Five years.
Five years of maybe.
Five years of being temporary.
My eyes filled with tears. I'd already met with two other packs that decided not to take me. I'd been in the registry for months watching other omegas get chosen while I sat in that sterile waiting room day after day.
And now this. The first pack that wanted me, but only conditionally. Only temporarily.
Ragon's whole face softened when he saw my tears. He started purring immediately, the sound filling the small room.
"Vee, listen to me," he said urgently. "My pack will treat you like you're already claimed. We'll care for you. You won't even know the difference. And if in five years we haven't found our match, we'll make you our own. We'll love you as if you were our match."
As if.
Not because I was.
But as if.
The purr wrapped around me, soothing and insistent. My omega responded to it automatically, the distress easing even as my heart broke.
"I know it's not ideal," he said, still purring. "I know it's asking a lot. But I promise you, Vee. We'll take care of you. You'll be safe with us. You'll be home."
Home.
I wanted a home so badly. I wanted out of the registry so badly. I wanted to stop being passed over and rejected and evaluated and found wanting. Plus the likelihood of them actually finding a scent match was low.
"Okay," I heard myself whisper. "Okay."
His relief was palpable. He squeezed my hands and his purr deepened.
"You won't regret this," he promised. "I swear to you, Vee. You won't regret this."
But I already did.
I already regretted it and I hadn't even left the room yet.
I come back to the present with tears streaming down my face.
Arden is watching me. He doesn't reach for tissues or try to comfort me. He just waits.
"And then he found her," I continue, my voice breaking. "The one he'd been waiting for since his father took his dying breath. And then there was no more Vee."
Arden looks at me for a long time. His expression is complicated—sad and angry and like he’s noting something to save for later.
"Did the registry know Ragon had set a condition?"
I shake my head. "I doubt it. It's unusual, why would he have told them?"
"I agree. It's not something they likely would have allowed."
I know he's right. They would have wanted me claimed as soon as possible. The whole thing is broken. The registry doesn't care what happens to omegas once they're with a pack, they only want them out of the system. Out of sight, out of mind. They let me go five years with Ragon's pack unclaimed and never even bothered with a random wellness check which is supposed to be standard until claiming paperwork is filed. But they never cared enough to check… as long as I wasn't returned, no harm no foul.
"Thank you for telling me that," he says finally.
"Why?" My voice comes out harsh. "What good does it do?"
"You needed to say it out loud." He says it gently. "You needed to hear yourself tell that story. To really understand what he asked of you."
