But I’ve ruined that somehow.
Something she proceeds to prove by pressing a palm to my chest to push me away. “Stop purring,” she demands, making me frown. “Just. Stop.”
I do what she commands, though I can’t help asking, “Why?” Because it’s a strange request for an Omega to make. An Alpha’s purr is meant to soothe, which she seems to need. She’s upset and tired, and rightly overwhelmed. I simply want to help.
“Because you’re making me dizzy,” she says, her hands going to her head. “I feel fuzzy, and I need to think.”
I frown. “My purr makes you dizzy?” That doesn’tseem right. But then, nothing about my Omega is what it should be.
From her strange estrous cycle to her reactions to me as her Alpha mate, everything is different.Sheis different.
My frown deepens as another thought nags at me.Orcus was right.He told me that Serapina wasn’t Persephone, and he knew that after only a few minutes in her presence. He advised me to do the same, but I refused.
And now I realize his advice was given with true purpose.
Everything about Serapina is unique, including the fire in her gaze now as she looks up at me and meets my stare directly.
“You told Maliki his life depended on how much I enjoyed his pleasure.” She utters the words slowly, like she’s trying to ensure she understands. “You… you forced him to please me, just so you could determine if I’ve been lying. Because my word wasn’t good enough.”
“That’s not quite?—”
“You put me in a vulnerable position,” she goes on. “Forced him to give me my first…” She clears her throat, her expression contorting with an emotion I don’t like.
Pain.
Fury.
Sadness.
“I’m not Persephone,” she grits out. “I’ve never lied to you. Yet you feel it’s your right to betray me—hurt me—because I harbor Persephone’s soul. You’re punishing me for her sins. And I think, no, Iknow, I can accept that. But to punish Maliki, too?” She takes a step back and shakes her head. “That’s not fair.”
I move toward her, the water meeting my back as I shield her from the overhead spray. She cowers—fucking cowers—and shrinks back against the wall.
I nearly growl in frustration. This has all gone horribly wrong.
Morpheus’s previous comments start to beat through my skull, his reminders that we don’t treat Omegas this way. His chastisements about not talking to Serapina. His demands that Ifixthis.
Yet all I’ve done is make this worse.
When Serapina’s gaze falls to the marbled floor of the shower, I wince.
“Serapina, I’m not going?—”
“Stars, is thatblood?” she asks, her eyes widening.
“What?” I glance down, my frown returning. “Oh. Yes. Dried blood.” I try to look over my shoulder, which is an idiotic move since I can’t see my lower back. But I’m feeling very out of sorts at the moment. Very un-Alpha-like, too.
Clearing my throat, I shake my head and try to regain control of the situation.
This is my soulmate. I… I can, no, Iwill,fix this.
“Reaper stabbed me,” I explain, wanting to be forthcoming and choosing this as a way to be truthful with her. To try totalkto her. “I forgot about it, as it’s already healed, but that’s actually why I came in to shower—to wash off the blood.”
She gapes up at me. “Oh, fae, is Reaper okay?”
And I’m frowning again. “Is Reaper okay?” I echo back at her. Did she not understand what I said? “Hestabbedme.” There. That should be clearer.
“Yes, I heard that part. Is he okay?”
