Page 23 of The Omega’s Nest

He laughs. Maybe he’s being kind by not reminding me of how I’d climbed into his lap once we were sitting on the beach, curled around him like a monkey and rubbed my scent all over his throat as if we were mates.

“It wasn’t cute,” I object and hope he doesn’t bring it up.

His smile softens, but his scent turns nervous. “I never told you, but ah, I kinda thought I had a real chance after that night.”

I can’t help it, I crack up. He had a chance? He could’ve taken me when we were fourteen and I would’ve said yes. A chance? He was a foregone conclusion.

“You did,” I say anyway.

And his smile widens, but it’s tinged with regret.

“I never would’ve done anything while you were drunk, but I wish … I wish I’d said something after,” he says.

I take a deep breath. The atmosphere has shifted, heavier now with all those times he didn’t say anything. I presented for him shortly after. I felt like I was so obvious. I’ve lived with the belief he never wanted me, was waiting to make a better match regardless of the fated nature of our scents. I knew his father wanted that. But Leo wasn’t particularly close to the man, so if he’d wanted something else, wanted me, I’d been confident he’d go for it.

“Why didn’t you?” I ask him, because I have to know.

“Addie.” He says my name like an apology and looks away. “Everyone wanted you,” he goes on, like he’s thought about this a lot. The words have a practiced quality to them. “And you were, I don’t know … nice to everyone. I didn’t want to make a move until I was sure and I …”

“You what?” A fear is building inside me—I have to know if he wasn’t right there with me, like I’ve been fearing since he rejected me. If it really was all in my head.

“I was scared,” he finishes and meets my eyes. I can tell he’s forcing himself to do it, that he feels ashamed of this. “I was scared that if I was wrong, I’d lose you as a friend. And you’re my best friend, so I couldn’t risk it.”

I sigh and rub my eyes. “I would’ve said yes. Jesus, Leo. I would’ve let you have everything, right away. Claim, a baby, all of it.”

Leo makes a punched out noise. I drop my hands.

“Fuck, I was so stupid,” he says and kisses me. His hand trails down to my belly, his fingers splaying on the flat skin.

I meet his kiss. There’s an urgency to it. And a sadness. Because it’s all pointless now. I’m here and here I’ll stay. And Leo will leave—after tonight, tomorrow night, next week—the when doesn’t matter because the fact remains, he will leave. He can’t keep buying every night, not only because he doesn’t have the money, but because someone will notice eventually and put a stop to it.

Omegas can’t entertain the same alpha indefinitely, it’s a recipe for disaster—alphas get attached. They think the omega wants them for real, then they challenge one of our alphas and it ends in a bloody mess. Leo and I have had two full nights, and we’ll be lucky to get away with a third, but we won’t fly under the radar for much longer. Leo’s dad, his alpha, will put a stop to it if that doesn’t happen first. It’s too late for us.

So I kiss him with everything I’ve got and hope he takes this with him … how much I love him, how much I will always love him.

Chapter 8

Leo

I’m back in Addie’s nest for the third night in a row. I’ve managed to dodge my father by going home once I know he’s gone to work and leaving before he gets back. My father’s never been late to work or left his job early. He’s a foreman at a munitions factory about an hour inland from Hollow Point, and if he were to arrive after his workers or leave before them, he’d lose the opportunity to berate them for committing that crime, a pleasure he’d never deny himself. I’m safe. For now. I’m ignoring his calls too.

My savings will buy me thirty-four more days. Tristan, the red-headed omega, printed out my bill and explained it to me when I left this morning. The clinical way he narrated it made me feel nauseous.

“One thousand for each night. Adrian said to add blow jobs, hand jobs, no penetration, and so I’ve rounded up because I know, based on the stench you’re leaving on him, that you’re doing a lot of that.”

Two nights so far had seen two thousand three hundred dollars charged to my credit card. Plus the two hundred I left on his vanity so he could buy himself more food, or whatever he spends money on these days. He’s always been a pretty simple guy, spending any cash he made working with his dad—when there was work—on materials for his surfboards, a new wetsuit . . . I insisted he spoil himself with anything he wants, but my casual mention of the run-down diners I’ve seen around the streets of The Bell on my way to the garage where I’ve been parking was not casual at all. He needs to eat more. A lot more.

I’m still living at home, so my pay from the military—basic training and now the Air Force—mainly goes into savings. As an alpha, and unlike an omega, I could certainly move out and get my own place before I bonded, but it would be an unusual move at my age. Most alphas stayed with their alpha until they bonded because it was, in theory, easier to have that steady hand around while they got their control sorted. My father’s an asshole, but he isn’t an abusive asshole.

I’ve been on just over two grand a month for almost four years. I started in Basics, seven weeks later went into Airman Basics, then six months after that, I was an Airman E-2. The pay didn’t change much, and since I was still living with my alpha, I didn’t think about my finances too carefully. My savings, when I checked, are at forty-three thousand dollars. Damn my need for that vintage V8 Ford Mustang. I needed something to drive all over the country looking for Addie in, but thirty grand was a ridiculous amount to spend on a fucking car. I can always sell it if it comes to it, though.

Regardless, I’ve got thirty-four days to get Addie to go into heat so I can claim him. Ideally it will happen soon, because it’d be good to have some money left over to head south with.

Addie’s come is cooling on my stomach, mine on his chest. I shiver at the thought of it. I’ve managed to last a bit longer, which is a fucking relief. The thought of Addie having to deal with my virgin dick is mortifying, but so far, he seems happy with everything we’re doing. Well, he smells pleased, if a little sad. But I don’t think he’s sad because I’m not performing as well as some of the other alphas he’s had.

I clench my jaw and the red haze threatens.

“Leo?” Addie asks, uncertainty in his voice, in his scent.