Sylas wrapped his arms around me. “You weren’t welcomed with open arms.” It was a statement, not a question.
“No. His wife lost her ever-loving mind which is how I found out that she didn’t know about me. He tried to tell her that it wasn’t his fault, that my Dad had seduced him to blackmail him and ruin his career, but I don’t think she bought it.” I closed my eyes and shook my head. “The state forced them to take me in, but he made several attempts to have me committed to a mental hospital because I said I was an Omega. In the meantime, they gave me a sleeping bag and let me sleep in the garage. When I turned sixteen, he brought me here and dropped me off.”
Sylas was flooding me with comfort and I curled into him. “Apparently my Dad had put every penny the Senator sent for my care into a trust fund for me. And when he died, there was life insurance that went into it, too. That’s what pays my tuition here. Until my twenty-first birthday, the Senator is the one in control. I have to ask him for any money, but he can’t pull anything out without my signature, so the only time I see him is when he wants me to sign a check.”
“Which is probably why he was here today without warning,” Sylas said.
I nodded. “Yeah. And as soon as he finds out that I am pregnant, he might just have what he needs to have me committed. He’ll be rid of meandget the money, so, a double win for him.”
A tiny spark of anger flickered in the back of my mind, but I shrugged it off and stayed snuggled against the Alpha holding me.
“What about the father of your child?” Sylas asked softly. “Will he help you?”
I forced back a sob. “He, uh, won’t talk to me and when I called his house the other day, a woman said he never wanted to hear from me again, so I don’t think he’s an option.”
“I see.” Sylas brushed a kiss over my head and then sat back, his eyes catching my own. “Paul, I know this is sudden, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Will you marry me?”
Chapter Six
To the casual observer, proposing to an Omega to rescue him from a desperate situation might have seemed impulsive bordering on crazy. After all, who makes a lifetime commitment to someone they barely know just to help them? The answer to that question is someone who has already had and lost the love of their life and still has more years to waste than they even know. Or, for the short answer-me.
“I..what?” Paul was staring at me in shock.
“I asked you to marry me,” I said calmly, slipping my hand under his shirt to stroke the bare skin of his back. “Your father can’t have you committed as incorrigible for being pregnant if the baby’s sire marries you.”
“I..but it’s not yours,” Paul disputed, still seeming shocked.“Why would you do that?”
See? Crazy.
“I don’t want to see you hurt, Tiger,” I tried to phrase my response in as logical a way as possible. “I don’t need your money, so there’s nothing to worry about there. And as soon as the baby is born and you are comfortable going out on your own, we can dissolve the marriage and you can move on with your life. In the meantime, both of you will be protected and kept safe from harm.”
“But why?” Paul asked again. “I don’t understand.”
I winked at him and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Let’s just say I came here to save an Omega and I’m not leaving without doing it. What do you say?”
“I..” Paul seemed poised to argue again, but he surprised me by wrapping his arms around my neck. “Thank you.” He pulled away and stood up. “If you’re certain, I’d be honored to marry you, Sylas.”
“Excellent.” I stood and reached for the waxed hemp cord that always hung around my neck. Untying it, I slipped the dull metal band on the fourth finger of Paul’s left hand before kissing his fingers. It was a perfect fit. “We can go ring shopping once we get through this, but for now, my good luck charm will have to do.”
Paul stared at his hand for a long moment before a small laugh bubbled out of him. “I can’t believe this. Now what?”
“Now,” I said, reaching for the phone I’d tossed on the desk when I’d entered the room. “I think it’s time to make a call to a professional.”
Luckily, I had Haldrian Christoff’s number programmed into my contact list. Luckier still, Drey answered on the second ring.
He listened carefully as I raced through the story, only interrupting to ask for facts I’d missed in my rapid telling of events. When I’d finished, there was a brief silence on the other end of the line before Drey began to bark instructions. Instruction number one? Get the hell off the ODI property and head for the county courthouse.
I was still listening to Drey’s rapid fire instructions as I pulled a backpack from a hook in the closet and passed it to Paul.
“Hurry and pack anything you can’t leave behind,” I whispered. “We need to go.”
Without a word, Paul began to move about, opening drawers and tucking items into the bag. By the time that I’d finished with Drey, he was standing by the door, shoes on, bag over his shoulder, and clutching a light coat.
“Very good,” I praised him, pecking his cheek. “Now, just to be clear, we are not running away.”
Paul cocked his head. “We’re not?”
“No. You’re of legal age to marry, so we are going to slip out to visit the courthouse and then return to deal with your father once we’ve tied the knot. We’re just taking your things in case there’s a bump in the road, okay?”
