Page 104 of Verses and Blooms
My heart sank while Rydell gave me a worried look.
“We all need closure, right?” I asked softly, trying to show support.
“Of course,” Ares agreed. “She’s right outside. Let’s get this over with while we wait. It’s just a conversation. If you’re uncomfortable, you are free to leave at any time.”
Ares led the way. They were holding the board meetings in the dining hall, which meant the conference room was empty again.
“She couldn’t have picked a worse day to come,” Rydell muttered.
“For once, I disagree,” I said quietly. “This is probably thebesttime. Maybe you can finally put some of your past behind you.”
He took a breath and nodded before Ares led us in.
There was a petite omega waiting inside the conference room. She was pretty, and I was relieved to note that we looked nothing alike.
“Rydell,” she said, standing. The omega shifted awkwardly, rocking on her feet. “Look, I’m sorry for coming, but I heard about what was going on and… I just wanted to talk to you.”
“How did you even know I was here?” Rydell asked.
She let out a shaky breath. “My legal team reached out for me. A few years have passed and I guess I just wanted to see if you were as fucked up as I was. I don’t know.” She laughed, thesound hollow and broken as she started pacing. “They medically separated the bond. It shouldn’t affect me, and yet I still have nightmares.”
Rydell hadn’t said much. He looked dazed, lost in a fog of memories.
I pressed myself into his side, fingers wrapping around his wrist. The omega noticed, her eyes flickering to me as if just realizing I was there.
“I found a mate,” Rydell said finally. His voice was rough, like he had to force the words through something jagged.
“Oh,” the omega breathed out in shock.
“Why are you here?” he asked.
“What do you expect me to say?” she sighed. “I’m not even sure. I just… I’m sorry. I’m sorry that this happened to you. I’m sorry that I playedanypart in your pain. I’m sorry that you got locked up here with no way out while I was fine. Is there anything I can do to help?”
“We actually have a hearing today to see if we’re fit to leave,” I spoke up for him. “Everyone was quick to call Rydell a monster because of his dominant status.”
Her eyes widened. “That’swhy you’re here?”
“Yes,” Rydell confirmed.
“But neither one of us wanted that,” she argued. “I pushed you away because you were a reminder of the worst time of my life. I bit you. I took your consent away.” She was sobbing now.
“It was never your fault, either,” Rydell said firmly.
“You don’t blame me?” she asked, her watery eyes wide.
He shook his head. “Of course not. I blame those assholes.”
“It sounds like neither of you were to blame,” I said gently. “It’s okay to let it go. But if you can, then give us a chance to get out of here. Tell them he wasn’t dangerous. That he was one of the few alphas from that school who was normal.”
“He was,” she agreed.
“Wait,” I interrupted, realizing she never should have been there. “I thought it was an alpha-only program. Dominant alphas only.”
“It was,” she said. “But they had an outreach program. A way to safely allow them to interact with omegas. To desensitize them to our scent.” She put air quotes around the word safely.
“Seems that backfired,” I muttered.
“My uncle was the dean,” she continued. “He thought I’d be perfect. I was patient and calm. They assumed their instincts wouldn’t kick in and they wouldn’t hurt me. That day, I was waiting for him. He’d left me with a professor, but something happened in the hallway. A fight maybe? One of the alphas stormed in and grabbed me while he was distracted. They didn’t find me until everything was over and I’d already bitten Rydell.”
