines.One week, renewable.No physical contact without verbal consent.One Alpha in the room at a time unless otherwise agreed.Omega can end proximity at any time.No marking.
The second page detailed schedules, including shared mealtimes and check-ins, as well as optional activities, which were not mandatory but available and encouraged.
The third was the most detailed: grounding options, scent as part of comfort protocols.It included safe words.A ranking of sensory thresholds.Emergency contacts, too, including her cousin, her physician, and Justin, listed as emotional backup.
And beneath it all, the most important line: No bonding without express, written consent by all parties outside of a heat, witnessed by Kyle and Justin, submitted in triplicate to OmegaSafe.
Lauren read it again.Slowly.
“This is real,” she said.
“Yes,” William said.
“I’m not being managed or controlled.”
“Never.”
She looked up at him, eyes sharp.“What about the more intimate rules?I don’t see them here.And what if I change my mind?”
“Then we’ll drive you home,” Tyler said.“If necessary, we’ll take turns sitting outside your flat.But we’d rather not.As for the intimate rules, we didn’t think this was the time or place for them.We’ve a contract we can use as a base at home.We’ll send the final version to Kyle and Justin if you wish.I’m assuming they have a good idea of your boundaries.”
Lauren exhaled, then nodded slowly, “This doesn’t mean anything changes.”
“No,” William said.“But it does mean we don’t lose you to some random Alpha with impulse control issues or worse.”
“And we have a chance to get to know you without any sort of pressure on you,” Tyler added.
Those words had a surprisingly strange effect on her.
Rachel smiled and handed her a pen without being asked.
Feeling incredulous about the events of the last few hours, she signed.
William carefully collected the papers and slipped them into a protective folder.“Thank you,” he said simply.“For trusting us with this.”
And somehow, she believed he understood precisely what it had cost her to do so.
5
Within an hour of signing the agreement, Lauren found herself back in her hotel suite, but this time with more people than she’d expected.William had been joined by two other men wearing OmegaSafe pins with additional credentials, while the conference coordinator, Dr.Patterson, paced near the window.Her supervisor, Dr.Singh, a kind Beta woman who’d mentored Lauren for years, sat quietly in one of the chairs, her expression troubled.
“Dr.Patterson, Dr.Singh,” William said formally, “these are Senior Investigators Morrison and Clark from OmegaSafe headquarters.”
Behind them, Ryan stood quietly near the doorway, his tall frame somehow managing to seem smaller, less imposing.His dark hair was slightly mussed, as if he’d been running his fingers through it, and his presence was carefully unobtrusive.He didn’t speak during the introductions, but Lauren caught him watching her with an expression she couldn’t quite read.He seemed concerned, but respectful of the space she clearly needed.
