“That’s what this is really about?” Ehlian began slotting the cruel pieces together, hating how right his instincts were. “You want your empire, your status, your snob omegas… and you want me as well. You want everything.”
Hayce gave him a wooden, flat look. “After everything I told you tonight, that’s the conclusion you’ve arrived at?”
“Yes,” Ehlian said seriously. “It’s clearly not just about your brother. The moment I might find a more compatible alpha than you—”
Hayce scoffed.
“—and slip away, that’s when you decided to come,” Ehlian continued. “I’d give it less than a year before I become an inconvenience again and you get rid of me. And if you change your mind about me again, I won’t come back. I swear, Hayce, I’m not sitting around while you carefully choose the perfect omega who would match—”
“Just stop for a moment and think, Ehlian,” Hayce cut him off. “Even before we nearly bonded, I could’ve gotten rid of you any time I wanted, and I didn’t.”
“Yeah? Why didn’t you?” Ehlian hit back. “Probably the worst decision you could’ve made. For you, and for me. You could’ve spared me from having to watch my back constantly because of your lunatic brother.”
“Sure, Ehlian. Go back and ask your old self how he would’ve felt if I’d abandoned you for Grasson to claim.”
“I would’ve rather had Grasson as my alpha than yo—”
Ehlian abruptly choked off the word, but it had already slipped out.
The warmth vanished from Hayce’s eyes in a fraction of a second, his voice dry. “How flattering, Ehlian.”
Ehlian felt the beginning of a headache, all his suppressed emotions stretching his power tight. “Still think I want you to stay?”
Hayce gave him a long, veiled look, but when Ehlian didn’t budge, he spoke. “If you think I touched any of those omegas…” His voice softened. “They are insignificant, Ehlian.”
Ehlian said nothing, even as the raw, aching spot in his chest began to loosen.
“I know I wasn’t fair to you,” Hayce said. “The breakup wasn’t easy for me either, but you underestimate how much I wanted to bind you to me.”
Ehlian hummed, faint, barely audible.
A moment passed before Hayce turned away. A few steady steps, the front door opened… and quietly closed.
Silence again.
“Fuck,” Ehlian whispered into the air.
His flat suddenly felt too small, too narrow, too cold.
He kicked off his shoes and dragged himself into the bedroom. Not even bothering to take off his clothes, he climbed onto the bed, grabbing the corner of the blanket and wrapping himself in it.
He could keep listening for footsteps, keep glancing at the door. It wouldn’t open. Hayce wouldn’t return to slip into bed and share his warmth.
That arrogant, insufferable, cruel dick! Even after being a year apart, he knew Ehlian better than Ehlian knew himself. What he needed now was steady arms instead of a blanket. Warmth and safety.
But fuck, he was angry. Angry that it had taken Hayce so long to give a sign, to come to him, to let him believe that all those memories between them meant nothing.
The longer he lay there, the heavier the thought rooted in his mind: he would hate if today were their last shared memory.
Chapter 22
Willian put down a screwdriver slowly on his worktable and blinked at him through his magnifying glasses.
“You would rather have Grasson?”
Ehlian looked away from his friend’s shocked face, grimacing. “That’s what I said.”
Lifting up the glasses, Willian leaned closer and tapped on Ehlian’s forehead.
