The realization of what he was saying dawned on me. It didn't feel real. I'd already convinced myself that Orpheus was never going to stay and that we never had a chance together, but now he was smashing my fears wide open.
"But what about your freedom?" I asked, flabbergasted.
He spread his wings. The moonlight reflected off of his shiny feathers, each one like a black blade. "I still have it." He tucked his wings back in and tilted his head at me. It felt like he should've been toying with me, but I didn't think he was. His words sounded genuine. "Shall I spell it out for you?"
"Please, be my guest," I said dryly.
He shifted into his human form and I automatically did the same.
"I want you, Red. Not just for tonight. As my mate." Orpheus paused, as if suddenly shy. "If you'll have me."
I went completely still. My arms went loose at my sides and I stared at Orpheus, blinking slowly. He wasn't screwing around with me. He was serious. Either that, or this was a really fucked up joke.
I let out a long sigh. It was finally time.
"Come with me," I said.
Orpheus wordlessly followed me like an obedient puppy into a nearby forest. The tall trees blocked the moonlight, leaving us in near-total darkness. Neither of us spoke. The only sound was the distant rushing of a river and the crinkling of dry pine needles and fallen leaves beneath our feet. We reached a large boulder in a clearing and I perched on top of it like it was a stage. If I was going to spill my heart out to Orpheus, I may as well do it in style.
"Is this the part where you tell me you're actually a wood nymph instead of a fox shifter?" Orpheus joked.
“No. It's the part where I tell you I'm an alpha."
His brows raised. "Oh."
"But I'm also an omega."
His brows raised even higher, then furled mildly in confusion. "Oh. Wait, what?"
Here it comes,I thought, preparing myself.
It was weird. My brain screamed at me not to tell him because I'd been down this path before and it only ended badly for me. But on the other hand, my heart needed Orpheus to know.
Hugo had hinted that Orpheus was my fated mate. I thought he was out of his mind. But… on the very small chance that he was right, his reaction to what I told him would be the deciding factor. It all came down to this.
"I'm fluid," I said. "I identify as both an alpha and omega. It changes. Sometimes day to day, sometimes weekly, sometimes hour by hour. It's not a big deal to me. It's just who I am."
There was a silence. Orpheus listened intently, and then nodded. "Okay. What else?"
"Uh, what do you mean, 'what else?'"
"I mean, what else is upsetting you?" he asked.
"That'sbeen upsetting me, jackass!" I was so incensed that I leapt off the boulder, coming face to face with him. He was taller than me, though not by much, but it still pissed me off that I had to glare up at him. I wish I'd stayed on the rock as I chewed him out. "That's what's been eating me up the entire time I've known you, and that's all you have to say?"
Orpheus's eyes flashed. He raised his hands in a peace gesture. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean it like that. It must've been rough to finally get that off your chest. But you feel better now, right?"
He was unbelievable. Completely unbelievable. His reaction was so ridiculously honest and simple that it broke something and I burst out into loud, uncontrollable laughter, slapping my knee and everything. It spread to Orpheus and he laughed, too.
When it was over, I wiped tears from my eyes. My infuriation with him was forgotten. Mostly, I felt a deep sense of relief. He hadn't immediately rejected me and that was the most important part.
I let out a sigh, shaky from the laughter, then hopped back up on the boulder and patted the seat next to me. "Come here. I wasn't done, but you interrupted me with your stupid reaction."
Orpheus grinned as he sat beside me, our arms brushing together. "Sorry that my reaction was apparently stupid. I won't do it again." He placed his hand on my knee. "Seriously though, go on."
I tried not to blush and failed. Whatever.
Now that the worst of it was over, it was easier to continue. "I know you can't tell because your sense of smell isn't that great, but the other members of the pack have a hard time discerning my scent other than fox. They defaulted to alpha, which isn't exactly wrong, so I never corrected them." I lowered my eyes. "Besides, I was afraid to tell them."
