I snap my mouth shut and blink. “He’s…”
“Yeah, we picked up on that, too. Something’s not quite right about him, but he’s on our side, so we’re going to keep him.”
I turn wide eyes on Jarek, who winks at me and hands me the wrapped up bar that Mordecai tried to give me earlier.
“Eat, my darling omega, you need your food to fight the war.”
It’s hard to be anything but charmed around Jarek. I take the food but keep an eye out, uneasy about the missing alphas.
It’s not until they return together hours later that I relax enough to doze.
“She stresses when we’re away from her,” Jarek snarls. “So stop doing it.”
“I’d rather be safe than ambushed,” Cadel murmurs.
Mordecai doesn’t say anything, but he does get up and come and lie behind me. Close but not touching. I roll quickly, burying my face in his chest. His arms close around me, and I breathe in his scent and find myself finally relaxing.
“You heard all that, then?”
“I don’t want you not to come back. People vanish all the time. They disappear.”
“I’m not going to disappear.”
“You don’t know that!” I say, getting agitated.
He is silent for a moment, and then I hear a rumbling noise. It’s quiet but hits every part of me like a hug. It’s warmth and safety. It’s a sound I’ve yearned to hear all my life.
“Purring?” I whimper.
He rolls, pulling me on top of him so I can feel the way his chest vibrates with the sound. I lay my head on his chest, listening in wonder to this sound that is fast becoming one of my favourite sounds in the world.
Cadel moves close to us and hands me a scrap of material. I take it, and my fingers go deep into the soft fur. I moan, stroking it, and then bring it to my face and rub against it.
“What is going on?” Jarek asks.
“An omega’s natural instinct is to nest when she feels unsafe. An alpha’s natural instinct is to provide comfort when his omega is distressed,” Cadel says as if he’s reciting from a book.
“Is this what we’re supposed to be?” Jarek asks and sits down beside us, reaching out and spearing his fingers through my hair, rubbing until I groan.
“Yes, this is what you’re supposed to be,” Cadel whispers. “You take care of your omega like she’s your heart because she is. You can’t exist without her. Nothing is the same. You would spend the end of time trying to find her if she was lost.”
I reach for Cadel, and he sits beside us. They curl up around me, and for the first time in a long time, I can see that being an omega might not be a curse after all. I can almost see how perfect it could be.
“I want to fight. I want this not just for me, but for every other omega who lives in terror. So, I’m going to help the Resistance and try to save these people. But I want to destroy the Beta’s Path. If we get a chance, that’s what I want more than anything.”
“Okay, Kaida. We’ll help you,” Mordecai promises.
Jarek and Cadel murmur agreement.
Chapter 39
The first shift
I turn the corner and stop so quickly Cadel runs into my back.
“What is it?” he asks.
“Wow!” I whisper.
