That sits between us.
We drink in silence for a while.
"She's good with Rhys," I say eventually.
Malcolm exhales, something releasing in him. "Yeah."
"I've never seen him like that with anyone."
"Neither have I." Malcolm turns the bottle in his hands. "You know what got me? This morning. She came downstairs and he was already in the kitchen and he just—he had her breakfast ready, sitting on the counter. Right where she'd reach for it, just like he’s been doing with all the other stuff. But what got me… the absolute softness in his eyes." He pauses. "He's gone for her, Finn. Utterly gone."
"He notices things."
"He noticed her before he even met her." Malcolm's voice drops. "Arden told me. When he first brought the blanket. He said Rhys sat with it for an hour and didn’t move. Just—breathing it in. Then he snarled at him when he tried to take it back."
I think about Rhys in that house with Chase and Arden alone most of the time. Doing the slow, grinding work of putting himself back together, not expecting anything on the other side of it. Certainly not an omega. Especially not a scent match.
We thought we'd never have one either.
"The stars kind of aligned for this," I say. "Except for the part where they didn't."
Malcolm huffs, not quite a laugh. "The flag."
"The flag," I agree. "We found our match and Alex can't legally be near her. We thought that was it. That we'd just—watch out for her and walk away eventually."
"And then Rhys."
"And then Rhys," I say. "Who we also thought would never have an omega because every omega who gets within ten feet of him looks at him like he's going to eat them."
"Except Vee."
"Except Vee." I shake my head slowly. "She walked in there and just—didn't. Arden said she barely flinched. That by the time they got near each other she was already leaning in."
Malcolm is quiet. "I used to worry about him. About whether he'd ever get to have this. A real life. An omega who wasn't scared of him." He sounds rough around the edges in like he gets when he's feeling something he doesn't want to name. "He's pack, Finn. He's been pack since before you even joined us. And watching him be alone in that house with Chase and Arden because he couldn't be next door to us—because being around Ragon's alphas would have gotten Vee killed—"
"I know."
"He never once complained about it."
We sit with that.
The whiskey bottle gets lighter. The night gets colder.
"I need to tell you something," I say finally. The words feel like they're being dragged out of me.
Malcolm looks over at me, waiting.
"When Alex got the registry ban," I start, then stop. Take another drink and try again. "I know this is horrible of me. But I was relieved, Malcolm."
Silence.
"I was relieved because I'm in a pack of three alphas and I'm the only beta and I thought—" My throat closes up. I force the words out anyway. "What would I do with an omega?"
Malcolm doesn't say anything.
"I don't have a knot." The confession spills out now, can't be stopped. "I can't purr. I don't even have the right pheromones. I can't give her what she needs biologically. I can't—"
I stop. Swallow hard.
