Page 33 of Dual Nature

There was something about the fact that he was so honest with me that made me want to be honest in return. "One of the only ways you can deal with killing as often as I have is to remove yourself from the situation. Craig is no longer Craig. That outside is the body of a man who wanted to die and goaded Elias into doing it. As I was showering, I tried to think of how many people I'd killed since I was sixteen, and I can't tell you. I know that it's over fifty, but that's only because after that point, you’re awarded the title of elite assassin. That’s who I am, Noah."

His eyes widened as he absorbed what I was saying. "You've killed over fifty people, and you started when you were sixteen? How have you still hung on to such a caring heart?"

"Oh, that's all the omega's doing," I snorted.

"No, I don't think so," Noah challenged. "Even if you’re an elf or only part elf, you wouldn't have been turned by an omega if you didn't have an affinity for it. Omegas bind the pack together through caring for the pack on an emotional level. What you tried to do for Craig, for example. If he had let you, I know you would’ve tried to help him through his pain and hatred of being turned. Unfortunately, like you said, he wanted to die."

When he put it like that, it was hard to argue, but I wasn't convinced that it wasn't just the omega traits taking over my normal personality. This new venture into learning about emotional wellbeing was so foreign to me, but now I’d gotten a taste of how powerful it could be. Noah was right; Craig didn’t want to be healed… but what if he had? Could a person who’d never acknowledged their own emotions help another? There was so much for me to learn, and I was discovering that I might actually want to delve into emotions more.

Noah held out a pair of sweatpants that smelled like Colt, and I stepped into them, enjoying being surrounded by his scent. The t-shirt was from Lane, and the hoodie that he bundled me up in was covered in his scent. In a way, I didn't understand why being wrapped up in their scents calmed me and set me at ease, but I was glad to have the comfort. My wolf was mourning the loss of a pack member, knowing that we could have helped. It was hard for her to understand the idea of someone wanting to die.

"Come on, let's head back downstairs. I'm sure the others will want to check in on you," Noah suggested as he coaxed me out of Colt's room.

We found the others in the living room in various stages of restlessness, but my attention was drawn right to Elias. He sat in one of the large leather armchairs, and he refused to look at me. His body was tensed as if he was ready to bolt at a moment's notice if the need arose, so I walked right up to him and curled up on his lap. My face pressed against his neck, I fisted his black Henley in my hands. It took him a few moments before he relaxed enough to wrap his arms around me, resting his cheek against the top of my head.

"I’m not upset you killed him; he left you no choice," I whispered. "You kept me safe."

At this, Elias took a deep breath, and it was like he deflated with the release of what must have been one of his worries. I couldn't tell you how I knew that was what had been bothering him, other than to blame it on the new empathic omega abilities. He let his hand run up and down my back as we sat in silence like we were the only ones in the room. "Little one," Colt ventured, causing me to crack an eye open and look up at him. "Come here, please."

I tried to pull out of Elias' hold, but he tightened his arms and released a low rumble at my movement.

Colt narrowed his eyes at his beta, putting some dominance behind it. "Let my mate go, Elias. I know you’re just trying to keep her safe after Craig set off your protectiveness, but you are not the only one who is concerned. I let you hold her because you needed it, but I'm now telling you to let her go."

"She’s my charge as well as soon-to-be mate," Elias muttered. "What will you do then?"

"This is all new to us, her elf nature pulling more than one mate to her, but it hasn't changed who we are. At this moment, my wolf wants to rip out your throat for keeping her from us since you are not yet mated. When I see her with Lane or Zander, I don't have the same need to kill them like I do you right now," Colt explained through gritted teeth.

Lane stepped up as if to be a buffer between the two of them. "Let her go for now, Elias. You know she’s safe with Colt."

Elias grunted as he turned to look down at me. Lifting a hand, he trailed a finger down my cheek, then tucked under my chin, and lifted my face to him. Slowly, giving me time to pull away, he pressed a gentle kiss on my lips as if he were afraid to break me. Then he pulled away, nodding to Colt. I reached out a hand to my mate, giving him the lifeline he needed to pull me from Elias' lap and into his own arms. Colt showered my face in kisses before he nuzzled the crook my neck where his mate mark was, sending shivers of pleasure down my spine.

"What are we to do with you, mate of mine?" Colt murmured against my skin.

twenty-two

Lane chuckled. "Seems like we might need to keep you with us so you don't get into more trouble."

Colt looked up at him. "Then we'll never get anything done. Look how cute she is, not to mention how good she smells, totally distracting."

Never in all my life had I had someone talk about me like this. I felt my cheeks burn with the foreign sensation of blushing at how sincere they were being about this. "You guys, I'm very capable of handling myself. He just surprised me. I'm still working on all these new senses and how to use them to the best advantage. I'll be fine here with Noah and Mason. Go finish whatever I pulled you away from."

"Does that mean you’re going to stay in the house?" Lane asked hopefully.

"Is that what needs to happen so you can relax?" I questioned, quirking a brow at him.

Lane tapped his chin as he thought. "Yes, I believe my wolf and I agree that knowing you’re safe in our home would set us at ease."

"Alright, then that’s what I'll do… for today," I offered. "Like Colt said, this is new to all of us, but I hope after meeting the rest of the pack, I won't have to be so locked down."

Lane and Colt gave each other a meaningful look, but eventually, they both agreed. Each of them gave me a searing kiss before they left, only this time Elias stayed.

"So what do you have around here to do for fun?" I asked, looking at my three babysitters.

Mason grinned at me and wagged his eyebrows. "You don't think we're really going to keep you cooped up in the house, do you?"

"We have a place we want to show you. It started off being something for the kids, but we changed our minds about that. It’s close to the house," Noah added.

I glanced at Elias out of the corner of my eye, and he didn't seem all too bothered by the idea, so I shrugged. "Alright, but if you get in trouble with the alphas, I'm not gonna cover your asses."