Being right brought no satisfaction. “You see? There’s no need to harass Dex into giving me a chance. No need to torture Ollie. Dex and I aren’t going anywhere.”
Onyx’s lips twitched into a ghost of a smile, his eyes sad as his hand came to rest on Luc’s forearm. “Maybe not, but I think you should talk to Ollie anyway. Tell him what you’ve just told me.”
Why? So Ollie could point and say,See, this is what you deserve? Luc shook Onyx off. “No.”
Onyx smacked Luc’s upper arm, all tenderness gone as if it had never been. “If you’re as sorry as you say and want to make amends, this is your chance. Show everyone what kind of person you are.”
“Haven’t I? I’m someone who kills innocent humans when he gets angry.”
Onyx smacked him again. “If you don’t want to be that person anymore, then be someone else. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and make up for it. Do something other than complain about how misunderstood you are. Apologize to Ollie if you regret hurting him.”
Luc took a step back, spreading his wings, the urge to fly almost overwhelming. “Ollie won’t want to hear it. There’s no way to apologize for what I did to him.”
Onyx stalked closer, pointing an accusatory finger. “Why don’t you let Ollie decide if that’s the case? You have to try, Luc. You asked how to prove your remorse is real. This is how. You have to actually do something. I’ve heard you out and I believe you, but that’s not the end of it. If you want our relationship to grow and improve, you need to make an effort with me and everyone else. Dante, Ash, me, and our mates are a package deal.”
Luc closed his eyes. He didn’t want to hear it. And he didn’t have to. He could easily convince himself that Onyx had it all wrong. That Onyx was unreasonable. The argument was on the tip of his tongue. Luc could twist this until he felt like the wronged one. But why? What was the point in being right and feeling sorry for himself?
What Onyx was asking for was impossible. But Onyx was right. Luc had to be different. He had to do what scared him, even if it wouldn’t be enough.
He had to try.
Nearly a week later,Luc stood outside Onyx’s loft. He wasa fool for agreeing to this, and his expectations were lower than low, but that wasn’t stopping him.
He knocked, heart banging louder than his fist on the metal.
Onyx opened the door. “Come in and don’t fuck this up.”
“Thanks,” Luc muttered, his stupid heart leaping at Onyx’s version of encouragement. He was lucky to have him.
Luc followed his brother into a huge room cluttered with books and art. Even though Luc hadn’t been inside the loft on his previous visits to the building, the space seemed familiar, as if Onyx’s essence was embedded in everything around them.
A cozy seating area was arranged near a full wall of windows. Ash and Harper sat on a couch, Ollie and Dante on another, and Nico, Onyx’s mate, sat in an armchair. Onyx flounced into Nico’s lap, who wrapped an arm around his waist.
What a sweet picture of everyone with their mates. This was a sight Luc had lost hope in ever seeing, and yet here it was.
Too bad the simmering tension radiating off everyone tarnished it.
Luc remained standing at the edge of the sitting area, his hands in his pockets, appearing human in the hopes he’d seem more approachable. His brothers had their wings away, though Ash and Dante sported their horns.
Luc’s attention landed on Ollie.
The young man sat with his back ramrod-straight, his gaze fixed on Luc’s shoes and hands clutching Dante’s. Luc didn’t need to look too closely to know Dante was glaring. His stare was like fire on Luc’s skin. Ash’s too.
Onyx had told Luc that Ash and Dante had filled their mates in on everything, except for Dex being Luc’s fated mate. Luc doubted revealing that truth would do anything except anger Ollie. Still, it was best to tell him. Dante would eventually, Luc was sure.
He cleared his dry throat. “Thank you for letting me come over. I have something I’d like to tell you, Ollie.”
His hazel eyes snapped to Luc’s face. “I don’t care if hearing about mates after a thousand years made you lose your mind. You didn’t have to take it out on me or Harper.”
Fuck. Luc fought not to look away. “I know. I’m sorry. It’s not enough, but I’m sorry. I regret hurting you more than anything I’ve ever done. If I could take it back, I would, and I swear, I’ll never hurt you or anyone like that again.”
Ollie sniffed, lifting his chin. “Is that all?”
Luc let Ollie’s cold dismissal burn through him. He deserved it. “No, that’s not all I came to say.”
Ollie seemed to grip Dante tighter. “Then spit it out. This is a waste of my day off.”
The more Luc learned about Ollie, the more he respected him, and regret sank deeper into his bones. “I swear, I wasn’t with Dex to hurt you, and I never considered hurting him. I don’t have ill will toward any of you. All I want is a truce and to make amends. Onyx believes me. Dante does too. I think…” Luc’s gaze landed on Dante.
