We walk away, leaving him standing alone in the corridor light.
I have no intention of judging him anymore. His path is not my path, but maybe, on some level, I understand him. Life is more gray than we would like it to be.
Memories of how I once imagined my True Mate come back to me: a law-abiding, sweet omega. Now, I wouldn’t trade my Alpha Slayer, my convict beta, for any omega in the world!
Salt’s eyes search for my face as soon as we reach the far end of the hallway. They’re shining like bright gray crystals.
"Thank you. You fought for us, Eliano… Now everything’s in his hands!"
"I’ll fight for you to the very end. And if this doesn’t work, I’ll figure something else out. I won’t give up."
Salt’s face lights up with a smile. I respond with a wide grin.
"I know. We’re going to have our happily ever after. I’m sure of it!"
???
Over the next few days, Evan, Roman, Fred, and Bashir get ready to leave the island.
We throw together a small farewell in the cafeteria. I owe Bashir for helping Salt while I was gone, and I’m honestly sorry we didn’t get more time to become friends. He’s a solid guy, loyal to the core, completely devoted to his partner. They decide to move back to Bashir’s hometown. I also tell them about the BA Follow-Up program and suggest they look into it if the pregnancy works out.
Fred and Roman seem intrigued. The idea of a mostly self-sufficient town, where no omegas work in roles that would constantly distract alphas feels especially appealing to Roman.
But also to Fred, who is a little on edge about leaving the island and having Bashir surrounded by omegas. Any one of them could turn out to be highly compatible and complicate things. That kind of mess happens more often than anyone likes to admit in alpha-beta relationships. Still, they’re both so fed up with the island and the program that staying just isn’t an option.
Once they’re gone, the whole place feels different.
A new security team moves in. Cameras go up along the fences. Motion sensors get added. There’s even an automated unit now, with small drones buzzing around the island and sweeping the shoreline.
The ferries get extra guards too. More cameras. The crew searches the vessel every time it leaves.
Gomez isn’t taking any chances.
The added security and Drax being gone are enough to make some couples reconsider leaving. A few decide to stay after all. Roman, Evan, Bashir, and Fred don’t. For them, the island is too tangled up with everything that went wrong. They don’t believe staying here would magically improve their odds of having a child anyway.
Meanwhile, Salt talks to Senu on the phone every day, sometimes for almost an hour, about nothing in particular and everything at once. I can see how much it matters to him. It’s like he’s slowly transforming into a much softer and sweeter person, coming out of his prickly chrysalis.
As for us, the next few weeks are… sooo pleasant! Different from before. Almost like a normal married life. A real relationship.
We are much closer now, our daily interactions becoming more intimate, our sex growing more tender. I can literally feel it all building between us, the love, the trust. The bond grows into something palpable, not only the magical one tied to our fated status.
Having his brother again, even if only through daily calls, is like a huge weight finally slipping off Salt’s shoulders. He just lives now. He laughs more. He worries less. He’s convinced Blue will approve us for the program. I’m not quite that optimistic. I stay cautious, but we both know that if it doesn’t work out, North Carolina and Mauro are still an option.
The last weeks of December pass quietly.
Even though the neighboring units are empty and the number of couples in our sector has dropped from forty-one to thirty-three, the staff keeps trying. They come up with newactivities, nothing mandatory. Sometimes we join in anyway, just to get out and not feel stuck in the same four walls.
???
One night, I am woken by a strange sound. My phone emits the soft chirp of an incoming text message. I rarely wake to sounds like that, but for some reason this one pulls me from sleep.
I lazily reach out, grab the phone, and glance at the screen, only to see I have two new messages.
To my complete shock, one is from Mauro and the other from Ennio. I unlock the screen immediately.
The first message, from Ennio, arrived about fifteen minutes earlier.
It reads:"If you are in your unit right now, leave discreetly and hide in a safe place. Hurry, there is no time to lose. Leave the phone behind."
