Chapter 7 Reina
REINA
The silence in my apartment was deafening.
Both Luca and Jaxon stared at me after my confession about being Category Red. About what that meant. About what I could do to them.
"Dual-bond capable," Luca repeated slowly. "That's what your mother told you?"
"That's what the doctors told her, not that she really believes it. After what happened in the locker room." I wrapped my arms around myself. "Category Red Omegas can bond with two Alphas simultaneously. It's rare. And dangerous."
"Dangerous how?" Jaxon asked.
"Because the Alphas usually destroy each other. Fighting over the Omega. Unable to share. It ends in violence."
Jaxon's laugh was sharp and humorless. "So your mom convinced you that you were a walking disaster waiting to happen."
"She wasn't wrong. Look at what happened when we were kids."
"What happened," Luca said carefully, "is that two teenage Alphas who didn't know better tried to protect their Omega from real threats. That's not your fault."
"But it could happen again. If I go off suppressants, if I go into heat around both of you..." I shook my head. "My mom said the bonds would make you territorial. Aggressive. That you'd eventually fight to the death over me."
"Your mom said a lot of things," Jaxon said. "Doesn't make them true."
"The Category Red classification is real, Jax. The medical research backs it up."
"Medical research from thirty years ago," Luca countered. "I've read some of those studies before. Most of them are outdated. Based on incomplete data and biased assumptions about Omega biology."
I looked at him in surprise. "You've read the studies?"
His ears turned slightly red. "After you left, I tried to understand what happened. Why your mom took you away. I read everything I could find about heats, about Alpha-Omega dynamics, about Category classifications."
"Why?"
"Because I needed to know why that happened…why you’d ran away or been taken away…it was good bed time reading,” Luca offered with a shrug.
"And what did you find?"
Luca’s icy blue eyes seemed story. “Just that the research is inconclusive at best. There are documented trinity bonds that lasted decades.
Category Red Omegas who bonded with two Alphas and lived happy, stable lives.
" He stepped closer. "Your mom cherry-picked the worst-case scenarios and convinced you they were inevitable. "
I sighed. "She was trying to protect me."
"She was trying to control you," Jaxon said bluntly. "There's a difference."
I wanted to argue. Wanted to defend the mother who'd raised me, who'd done what she thought was best.
But deep down, I knew he was right.
"So what are you saying?" I asked. "That we should just ignore the risks? Pretend everything's fine?"
"No," Luca said. "We're saying we should be informed about the risks. Make conscious choices. Not let fear make our decisions for us."
"Easy for you to say. You're not the one who could trigger a blood bath."
"Actually," Jaxon said, moving to stand next to Luca, "we're the ones who'd be doing the fighting. So it's our risk to take."
They were standing side by side now. United. Both looking at me with identical expressions of determination.
"We're adults," Luca continued. "We know what we're getting into. We can handle this."
"Can you?" I looked between them. "You're rivals. Captains of opposing teams. You barely speak to each other outside of this room. How are you going to handle a bond that ties you together through me?"
"The same way we handle everything else," Jaxon said. "We figure it out as we go."
"That's not a plan."
"No, it's not. But it's honest." He crossed to me, took my hand.
"I'm not going to stand here and promise you this will be easy.
It won't be. We're going to fight. We're going to struggle with the territorial shit.
But I'd rather struggle through it with you than spend another twelve years without you. "
My throat tightened. "Jax..."
"He's right," Luca said, taking my other hand. "This is going to be messy. Complicated. Maybe even dangerous. But the alternative is walking away. And I can't do that. Not again."
I looked down at our joined hands. Both of them holding me. Both of them choosing this despite everything.
"What about your careers?" I asked. "If this gets out, if people know about the bond..."
"Let them know," Jaxon said.
"You can't mean that. The media would have a field day. Your teams, the league..."
"I don't care."
"Jax, you'd lose endorsements. Probably your captaincy. They'd say you were compromised, that you couldn't be objective..."
"And they'd be right." He squeezed my hand. "If it comes down to you or hockey, I choose you. Every time."
"Luca?" I turned to him. "You're the Ice King. Mr. Perfect. Your reputation matters to you."
His jaw tightened. "It does. But you matter more."
"You don't mean that."
"I do. I spent twelve years building this career, this image. Being the controlled, perfect captain. And I've been miserable. Because none of it meant anything without you."
Tears burned my eyes. "You can't just throw away everything you've worked for."
"We're not throwing anything away," Luca said. "We're just... adding something more important."
"We'll be careful," Jaxon added. "Discreet. Keep it private as long as we can."
"And when you can't? When someone figures it out?"
"Then we deal with it," Luca said. "Together."
The word hung between us. Together. All three of us.
It was terrifying.
But it was everything I'd wanted and been too afraid to hope for.
"I need time," I said. "To think about this. To process."
"How much time?" Jaxon asked.
"I don't know. A few days? A week?"
He looked like he wanted to argue, but Luca squeezed his shoulder.
"Take the time you need," Luca said. "We'll be here when you're ready."
"What if I'm never ready?"
"Then we'll deal with that too."
Jaxon clearly didn't like that answer, but he nodded. "Yeah. What he said."
They both let go of my hands, and the loss of contact felt like a physical ache.
"We should go," Luca said. "Let you think."
They headed for the door. Jaxon paused at the threshold, looked back at me.
"For what it's worth, Pretty Girl? I think you're scared of the wrong thing. You're not dangerous. You're just powerful. And your mom taught you to be afraid of that power instead of embracing it."
Then they were gone, leaving me alone in my apartment with my racing thoughts and pounding heart.
I sank onto my couch, head in my hands.
They wanted this. Both of them. Wanted to try for a trinity bond despite the risks, despite the complications, despite everything that could go wrong.
And God help me, I wanted it too.
But wanting something and being brave enough to reach for it were two different things.
My phone buzzed. A text from Shayla.
Mmm, did I just see Vale and Roarke at your building tonight. You okay?
I stared at the message. The only way to keep a secret was to die and take it to the grave.
I'm fine. Just... complicated.
Her response was immediate. Complicated good or complicated bad?
I didn’t want to share more than needed. Not sure yet.
I could see Shayla texting something on her end. Want me to come over? I can bring wine and bad advice.
I smiled despite myself. Rain check? Still a little under the weather.
She shot back another reply. Okay. But I'm here if you need me. And Reina? Whatever you decide, make sure it's what YOU want. Not what anyone else thinks you should do.
I set the phone down, her words echoing in my head.
What did I want?
Of course, I fucking wanted both of them. Wanted the life we could have had if we'd never been torn apart. Wanted to see if this impossible thing could actually work.
But I was terrified.
Terrified of hurting them. Of watching them hurt each other. Of proving my mother right.
My phone buzzed again. This time it was Luca.
I meant what I said. Take all the time you need. But Reina? We're not kids anymore. We can handle this. We can handle YOU. Stop being afraid of your own strength.
Then one from Jaxon.
Sleep on it. But remember this: the only person who gets to decide what you're capable of is you. Not your mom. Not some outdated medical study. You.
I read both messages three times.
Then I got up, walked to my bathroom, and stared at my reflection in the mirror. Brown eyes. Blonde hair. Nothing special. Nothing dangerous.
Just little ol’ me.
Who happened to be Category Red. Who happened to be dual-bond capable. Who happened to have two Alphas willing to risk everything for her.
I pulled the suppressant patch off my hip. Stared at it.
I'd been wearing these for twelve years. Maximum dose. Hiding what I was. Suppressing everything that made me Omega.
Being safe, controlled…afraid.
I dropped the patch in the trash.