Page 12 of The Omega’s Nest

He studies me and I know he can smell me—agony, exhaustion, relief, but no threat. I’d never, ever hurt him. I won’t do anything to him he doesn’t want me to. There’s a reason I didn’t act when I thought he was presenting for me. I’d needed to be one hundred percent sure. I wouldn’t risk our friendship for anything less.

“Let him up,” Addie calls down.

The dark-haired omega shoots him a look. “Adrian, you don’t have to see him. Just because you knew him before, you don’t owe him anything. We don’t owe alphas a goddamn fucking thing.”

He sounds pissed. And while I agree with him, he’s not really helping my case here.

“I’m not going to hurt him,” I say to the omega.

He turns back to face me. “There are more ways to hurt someone than just physically, you know. And you stink like a bad idea.”

“I’m not,” I insist.

But the omega steps back, hissing a parting shot as he lets me pass. “Hurt him and I’ll chop your fucking cock off.”

My eyes widen. What kind of place is this? That wasn’t just omega boldness, that was downright suicidal from an omega. I should probably be taking more offense, reprimanding him, reporting him to his alpha, but Addie is turning and returning to his room, and all I care about is following him.

The red-headed omega stops me with a hand on my arm before I can run up the stairs.

“All night needs a down payment. And I’ll be checking on you,” he says. He’s not as aggressive as the other one, who has moved away and taken up an insolent sprawl at the bar, but his tone is threatening, nonetheless.

I pull out my wallet, slip out my credit card, and hand it to him.

“Use all of it, I don’t care,” I tell him and shrug off his hold.

I race up the stairs, jog for Addie’s room, and burst into the space. I’m prepared to tell him to pack his things, but he’s standing before me, in front of the bed, twisting his hands together, and his scent is a horrible mix of defiance and shame. Worse, he smells of fear. It stops me dead.

“Addie—”

“You know you’re actually going to have to fuck me, right?” Addie says, his gaze on the carpet.

A bolt of lust goes through me. I can’t help it—I wish I was made of better stuff, but I’m sorry, my omega inviting me to sleep with him is not going to be met with anything but raging desire on my part.

I take a deep breath and get a hold of myself. I want to court Addie. He invited me to do that once. I hope the offer still stands.

“Addie, no. First, we need to—”

“If you’re not going to fuck me …” he begins, taking a deep breath, and his voice is terrible, quiet. There’s a sadness to it. It breaks something in me. “Then please leave so someone else can. I have rent to pay for this room, for each night.”

“I’ve paid,” I say hysterically. “For the whole night. I’ll pay for the year if that’s what it takes, but it won’t because I’m not leaving you here.”

He finally meets my eyes, and I almost wish he hadn’t. His eyes are red, like he’s been crying, and there’s an anguish to them that’s also polluting his scent. The pristine air I associate with him is filled with the exhaust fumes of traffic, the pungent odour of rubbish, and too many people in one space.

“You know I’m contracted to another alpha. I can’t leave with you.”

“You can. We can run. I don’t care where we go, but you’re not staying here.”

He looks away from me. His eyes fill with tears. I can’t stand it, but his scent warns me off, keeps me rooted to the spot.

“We’re not allowed on the internet, but umm, sometimes an alpha will let us look …” He glances at me, a tremulous smile on his lips. “And I saw on your profile you got accepted into the Air Force. That’s a good life. I know your alpha must be so proud. And an alpha like that will want only the best omega for you.”

His voice breaks on “best,” and I’m not sure what he’s getting at, but I don’t like it one fucking bit. Addie is the best omega any alpha could hope for.

“You should go, live that life. For both of us.” He looks at me, and his smile is sad and fake and horrible. Damn his need to make everyone else feel better—it’s something I love about him, but not at the expense of himself.

Also, what the fuck is he on about? How can I live a life for both of us when he is my life?

Also! If he managed to sneak onto the internet—I’m not thinking about what the alpha made him do to allow the transgression—why didn’t he message me?