Fuck. He's right. Solana is going to wake up from her first knotting to find me gone, and her Omega instincts are going to take that as a sign that something is wrong. That maybe I don't actually want her, or that I'm not committed to being there for her through the heat.
"Yeah, fuck, okay," I mutter, already planning. "Let me know how he is, alright? And if things get worse, call me. I'll figure something out."
Stefan nods. "Will do. Now get out of here before your Omega wakes up without you."
“She has Kade,” I mutter even though I move a little faster, hopping onto Thunder and heading back the way I came, my mind is already racing through options for what I can bring back for Solana. A card seems too impersonal, not meaningful enough for what I'm trying to convey. Flowers are pretty, but they'll die in a few days and I want something that lasts.
What would she actually want? What would make her smile and understand that I didn't leave because I wanted to, but because family needed me and I'm always going to come back to her?
Then it hits me. I have the best idea.
Well, Kade won’t think so.
Chapter twenty-four
Stefan
I head back inside the small structure, the conversation with Dustin still playing through my head. My stepbrother has always been more in touch with his emotions than I am, more willing to acknowledge what he feels without shame or hesitation. I've never had that luxury.
Ashton is lying on the makeshift bedding where I left him, his eyes closed and his breathing a little more even than when I left him. For a moment, I think he's fallen asleep, finally succumbing to the exhaustion and pain. But then his eyes flutter open as I step closer, perking up slightly now that I'm back in the room.
"Your stepbrother is lively," Ashton says, his voice carrying a hint of amusement despite the pain lines still etched around his mouth.
I can't help the chuckle that escapes. "Yeah, he is. Always has been." I move to sit at the edge of the bedding, careful not to jostle him. "I know my stepbrother said to have you rest, but we need to get back to the house. Your father is going to start asking questions if we're gone too long."
The thought of going back there makes my stomach churn. Back to that house where Ashton is treated like property, where his father parades him in front of Alphas who see him as nothing more than a warm body to use. Back to pretending I'm just the hired help, just muscle meant to keep the Omega safe while his father profits from his pain.
"You going to tell me what happened?" I ask, though I already know the answer. Ashton has been keeping secrets for weeks now, protecting someone or something I can't quite figure out.
Ashton snorts at the question, the sound immediately followed by a groan of pain as the movement pulls at his freshly stitched side. "No, this time I get to protect you."
I frown, not understanding what he means. Protect me from what? From who? I'm the one who's supposed to be protecting him. That's literally my job, what his father pays me to do. Keep Ashton safe and make sure the merchandise stays in good condition.
Ashton pushes himself to a sitting position despite the obvious pain it causes him. His face pales, going almost white as the blood drains away. I immediately move closer, my hands coming up to steady him before I can think better of it.
Fuck it. I'm tired of pretending I don't care.
I sit fully on the small mattress and pull Ashton into my lap, cradling him against my chest the way I've wanted to do for months. I tell myself that this is just about protecting an Omega, that I'd do it for any Omega who was hurt and vulnerable. But that's not the entire truth, and we both know it.
There's something about Ashton specifically that calls to me and has been since the first day I started working for his father and saw this beautiful, broken Omega trying so hard to survive in an impossible situation.
Ashton sighs, the sound heavy with exhaustion and something that might be resignation. "The people my dad works with aren't great and... I guess you did some work with them. I'm not sure, but they weren't happy about it."
My mind immediately starts cataloging recent jobs, trying to figure out which group might have a grudge strong enough to target Ashton. His father has fingers in a lot of different pies, from smuggling to money laundering to weapons trafficking. Any number of deals could have gone south.
"They uh..." Ashton continues, his voice getting quieter. "They thought I was yours."
A heavy growl rumbles from my chest before I can stop it, the sound vibrating against where Ashton is pressed against me. Someone hurt him because they thought he belonged to me. Someone targeted him specifically to send me a message or exact revenge for something I did.
This is exactly why I've been trying to keep my distance. Why I've been telling myself that caring about him is dangerous, that getting too close will only put him in more danger. And now here we are, with Ashton bleeding and stitched up because someone thought hurting him would hurt me.
They were right.
Ashton just laughs, the bitter sound full of exhaustion. "It's fine. I'm okay and your stepbrother fixed me up."
"When the fuck are you going to admit that all the shit you get put through is not okay?" The words burst out of me with more force than I intended, frustration and anger mixing together. "Yes, I know who your father is. But you didn't ask for this shit. You wanted to go to fucking art school, not be some Alpha's bitch."
Ashton goes still in my lap. I feel him tense, his whole body drawing in on itself. Then he climbs off my lap with wobbly legs, putting distance between us even though I can see how much the movement costs him.
