Page 48 of Sweet Omega
“That must have been painful.”
“I don’t remember,” Tarymn said, though the faint tension in his shoulders betrayed him. “Fourteen years is a long time. I’m surprised he still remembered what I was like back then.”
“Why did he leave?” Tarymn’s gaze locked on the omega. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” Ludiin said quickly.
“It’s fine.” Tarymn exhaled, eyes drifting to some invisible point far away. “Our mother died, and he… lost control of himself. Aggressive alphas have a weird way of dealing with shit. If they don’t go crazy, they make life hell for everyone around them.”
“How can you say that? Aren’t you an aggressive alpha?”
“Do I behave like an aggressive alpha?”
“I don’t know. You know I haven’t been around a lot of alphas.”
“Why is that?” Tarymn asked, leaning forward slightly, the urge to know burning through him. “Did something happen?”
“No. And we’re not talking about me right now.”
Tarymn studied Ludiin’s face, searching for any sign that something happened. His hands curled into fists, nails biting into his palms, rage simmering hot in his veins. He tried to shove down the fierce, protective instinct clawing at his chest. His jaw tightened, his pulse hammering as the thought of anyone touching Ludiin burned through him. He knew without a doubt—if anyone had dared lay a hand on him, he’d rip them apart with his bare hands. “Nothing happened? No one hurt you?” He bit out.
“No.”
“I mean… you’re gorgeous and intelligent. I thought that maybe…”
“You think I’m gorgeous?” Ludiin’s eyes widened in surprise.
Shit.Tarymn cleared his throat, glancing away. “Don’t you look in the mirror?”
“I…” Ludiin stammered, words tangling on his tongue as heat crept up his neck, painting his cheeks a soft pink. The nervous twitch of his lips made him look impossibly, almost maddeningly, adorable.
“Did you find anything?” Tarymn asked, changing the subject.
“I…uhh…” Ludiin looked at the e-reader as if he’d forgotten what he’d been doing. “No. Like I said. I need access to your system to see what happened. These documents were saved with the changes.”
“Fuck.” Tarymn shoved to his feet, frustrated. His connector went off and he stared at it.
“Aren’t you going to answer that?” Ludiin asked, brows lifting.
“It’s Deltta,” Tarymn muttered, his tone edged with dread. “He’s going to ask for a progress report, and I’ve got nothing to give him.” He exhaled sharply, thumb hovering over his connector.
“What if…” Ludiin said thoughtfully. “What if he accessed the system and looked at those documents? Would whoever you’re investigating find that suspicious?”
“You mean, access the system as him?”
Ludiin nodded.
“I don’t know,” Tarymn admitted. “But at this point, we might not have a choice.” With a resigned exhale, he thumbed the connector and brought it to his ear. “Hey, Deltta.”
“Did you find anything?” Deltta wasted no time.
Tarymn’s stomach dipped. “Not yet.”
Across the room, Ludiin made a silent gesture that he was heading out. Tarymn returned a slight nod, his eyes following the omega until the door closed. Only then did he force his attention back to the voice in his ear. Deltta was speaking in rapid bursts, frustration, and worry coating his voice.
“I’m working on it,” Tarymn cut in when there was room to speak.
“Please hurry. Things are getting tense here. I’ll breathe easier once this is settled.”
Tarymn offered reassurances he barely felt, rubbing the back of his neck to ease the coiled tension there. His gaze drifted to the spot Ludiin had vacated. The omega was their last hope, and Tarymn needed him to find something, anything.
