“And you never will. I am not… fit to look upon.”
Why not?He sounds sensitive about the subject, so I say, “You could let me be the judge of that.”
“Perhaps.” He sounds amused.
This is stupid. He wants to speak to me as an equal, but it’s clear he doesn’t think I am one. I get the sense it has nothing to do with my social or alien status. It’s that Alpha/Omega bullshit. “What do you want from me?”
“I’ve told you from the first. You are my Omega. My mate. We were born to be bonded. Two bodies, one soul.”
I snort. “Unlikely, since I’m not from here.”
“Ah, yes, your human status. Ulf is all-powerful. He found you, and helped you traverse the galaxies so we could be together.”
“Fine. Maybe he did. But I don’t want to be your mate,” I say, even as I melt back into his chest. It feels right, being this close to him.
At least he’s stopped growling. If he starts purring now, I will punch him.
“You lie, Omega.” His voice rumbles through me, as effective as a purr. Dammit. “I don’t understand. Why fight so hard to deny your true nature?”
“Some of us have responsibilities.”Unlike you, oh, king, who holes up in your magical castle and leaves your kingdom to rot. “I’m not going to ditch my only family because of some epic sex.”Besides, I add silently,thattrue love foreverbullshit isn’t real.
“Epic sex?” Again with the amusement.
“You know we’re compatible,” I mutter, and try to ignore how a fresh wave of my scent rises to mingle with his.
“I will send thewhispsto check up on Matron—a mercy, since she was concealing an Omega from me. By Ulfarri law, she should be punished, not rewarded.”
A cold finger of dread travels down my spine. “She didn’t know.”
“Did she not? A healer with extensive knowledge of Ulfarri physiology? I find it hard to believe she did not scent your Omega status from the first.”
“But I’m not Ulfarri. I’m human—”
“Not any longer. As much as you deny it, you are more Omega than human.” He cuddles me closer. “Perhaps a part of you is reluctant to accept it. I will allow you time to grieve.”
“Oh well, thanks. How gracious of you.”
“I understand grief, little one.”
That shuts me up. There’s so much about him I don’t know. “Your parents?”
“Yes.”
I keep my voice level, fighting to remain logical. “So you understand what Ma means to me. She saved me, took me in. No questions asked. She’s the reason I survived here, in Medela.” I turn in his lap, not facing him, but letting him see my profile. I keep my eyes fixed on the fountain, and my tone mild. “What do you think your Alpha soldiers would have done if they had found me?”
A menacing growl bursts out of Bestian’s chest. I jump but can’t escape his imprisoning arms. Even if he didn’t have iron muscles, I don’t want to leave my cozy perch. The heat from his body makes me drowsy.
“It is not worth thinking about,” Bestian says. “Ulf preserved you for me.”
“If he did, he used Ma to do that. She clothed me. Fed me. She’s my family.”
“Do you not have family back on your planet?”
“No. I was all alone.” That much, I do remember. I was a model, working to pay my way through a bachelor’s and ultimately medical school, but all alone. No one in my tiny apartment but me—and a hundred potted plants. “Ma’s cottage is my home now.”
Bestian’s arms tighten around me. “The palace is your home now.”
“No.”
