Page 52 of Sweet Omega
“I’m so so…sorry, Baron,” he stammered for the fifth time, dabbing uselessly at the alpha’s soaked shirt with a napkin. Baron kept insisting it was fine, but the redness blooming beneath the thin fabric of his long shirt suggested otherwise.
“Excuse me,” Baron muttered, making a beeline for the washroom like a man fleeing a crime scene.
Ludiin sat frozen, barely breathing, his heart thudding in his throat. He could feel everyone staring at him like he’d grown a second head.
With trembling fingers, he fumbled out his connector and jabbed at Luci’s code like it was his lifeline.
“I’m done,” he bit out as soon as Luci answered.
“Already? Ludiin, you’re not running, are you?”
“You should probably come check on your alpha friend. I think he has third-degree burns. I’m leaving.”
“Wait there, I’m coming,” Luci said quickly.
Ludiin waited, slumped low in his chair, cheeks ablaze with humiliation. From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Baron hovering near the shrubbery, peeking out, eyes scanning for the nearest escape route.
Their gazes met.
Ludiin didn’t look away.Go,he willed silently.Run if you want. I won’t blame you.
But Baron came back, slowly settling into his chair like someone bracing for another spill.
“Luci’s on his way,” Ludiin said quietly.
“Oh,” Baron replied, awkward.
“It was nice to meet you,” Ludiin added, trying to sound polite. “But I don’t think this is going to work out.”
Baron blinked, clearly not expecting that. But really, what else could he expect?
By the time Luci arrived, Ludiin was already on his feet, grabbing his brother by the arm and dragging him out.
“Baron, we’ll talk!” Luci called over his shoulder.
The moment they were inside the hover pod, Ludiin turned to him, eyes blazing.
“I told you not to leave me alone with him. And you left anyway.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No, you’re not. You don’t get it. I’m not like you. I can’t just walk up to strangers and make jokes and flirt and pretend I’m not dying inside.”
“I thought you needed this,” Luci said quietly. “You hide in that house all day, every day, and I just… I thought if you saw what was out there, maybe…”
“I’m not like you,” Ludiin cut in again, turning to the window.
“I know,” Luci whispered. “I just wanted to help.”
“I know,” Ludiin said gloomily, voice barely a whisper. The feeling of failure clung to him like a second skin, heavy and inescapable. The only reprieve was working on his pleasuring bot and combing through the Council of Alphas’ financial records.
Using his brain always lifted his mood. Made him feel useful, even needed. It was a small reminder that even though he wasn’t like other omegas, it didn’t mean he was useless, no matter how often he fumbled and burned potential alphas. Shame, Tarymn wasn’t there to see how useful he could be.
Tarymn was in his room. With another omega.
Did aggressive alphas really need more than one omega? Or was it just… him? Ludiin glanced at Pitra, tempted to ask, but bit the inside of his mouth instead and forced his eyes back to his work.
Days passed, each one more miserable than the last as he thought of Tarymn with another omega. He hadn’t thought it could get worse, but by the end of Tarymn’s heat, he’d had enough. And their rooms being so close to each other didn’t help. More than once, Ludiin thought he heard soft, moans coming from inside that made his stomach twist.
