She looked up when I walked in, her eyebrows shooting up. "Walk of shame at 5:45 AM? Damn, girl."
"It's not a walk of shame if you planned it."
"Fair." She set down her coffee and studied me. "You okay?"
"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"
"Because you look like someone just kicked your puppy." She patted the couch beside her. "Come on. Spill."
I sat, curling into the corner and pulling my knees to my chest. "There's nothing to spill. We did what we did. It was amazing. Now it's over."
"And you're okay with that?"
"I have to be. That was the deal."
"Fuck the deal. Do you want it to be over?"
Yes. No. Maybe.
"It doesn't matter what I want," I said finally. "They're powerful, successful Alphas who could have anyone. They don't want some random Omega with trust issues and a learning center to build. Every Alpha that I know has never wanted their Omega to have their own dreams."
"Did they say that?"
"They didn't have to."
“Did you ask them?”
“Kira, no. Why would I?”
Kira sighed. "Nai?—"
"I have a headache," I interrupted. "And a meeting with Danny at nine. Can we not do this right now?"
She looked like she wanted to argue, but something in my expression must have stopped her.
"Fine. But we're talking about this later."
"Sure." I muttered as I stood up. I stopped and looked at her, because she deserved the truth. “They made me feel safe, cared for, and like any and everything that I could want would be mine if I asked it of them.”
Kira’s eyes softened, and I couldn’t take it. I didn’t need her to feel sorry for me.
I went to my room and tried to sleep for another hour, but the cramps kept waking me. And every time I closed my eyes, I saw them. Felt their hands on me. Heard their voices.
You're perfect.
Trust us.
At 8:30, I gave up and got dressed for the meeting.
The building site was in Red Hook, a former warehouse I was converting into the learning center. Danny was already there when I arrived, clipboard in hand, looking frustrated.
"Morning," I said, climbing out of my car.
He looked up and his nostrils flared. Just slightly. Then he took a step back.
"Morning. You—uh—you okay? You look flushed."
"I'm fine. Just didn't sleep well." Another cramp hit and I pressed my hand to my lower abdomen. "What's the issue with the measurements?"
