But Sarah's involved. Sarah, who took the first man who'd ever said he loved me and convinced him he needed someone better. Sarah, who's been discussing my research with Fae representatives without asking my permission. Sarah, who looked guilty as sin when I asked what she got out of recruiting me for their programs.
The smart thing would be to learn from the past. To recognize the pattern and protect myself from another betrayal disguised as sisterly concern.
But I'm so tired of being careful. So tired of letting fear make my choices for me. So tired of wondering what it would feel like to be someone's first choice instead of their consolation prize.
Maybe that's why, despite everything, I'm seriously considering Sarah's offer. Not because I trust her—I learned that lesson too well two years ago. But because I want, desperately and pathetically, to believe that someone, somewhere, might actually want me for what I have to offer.
Even if that someone isn't human.
Even if it means risking everything I have left.
I pick up the invitation and read it again, imagining myself presenting my research to beings whose understanding of fertility magic could revolutionize everything I've studied. Imagining being recognized not as Sarah's little sister, but as Dr. Maya Nakamura, whose work deserves attention in its own right.
It's probably another trap. Another situation where I'll discover too late that I was never the real prize, just a stepping stone to whatever Sarah actually wants.
But what if it's not? What if, for once in my life, someone wants me specifically? What if my research really is valuable enough to make me irreplaceable instead of expendable?
The wound David left in my heart throbs like a fresh injury, reminding me of every reason to stay safe in my lab. But the hunger for recognition, for mattering, for being chosen first—that's stronger than fear.
It always has been.
And that's exactly what's going to destroy me.
CHAPTER 3
THORIAN
The scryingcrystal pulses with heat as I focus my power through it, watching Dr. Maya Nakamura work alone in her cramped laboratory. Her scent comes through the magical connection—virgin omega, untouched and ripe, with an underlying sweetness that makes my cock twitch despite the distance between us.
"Magnificent specimen," a voice whispers through the shadows.
I don't turn from the crystal. The voice comes from everywhere and nowhere, carried on currents of magic that slip between worlds. "Lord Oberon."
"Such a delightfully broken little thing." The ancient spirit's presence fills my study like cold starlight. "Sister's betrayal cut deep, didn't it? See how she hunches over her work, trying to disappear into research because men find her inadequate?"
Through the crystal, I watch Maya adjust her microscope, her small hands moving with precision that makes me imagine them wrapped around my shaft. "She's brilliant."
"She's damaged. Perfect for your needs." Oberon's spirit manifests in the shadows beside my desk—translucent, ancient, beautiful in the way only the long-dead can be. "Seven gravesin your memorial garden, and yet you hesitate with the eighth candidate. Why?"
My jaw clenches. The memorial garden is visible through my window—seven marble headstones marking seven failures. Seven women who trusted me and died screaming as magic consumed them from within.
The prophecy promised eight bonds would save us all. Kaelen succeeded first, claiming his diplomat and proving human women could survive transformation. Aratus followed with his heiress, showing that omega enhancement was possible for mortals. Now I'm third in the chain, with five more courts watching to see if the pattern holds.
If Maya fails, the prophecy dies with her. If she succeeds, she becomes the foundation for everything that follows.
"Perhaps because I prefer my omegas to survive the claiming."
Ghostly laughter echoes through the room. "Since when? You've been prepared to sacrifice candidates for centuries. What makes this little scholar different?"
I don't answer because I'm not sure myself. Watching Maya work with such dedicated focus despite being ignored, seeing the quiet strength in her posture, something about her calls to parts of me that have been dormant for ages.
In the crystal, Sarah enters Maya's lab, heels clicking against linoleum. I lean forward, my body responding as Maya's scent grows stronger through our magical connection. Virgin. Untouched. Ready to be awakened and claimed.
"Look how she responds to her sister's presence," Oberon's spirit murmurs, his form flickering like candlelight. "Shame and longing warring in those lovely dark eyes. She knows Sarah took her first love, knows she'll never measure up, yet still craves approval."
The conversation between the sisters unfolds exactly as planned. Maya's defensive posture, her flash of pain when discussing academic recognition, the way she unconsciously touches her chest when talking about being forgotten.
My cock hardens as I watch her vulnerability, the way she tries to hide her desperation for recognition. She'd be so grateful for attention, so eager to please an alpha who valued her intelligence.
