Playing: “Mercy” by Shawn Mendes
Tension whirls in the air,dominance spilling out of me as I try to hold in all of the anguish that I feel. Kit is sitting on my bed, folding laundry and humming a happy tune that does nothing to tame the beast inside me. I try to focus on the case in front of me, but the paper seems to blur, the emotion pounding through me making it hard to concentrate.
I can’t seem to let go of being left in the dark by Kit last night. Not only am I embarrassed for going after Uriah’s bandmate like that, for having instincts that I have no words for, but then, neither omega was even there when we turned around. They disappeared right under our noses. Rory told us they went to the bathroom to sober up, but when they never came back, I felt sick with worry. They weren’t returning my texts or Thatcher’s calls, and all Rory could say was that Opal wasn’t feeling well, so maybe he took her home.
When we did finally arrive home, after spending hoursfretting over the location of our omegas, I couldn’t even see them to placate the possessive need in me, one that I’m not comfortable havingat all.
Not to mention, both of their doors were closed, and Kitnevercloses his door.
“I can hear you thinking over there,” Kit finally says as he folds another T-shirt into a perfect square.
“Trust me, I’m trying to just let it go,” I reply.
“Well, don’t. Let’s have it out. I don’t want to keep things buried, and your alpha is stirring underneath your skin. I can feel him wanting to take control, and you know it never works when you oppress him, so just tell me what’s bothering you.”
“Okay, fine,” I relent, just because my omega is asking me to do so. “I’m just a bit upset that you didn’t tell me where you went last night. You gave us no indication that you got home safe, and it drove my alpha insane.”
“I meant to text you right away,” he tells me earnestly. “But I forgot. I was focused on taking care of Opal.”
That sentence pours warmth into my veins, warmth that I want to banish but can’t. My alpha is elated by the sound of them getting along, by them being each other’s safe place.
“I promise I will keep you in the loop next time.” He looks me directly in the eye, and the glint there tells me he’s being honest. I nod my head as he goes back to folding.
My mind still feels troubled, though, like something isn’t right, and I can’t pinpoint exactly what that is.
“Did you sleep in her bed?” I ask, knowing she’s let him into her room before.
Kit shakes his head. “No, she slept in mine.”
I do a double take. He’s avoiding my eyes, trying to seem nonchalant. “What’s going on, Kit?”
He gives a light chuckle. “I could ask you the same thing.”
“I don’t know what you mean by that.”
“I mean…whyhaven’t you made a move on her yet? I know you like her.”
My gut twists as his eyes peer into me, begging me to agree, but I can’t make my mouth form the words out loud. “I know you’ve been pursuing her, but we’ve never discussed ifIwould?—”
“Are you saying you don’t feel the same way, then? That you haven’t found yourself subconsciously searching for her in every room we enter? That she doesn’t gravitationally pull you in anytime she even glances your way?”
“I don’t know,” I tell him, but I know that’s a lie. Maybe not when we first met, or even a few times after, but ever since her omega called out for help, my gaze has been glued to her. “I’ve been so busy…”
“That’s an excuse, Sam,” he scolds me, crossing his arms in front of his chest. It muffles his heartbeat, and it causes something in me to break. “Anytime you have an instinct about something, you bury it in your work or volunteering or anything else that distracts you so you don’t have to think too hard about it.”
I blanch. “That’s not true. That’s not the reason?—”
“Iknow. You love what you do, but sometimes, you use it as a way to escape.”
“Stardust—”
“No, don’t ‘Stardust’ me.” He finally puts the clothes down, turning his body in my direction. “I’m tired of us avoiding this,” he hisses. “The way you and Thatcher reacted last night… that wasn’t normal, Sam. I know it, our friends know it, and even you know it.Thatchermay not know it, butyouknow something is up. You’re just ignoring your instincts.”
I choke on nothing, feeling his cautionary warning like a punch to the gut. “I know it’s not normal,” I admit. “But there’s nothing we can do about it.”
“We can stop running away from what is obvious.” He stands up and walks toward me, his black T-shirt hanging slightly off his shoulder as he looks at me. My mind wants to focus on that, but his hands touch my face, pulling me back to his gaze. “You like her, Sam. Just as much as I do. Just as much as Thatcher does.”
“I don’t know anything about her,” I lie, because I know that her lips taste like kindness and her touch feels like everything my body needs. I physically relax whenever she’s in a room. And being that attached to an omega who isn’t mine scares me.
