Page 69 of Royal Omega

Chapter Thirty-one - Carissa

Iwake up in betweenHenry and Ransom, both of them wrapped around me like a blanket of love. There’s a single band of light coming through one of the shutters of this incredible nesting chamber. I vaguely recall that Beatrice had something to do with this place... but I can’t remember anything beyond that.

I should be able to nestle back into the arms of my pack. My neck is throbbing from three soul-deep bites, and the connections forming between us are buzzing with ever-increasing power.

But something’s wrong. Someone’s in distress. Looking at Henry and Ransom, both still in deep slumber, I know there’s only one person it can be.

I slip out of the bed and leave the nest, wrapping myself in one of Henry’s discarded shirts. I hold the fabric to my nose for a moment, enjoying the peppermint comfort as I step quietly out the door and into the living room.

Conrad is in the kitchen, leaning against the counter. His head is in his hands, and he’s rocking slightly, as if trying to comfort himself. Through the bond, I feel a rush of torment.

“Conrad,” I whisper. “Are you —?”

Conrad jumps at the sound of my voice, and backs away from me as I round the kitchen island and move toward him. “I’m fine,” he says swiftly. “Everything is fine.”

“It doesn’t look fine.”

Conrad lets out a shuddered breath. “I’m just... having trouble with all this.”

“With the bites?”

“Yes.”

I nod sympathetically. “It did happen fast,” I say gently. “Is there anything I can do to make things better?”

“Why did you ask for me?”

My brow creases in confusion. “Ask for you?”

“Ransom said... they all said... you were calling for me. That you insisted on me being there.” Conrad shakes his head. “Why would you do that? What possible reason could you have after everything we’ve gone through? Was it a trick?”

“A trick?”

“Are you trying to destroy my business? My pack? I can feel you in here,” he points at his head. “But I can’t... I don’t know how to trust you.”

He looks up at me, his body stiff and unyielding. He looks like he’s preparing himself for a blow. Like I’m going to haul off and hit him for telling me that everything isn’t instantly perfect now that we’re connected.

“I get it,” I say finally.

He blinks at me. “You get... what?”

“I get that this,” I point to the space between us, “doesn’t change overnight.”

“We could have taken more time,” Conrad says in a raw voice. “We didn’t have to rush into anything. We could have taken it slow. Maybe if we had waited longer, I could have been more sure. I could have trusted you more.”

I nod. “Well, time is still an option. I’m not going to force you to do anything with this bond between us. And you know as well as I do that if we don’t maintain it, it will weaken. It might always be there in the back of your mind, but the bond is about what you choose to put into it.” I step closer. “But you should know, I can feel the bonds between me and Henry and Ransom growing stronger.”

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