Page 70 of Royal Omega

“You’re going to take them,” Conrad says, running his hands through his hair. “This is what you wanted all along, isn’t it? To steal them from me?” When he looks at me again, his eyes are black. “I’ve already lost so much, Carissa. Do you really need to take more?”

I swallow hard as he approaches, his eyes wild and intense. He boxes me in against the counter, his arms on either side of me.

The door to the nest flies open, and Henry and Ransom appear there, both of them wild and growling. They start forward, but I hold up a hand to stop them. I look up into Conrad’s eyes and touch his temples gently.

“Conrad, do you remember when we were young? How we felt about each other?”

“I know how I felt about you,” he says in a raw voice, his forehead coming down to touch mine. “I loved you. I’ve always loved you. But you —”

“Feel the bond between us, Conrad. I know you’re trying to avoid it. Stop running. Stop being afraid of me.”

“Carissa...” he breathes.

“Izzy,” I correct him. “Call me Izzy. Remember?”

I touch the bond between us gently, and it vibrates through us both. Conrad draws in a breath. “Izzy?” he whispers.

“Yeah. I’m here. I’ve always been here.”

He starts to shake his head, starts to move away, but I stop him, holding his head in my hands. “Henry, Ransom, would you please come here?”

“Izzy,” Ransom says in a thick voice. “Are you sure —?”

“Just come closer. Trust me.”

The men crowd closer. I wrap my arms around Conrad’s waist, letting him feel my whole soul. Everything I’ve felt for him, everything I’ve wished and desired. Conrad’s body shakes. His arms wrap around me and he holds me tight, that familiar sandalwood scent pulsing through my veins.

“I think you should bite each other again,” I say in a low voice.

I wait for Conrad to stiffen. I wait for him to pull away, to tell me no, that it’s too much. Instead, he holds me tighter. “Izzy,” he breathes. “Izzy, God, I’ve missed you. I thought...”

“I know,” I whisper back. “You thought I wasn’t real, right? I thought the same about you. That all the feelings were coming from one side. But we were there all along, loving each other. And now it’s time to make this pack whole again.”

I nod to Henry and Ransom, who come in closer behind him. He breathes heavily as Henry presses his lips to one side of his neck, Ransom to the other.

“Forever?” I ask.

Conrad smiles, his eyes glinting with happiness I haven’t seen in years. “Forever,” he agrees.

And at the same time, Henry and Ransom bite down.

The End.

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