“No!”
I still at her sharp tone, but then it softens.
“I’m... I’m doing something.”
Fuck. She’s probably packing all her shit and doesn’t want me to see. Knows it’ll be awkward.
I take a deep breath, forcing myself to think. “Could I... Can I talk to you like this?”
There’s a brief pause, a slight shuffle, then a quiet. “Yeah, that’s okay.”
I close my eyes, taking one more breath in and out, anything to try and calm the frantic beating in my chest.
“This is all my fault,” I say. I don’t wait for a response. “When we first met, you made it clear you didn’t want a pack. But I introduced you to Val anyway, because part of me hoped he wouldn’t be interested, but how could he not?” A rough breath leaves my chest. “I mean, after one day, I was done. Then you had Val purring, Sylvan changing his eight-year routine—then buying you a fucking eye scanner.”
Her soft laughter sounds behind the door, and it gives me the courage to keep going.
“And then Kaiden, our pack alpha, offers us for your heat on the same day you meet. When we’ve never shared an omega before.” I shake my head. “Everything just seemed to fit.”
My jaw tightens when I consider what I have to say next. “If you want to leave, Revea, I understand. The way we reacted in the car… You told us you weren’t looking for a pack. We had no right to think otherwise.”
I press my chest to the door, anything to ease the ache. “I’m so sorry, Revea… Lo siento tanto.”
I slide down to my knees, sitting in the silence of heartache.
“No creo que alguna vez ame a nadie como te amo a ti…” The confession leaves me in a whisper, half-formed, full-hearted.
There’s no sound besides my racing heart. I don’t even know if she’s still there. If she’s even listening.
I close my eyes, inhaling her scent a final time—
The handle turns. I lift my head, watching it slowly open, until Revea is right there.
Her breath catches at the sight of me on my knees, but then my hands reach for her, dragging her to me. Forehead against her sternum, my heart pounds as I breathe her in.
“Please don’t go, baby,” I whisper, holding her tighter. “If this is all we’ll ever be, whatever this is right now, I’ll take it. We don’t need to be a pack. I don’t care. Just stay with us. No one needs to know.”
When her fingers slip into my hair, tugging slightly, I look up with my chin against her stomach.
“Have you been drinking, Luciano?” she asks, but there’s a soft slant to her beautiful lips.
I pinch my thumb and finger until they’re almost touching. “Un poco.”
She laughs, and the heavenly sound vibrates through my skin.
“But I mean it, Ve. I mean everything I said.” With her eyes on mine, I say, “I love you.” Her lips part. “And I know that isn’t fair to say right now. But if this ends tonight, I needed you to know.”
For a moment, she just stares at me, her gaze searching mine.
I brace for the worst. Still holding her, but prepared for her to pull away.
To leave.
“Luciano,” she whispers, and I swear it sounds just like those songs we heard in church with our abuela. “It doesn’t end tonight.”
“Joder, gracias aDios.” The words are muffled as I press my mouth against her stomach.
A quiet laugh slips from her, her fingers combing through my hair.
