Vee draws in a slow breath through her nose, then looks down at me. I avert my eyes, staring resolutely at our feet instead of up at her.
“Hey,” she says, voice soft. “What just went through your head?”
I shake my head, unable to voice it. I know I’ve never been a good omega. That’s probably why she wants me to talk to them, so I can learn from them how to be a better omega for her pack. It makes sense, but I thought I had been doing okay. Hurt and shame spiral through me, and my insides turn queasy as my scent plummets.
“Whoa, Sage,” Vee says. She pulls me down as she sits on the ground, tugging me into her lap and wrapping her arms around me. Her purr rumbles to life, and tears hit my eyes. “Talk to me, sweet girl.”
“I know I’m not a good omega. I don’t know how to be.” The poisonous words pour out of me without my permission. “I thought I was doing it, though. But if you want me to talk to them, I will. I can learn to be better for you?—”
“Shhh, Sage.” Vee squeezes me tight, and a sob hitches in my throat. “That’s not at all what I was getting at. I’m so sorry it came across that way. You’re perfect for our pack just as you are, and none of us thinks you’re doing a bad job being an omega. I’m so proud of how brave you’ve been, opening up and letting us take care of you. Trusting us to keep you safe, and letting us get to know the real you.”
I try to let her words sink into me, but it’s hard to get past the thoughts swirling in my head. That inner voice that tells me she’s wrong.
“I wouldn’t lie to you, Sage,” Vee says, somehow countering where my thoughts are going. “Look at me.”
I sniffle and look up through my wet lashes, barely holding the tears at bay. Her eyes are earnest, her scent steady and strong. I shove my nose into her neck and suck in a deep breath, the sharp eucalyptus cutting through the fog in my head. I shudder, and her fingers thread into the hair on the back of my head, holding me close as she rocks and purrs.
“I’m so sorry, sweet girl. Let me fix it. Can you tell me what came up for you?”
“I thought you must have been with them,” I mumble into her neck, and the tears finally escape, streaking down my cheeks. “That they’re better omegas than me, so you want me to be more like them.”
“I see,” Vee says, falling silent for a moment. Before my thoughts can pick up again though, she continues. “I can understand why your thoughts took you there, but that’s not true at all, Sage. Can I be honest with you?”
I pull back to look up at her again, surprised. “Of course.”
“I’ve never been with an omega.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Sage
“You… what?”
Vee smiles at my confusion. “I’ve been with plenty of betas, but omegas have always intimidated me. I thought it would be me and Riley forever, and I was content with that. Then you showed up, and my terror multiplied.”
“You were… afraid ofme?” I swipe the tears from my cheeks, staring up at her. My racing thoughts have ground to a halt.
Vee chuckles, a low, self-deprecating sound. “Still am, Sweetling. I’m afraid of letting you down. Hurting you. Not keeping you safe. That I won’t be a good enough alpha for you.”
“What?” I gasp, dumbfounded. “But?—”
“It’s true. Every day I worry. Every day I can’t believe how fortunate I am that Brooks snuck you out of that house, and of all places, he chose to bring youhere.Right to my doorstep. I’m thrilled,elatedto have you in my life. I want to spoil you, give you everything under the sun and then reach for the moon, too.
“And yet, it’s also the scariest thing I’ve ever done—opening up my heart to you—because you could so easily break it.” Vee squeezes me in emphasis. “You hold so much power in your tiny omega hands, and you don’t even realize it.”
I blink at her, shaking my head, and my heart skips around in my chest.
“So, tell me again. What are your worries?” Vee says.
I don’t think I have any anymore. Instead of answering, I surge up and crash my lips to hers. I fling my arms around her neck, and hers wrap tighter around my body. Her purr is still rumbling in her chest and I soak it up, trying to come to terms with the reality-bending words she dropped on me.
When I pull back for air, she scent marks the top of my head, then my cheek and jaw, then leans into my neck to pull in a deep breath. It has slick pooling between my legs, and I squirm in her lap.
Vee grins at me, but I think we both know I’m not quite ready for anything more yet. Just being turned on like this is new. By some unspoken agreement, the pack seems to understand they have to take it slow, and that reinforces everything Vee said about how much she cares and wants the best for me.
“So,” she says, pulling me back to the present moment. “We absolutely don’t have to, and please know that I have zero expectations. I want you to think about whatyouwant. Not what I want, or what you should do. Do you want to meet the other omegas?”
With panic no longer clouding my judgment, an eager sort of yearning threads through me.
