Page 65 of The Omega's Contract

“Our happiness isn’t worth more than their lives, Seb.”

I flinch. He’s right, of course, he is. But maybe so am I.

“Just see if there’s a way to do both. Maybe try talking to her.”

Darion shakes his head. “She wouldn’t…I’m broken, Seb. I can’t show her me. She’ll run for the hills.”

“She won’t, but I won’t push you, not until you’re ready. There’s nothing wrong with you, Darion, you’re amazing, and she’s going to think so, too.”

He shakes his head again and pulls away from me. I recognise the shadows in his eyes as he backs away before slipping up to the roof.

Fuck. Sometimes I forget the endgame of this decade-long campaign, but Darion never does. His mind is always working towards that goal.

Lukas appears in the doorway and watches me for a long minute.

“Hungry?”

He nods.

I go into the kitchen and pull out the ingredients for pancakes.

“Darion on the roof?”

“Yup.”

“He lost his shit.” Lukas says carefully.

“He did.”

“Is he okay?”

“You could ask him.”

“I’m mad at him.”

I snort and start stirring the batter. “Are you really mad at him, or are you just angry that he’s being Darion?”

Lukas glares at me. “He wasn’t interested in them at all, was he? It’s all about the plan, isn’t it?”

I nod my head and drop some butter into the frying pan.

“There are more important things in life than the plan.”

I open my mouth, but he sags. He looks towards the roof. I can see the thoughts as clear as day on his face. We deserve happiness. This could be our chance. We should take it. Followed by; we’re the only ones who can stop this. We’re so close, we can save so many people.

“Fuck!”

“Yeah.”

“Seriously, fuck!” Lukas grabs his hair and pulls. I flip the first pancake. “I can’t lose her. Fuck, I’d intended to take her to bed last night and make her mine, but…I got her in there, and I just needed to hold her. That's all I did. I just held her all night. Where she was safe and protected and watched over and mine.”

I look up sharply. There’s something almost animalistic, a possessiveness, a desperation in his eyes, written in the twist of his lips, the way his nostrils flare.

An alpha that’s bonded, maybe not yet through bite bonds or even sex, but an emotional bond, a claiming bond. Something less tangible and somehow stronger.

My mind races as I absently cook the food. Do I feel the same as Lukas? Maybe not yet, but I’ve been holding back, not quite allowing her to see all of me.

I’m standing on the edge, Darion and his plan on one side, Lukas and our omega on the other.

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