Chapter 16
sixteen
Violet’s bleary gaze shines in the moonlight.
The silver glow outside the window repaints everything in shades of ice, but I think her eyes are green. And they must be particularly arresting, because even now, sapped of color…
Wow.
I blink to clear my vision, certain I’m imagining things. The others tried to rouse her for hours. I’m pretty sure Finn purred himself hoarse. Atlas even debated an injection of caffeine, desperate to speak with her and sort this mess out so I could rest.
Nothing worked.
Except… me?
Sitting here, hating her and myself?
Or was it when I perfumed?
It can’t be that… right?
For a long moment, we stare at each other. I realize she’s never seen me before in her life. She might be able to smell my designation, but I’m a stranger. And a man. And much stronger than her.
She’s a brand-new omega, too. In my adolescence, I would have been terrified if I’d found myself in her position.
An unexpected tide of pity seeps into my chest. One of the alphas would probably leap into action right about now, but my instincts tell me to stay still. I hold my breath, waiting for her to move first.
The pretty girl with endless hair swallows, the sound painful and sticky. When she speaks, her voice is a melodic whisper.
“Did—did that really happen? Did I—”
Bite my alpha? Steal his bond? Poison our relationship? Take the only man I’ve ever loved from me?
“—hurt him?”
Fuck.
Every inch of anger scaffolded inside me comes crashing down. I feel it collapse into a pile of rubble, kicking up a thick cloud of empathy.
This poor fucking girl.
She really ruined our lives on accident. She’s lying here, in front of an enraged stranger, barely alive… and she’s scared she hurt Atlas.
It’s the sort of thing a mate would think of. A really sweet, selfless one. The type my alpha deserves. The sort I could never be.
A familiar swirl of doubt and shame seethes in my stomach. I’m used to the knowledge that I don’t deserve him, but I’m not accustomed to seeing a better alternative right in front of me.
The insidious thought from this afternoon returns, stronger than ever. I could leave. Give him a lifetime of happiness with his mate and just—
Disappear.
But then I remember his face, set in the fiercest expression I’ve ever seen. And he barked.
Never say that to me again. Don’t even think it.
The remembered command is so strong, it works just as well as a fresh one. My mind flings me off my train of thought, right back to the trembling woman waiting for an answer.
Sensing my burnt perfume, she recoils, her fine features crumpling. “Oh no. I did, didn’t I? I hurt him. I—I—”
She’s shaking so hard, my hand moves entirely on its own, flipping to fold my fingers over hers, and squeeze. “You didn’t hurt him,” I say. Then I recall his pained gasps and clenched jaw. Wincing, I amend, “Not—not with your bite, anyway.”
Getting the words out is harder than I expected. Violet absorbs them with bright eyes, tears gathering on her lashes.
“I—I’m so sorry. I didn’t—I never had an Omega before today. She’s been hiding for years. I’m not sure how, but I was about to—to—I guess she came forward to try to save me?”
My answering nod is wooden, but I haven’t moved my hand yet. “We figured as much.” My voice cracks slightly. “Do you feel any pain? I can get Atlas.”
Everything inside me squirms at the thought, but Violet just blinks again. Confused. “Atlas?”
Oh God. She doesn’t even know his name.
This is all too much. Too terrible and surreal.
The fact that I’m finding it easier to steady my thoughts for her than I do myself is my only saving grace. It allows me to gently slip my fingers from her grasp.
“My alpha,” I reply. A humorless smile twists my lips as my shattered heart grinds into dust. “Or your alpha, now.”