Jeremy’s eyes narrowed but his voice remained calm. “Are you one of those controlling bast…Alphas who don’t believe an Omega has a say in their own life?”
“What? No!” I closed my eyes, shaking my head as I tried to wrap my brain around what the bloody hell was going on. “Why..” And then a terrible, terrible thought occurred to me. “Are you saying thatConneryis the pregnant Omega?”
I forced my eyes open and looked around the room, meeting each set of eyes as I did.
Chuck was furious. Kade was clearly enjoying himself. Jeremy was confused.
When the sound of a throat clearing came from behind me, I swiveled in my chair, meeting one more set of eyes. These were wide and the soft black shone with fear and uncertainty.
Ari swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “I’m sorry. I heard my name and thought someone called me?”
“That’s okay,” Jeremy started to respond but I was already out of my chair and sweeping Ari into my arms.
“Is it true?” I murmured in his ear, holding him close to my chest. “Are you pregnant?”
Ari pulled back a few inches and looked up into my face. I smiled, hoping it came across as supportive and caring. I must have missed my mark because Ari promptly burst into tears and ran from the room.
ChapterFour
Ari
How in the name of all things Holy did they knowRogerwas the one I had so sinfully fornicated with?
First Jeremy and then Chuck had asked me repeatedly who the baby’s father was. When I refused to answer, even Kade had tried to draw me into a conversation about it, assuring me that I wasn’t in any trouble and that they only wanted to see that I and the child I was so improbably carrying were cared for.
I’d stubbornly held my tongue, refusing to lay the blame for my sins at the feet of the man who had been so kind to me after I was captured. He’d brought me food and drink, soothed and comforted me when I was scared out of my mind, and talked gently when we were alone, assuring me that I was safe. Whatever the consequences of my poor decisions when I met him in that bar, I was determined to bear them alone, so when I entered the Director’s office after hearing my name said loudly, I was shocked to find Roger occupying one of the chairs.
He leapt to his feet and wrapped me in his arms, his voice gentle as he asked me softly if I was really pregnant. When I’d looked up into his face, waves of fear and self-loathing crashed over me. Out in the hall, I forced myself to stop running. The voices behind me were rising again and I swallowed the lump in my throat, making myself move step by step back to the open door.
When I reached the doorway, Director Keir was speaking, his voice low and firm. “You have the right to appeal the test results,” he said. “You’ll need…”
He trailed off when Roger waved his hand dismissively in the air. “No. The baby is mine. I’m not disputing anything.”
Kade snorted rudely. “So much for you not forcing yourself on any of the Omegas while you were here, huh?”
When Roger didn’t speak up to defend himself, I drew in a deep breath and walked back into the room. “He did no such thing,” I insisted, my voice trembling. “And he never touched me when he was working here.” I drew in another fortifying breath. “We..we met at a bar before..before..” I trailed off, unsure how to find words that encompassed the entiremy clan tried to kill you allcourse of events. “It was only one time but I..asked for the sex.”
Roger met my eyes and smiled gently as I walked over to stand beside his chair. “I’m sorry.”
He shook his head and reached for my hand, squeezing it. “You have nothing to be sorry for,” he said firmly. “We do need to talk, though. Can we go somewhere private?” When I didn’t answer immediately, he stood and gently urged me toward his chair. “Do you want to do it here, instead?”
I shook my head dumbly, staring at him. Roger chuckled and squeezed my hand again. “Ari, I’m going to need more than that. No, you don’t want to talk? Or you don’t want to be alone with me?”
I shook my head again, finally finding my voice. “I’m sorry. I meant that I didn’t want to talk here. I..I’d rather we were alone. We can go to my room?”
I glanced over at Jeremy and he nodded. “Of course, you can,” he said calmly. “Let me know if you need anything.”
Roger kept ahold of my hand as we walked down the hall to my new room. It was pretty much the same as the one I’d stayed in after I’d been, ahem, captured but in a different wing, closer to the administration offices in case I needed the nurse due to mycondition.
Once in my room, I stood in the middle of the floor, not sure what I should do.
“Ari?” Roger’s voice was calm. It was always calm and kind when he spoke to me. “Can I hold you?”
I turned to find him standing close behind me, arms open wide. Stepping into them, I burrowed against his chest, reveling in the way his strong arms held me tight.
“I can tell you’re scared,” he murmured into my hair, “but I promise this is going to be okay. I’ll support whatever you want to do.”
I gulped in a breath. “Even..even if I have the baby? I…I don’t think I can do the other thing.”
