“When you offered me the mating bite during my heat, I thought it was a spur-of-the-moment thing. Then you asked meto stay again, but I still couldn’t process it. Hearing you talk to my parents convinced me that you were sincere all this time.”
“I was never sure of anything so much in my life.” He squeezed my fingers, then brought them to his lips and kissed the knuckles one by one.
“I’m pretty now, and like Mother said, trained well for pleasuring an Alpha. But I won’t be like that forever. What then?” I’d grow ugly, and you’d leave me.”
“Yes, you’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen and I still can’t believe I got to touch you, but that’s not why I want you. Don’t you get it?”
“No. I know where my value lies.” I gestured to my body.
“Sol, baby, you’re so much more than your looks. I love your spirit, your fire. Let me help you keep that aflame.”
“What if I can never love you?” My voice cracked like a porcelain cup dropped on the floor. I knew my feelings for him were so intense, they could mean only one thing.
Rhys released a sigh, letting his shoulders sag. “It would hurt me, but I’d still be happy as long as you stayed with me. When you don’t want me anymore, you can leave.”
“You’d risk that?” I frowned. “Beggars can’t be choosers, or what?”
I was rage baiting him on purpose, testing his limits, but he didn’t react to it. Any omega would be lucky to have him. Why would I deserve him?
Rhys’s smile grew. “Worst case, you’d have a happy life without me. But you won’t end up hating me that way. I wouldn’t hold you under lock and key. You don’t have to reciprocate the mating bite to live with me.”
I nodded, my throat getting tight from keeping my tears at bay. I let them go, and they rolled down my cheeks. “Yes, I do.” I sniffled. “I want to be your mate, Rhys.”
Rhys fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around my waist, nuzzling my belly.
I stroked his hair, then joined him on the floor, where we stayed hugging until my tears ran dry.
“I love you, Sol.” Rhys nuzzled my throat. “You’ve made me the luckiest Alpha in the world.”
“I love you too. I couldn’t help it, but I won’t fight it anymore.” I pulled away enough to look at him. “Only one problem remains now.”
“What is it?”
“We’ve never kissed.”
Rhys feigned a shocked gasp, cupped my face and leaned close.
Grinning, I closed the gap, pressing my lips to his. It was the sweetest kiss, filled with promises of a shared future.
Epilogue
Sol
“Thank you, Sol! We will be back next week as usual.” Stephanie had been attending my wellness and riding school with her omega son for a year now and was one of many omega parents who’d found a sense of peace on the vast land and with gentle horses that had helped me as well. They were the last session for the day, so I closed up the office and headed toward the main house where we’d be having friends over soon.
After a year living with Sol, I had opened the wellness center for omegas for fees so small they were affordable to families who struggled. The session also included a hearty meal cooked from the vast array of goods that Rhys got paid in from the farmers who used his land.
Unfortunately, I’d soon found out that money was easier spent than earned.
Now, it had been two years since the night of the hunt when Rhys had dragged me out of the woods. To say that it had been a pivotal moment in my life would be an understatement.
A lot had changed since then in both of our lives. We’re settled now, but the road had not been smooth to get here.
My parents had harassed Rhys and me for compensation payments, bringing lawyers and influential people into the mix. Rhys had been willing to discuss terms with them, but I’d refused. They would not see any of my mate’s money. Since Mother was known for her spite, begrudgingly I knew where I’d got it from; she’d written petition after another to the military to look into our case.
Rumors had begun to circulate about Rhys being the lesser Alpha for allowing me free rein and giving me access to our finances. With that arose questions as to our dynamic. It shouldn’t have ever been anyone’s business but Rhys’s work environment had become even more toxic than before. The people he’d called friends, whom he’d trusted with his life for years, had turned their backs on him, refusing to work with him and insulting him. To avoid a dishonorable discharge, Rhys had decided to retire. With his rank and achievements, it had been a reasonable compromise. It had pained me that he’d been forced to uproot his life because he chose me over his career, but he’d been telling me every day that he wouldn’t change a thing.
During that difficult time, I had become close with Ole, the omega who lived with his Alpha, Eldin, only a short drive away. Friendship with them had opened my mind to many things my caged upbringing prevented me from knowing. The martial-arts trained couple tracked down people who kidnapped and sold omegas, risking their lives to help others. Some omegas wanted to return to their families, but the majority had no place togo. Ole and Eldin had been making their tiny house open to anyone who needed help, but they had no finances or land to accommodate their growing project.
