Chapter 49
T he elite and I took an orb to Asteria, but unlike the last time when I’d visited with Evelyn and the Omegas, we didn’t arrive in an alley. We materialized in a room neatly piled with boxes. Orix led us up a flight of stairs and into a dimly lit hallway.
“This is our Asteria residence,” Selas said. “This is where we sometimes stay when we have time off.”
“If we don’t want to go all the way back to Arcadia,” Orix added.
“Serath should be here,” Prasan said, slipping past us and through a door to my left.
“He’ll find us,” Orix said.
He was coming? I took a breath to calm my racing pulse.
“You all right?” Selas studied the air around me.
“I’m fine. Eager to get out there and explore.”
The house was on a quiet street not far from the center of town. Dusk had fallen, and the temperature had dropped, but people were still out walking the streets, wrapped in coats and hats.
“Asteria is one of the most protected settlements in the inner rim,” Selas said.
“Yeah, Evelyn mentioned that.”
“The wards here are powerful,” Prasan added.
It was impossible not to feel safe surrounded by the elites. They exuded power and authority, and we garnered plenty of looks as we walked into the market square.
“We should get a bite to eat,” Orix said. “Viola’s has a special on tonight. I promised Taz leftovers.”
“You and that feline…” Selas shook her head with a smile.
“Viola’s is by booking only,” Prasan said.
“I know,” Orix replied. “But I have skills. Leave it to me.” He dropped us a wink and headed across the street.
I spotted the store where Shar and I had stopped to get accessories. Maybe I should have asked to bring my friends with us? But this was elite time. It would have been an intrusion. I’d have to come back with Shar and the gang soon.
Selas stopped at a stall that sold pretty crystals. “This one exudes cleansing energy.” She held it up to admire it, but all I saw was a white chalky stone.
I was curious to know what she saw when she looked at it. “What do you see?”
“A rainbow.” She smiled and held it out to me. “For you.”
I took it, and her smile dipped slightly.
“What?”
She blinked and shook her head. “Nothing.” She paid the vendor. “How is Derek now?”
“Getting better. I popped in to see him before meeting up with you guys.”
“Will he be healed in time for the exam?” Prasan asked.
“It’s doubtful. But I can do the exam without him.” Selas and Prasan exchanged a glance, and something unspoken passed between them. “What is it?”
“Nothing,” Prasan said firmly.
Orix jogged across the road with a satisfied smirk. “Guess who managed to get us a table at Viola’s?”
“You’re joking,” Prasan said. “They’re always booked out.”
“Even for elites?” I arched a brow.
“For anyone,” Selas said. “Elites don’t get special treatment at Viola’s.”
“But Orix does.” Orix waggled his eyebrows.
“Please don’t speak about yourself in the third person,” Selas said, sweeping past him with a sniff and a flick of her hair. But the smile flirting with her lips was indulgent.
Viola’s was what I’d call a classy joint. Not that I’d been in many of those, but I’d seen plenty on-screen in the movies that Romi and I had watched over the years.
Candlelight, napkins, and actual tablecloths. The chairs were wood, not plastic, and they had breadsticks on the table.
We were given a table for six.
“I’ll be right back,” Prasan said. “I need the washroom.”
Selas and Orix took the seats opposite me, leaving the one beside me vacant for Prasan.
“I feel kinda underdressed,” Selas said, tugging at her elite uniform. She had a point, because the women in this place were all made up and wearing pretty dresses while the men wore dress shirts and pants.
“Fuck it,” Orix said. “We’re elite, and this is the only outfit that matters. Besides,” he said with a soft smile, “the most beautiful women are sitting at this table.”
Selas’s eyes widened slightly, and then her cheeks went pink.
I grinned at Orix. “Have you thought about opening a charm school for goyles? Trust me, there are some males that could really do with the lessons.”
“If you’re referring to a specific grumpy sigma, then trust me, I’ve tried. Serath is resistant.”
“Resistant to what?” Serath said from behind me.
My whole body reacted to his voice by flooding with heat. My breasts swelled, and the pulse between my thighs throbbed dully.
Fuck. Why was he sitting next to me?
I shot Prasan a glare as he returned from the toilets.
He looked sheepish before claiming the free seat at the head of the table.
Serath could have taken that, but he didn’t. He’d chosen to sit next to me.
Dammit, why did that make me feel good?
“How was training?” Serath asked me.
I hated how much it pleased me that he was speaking directly to me.
“It was good.” I kept my tone light. “Derek is healing. Willowman is back. Everything is good.”
“Good.”
“Great,” Orix said with a slight eye roll. “Let’s order.”
* * *
The food was delicious, and I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn’t been so hyperaware of Serath’s every move beside me. Every shift of his body, every accidental brush of his taut thigh against mine, every touch of his elbow to my arm as he lifted his cutlery to his mouth.
Urgh.
I needed this meal to be over because this was like some kind of twisted foreplay.
Finally, the main course was done with. Some kind of savory meat and sauce, and fuck it, I barely tasted a thing.
“They do some delicious desserts here,” Orix said.
“Actually,” Serath said, “there’s somewhere I’d like to take Cameron.”
“Sounds great.” Orix grinned widely. “Let’s go.”
“No,” Serath said. “Just Cameron.”
“I don’t think that’s a great idea,” Selas said.
“For goodness sake,” Prasan snapped. “We’re in the middle of Asteria, surrounded by people. They’re not about to fornicate in the square.”
Orix snorted. “Fornicate.”
“Oh. For the love of…” Selas shook her head.
“What do you say, Cameron?” Serath asked. “Would you like to take a walk with me?”
He was looking at me. I could feel his regard on the side of my face, and for some reason it pissed me off. What the fuck was this Jekyll and Hyde bullshit?
I turned to him with a stiff smile. “I’d love to.” I shoved back my chair and walked out of the restaurant.
He joined me on the street a moment later. “You’re angry.”
“What gave it away?”
He chuckled softly. “You don’t hide your emotions too well.”
“I seem to have an issue reading them too, because if I’m not mistaken, the last time we spoke, you made it clear that you didn’t want us to spend any time together.”
I picked up my pace down the street, wanting to walk off the anger.
“Cameron, wait. Please.”
Damn him and that pleading tone. “What?”
“It’s not that I don’t want to spend time with you, it’s just that I know we shouldn’t. Sometimes I can uphold that, and others…” His eyes darkened. “Others I can’t. I’m not as strong as I’d like to be, not when it comes to you.”
The rage bled out of me in the face of his candor. Because how much had I truly helped the situation? Yes, the wanton episodes weren’t intentional, but they hadn’t helped. I should have taken some responsibility for keeping the boundaries and not left it all on his shoulders.
“Look,” he said. “Here, in Asteria, it’s a safe zone. No one knows us, and yet we’re surrounded. For a little while, we can just…be.”
“Just be?”
“Take that walk we once talked about. Eat those scones I promised you.”
A lump formed in my throat. “Yeah?”
“Yes. Let’s have this moment, Cameron. Something we can take with us. Something to cherish that no one can take away.”
I nodded dumbly because if I spoke, I’d unleash the sob that was locked in my throat.
He stepped forward, steering me into the shadows of an awning and cupping my face. “I’m so proud of you. So very proud.”
I never thought that being praised would have such a visceral effect on me, but I guess it wasn’t the praise, more the person who was delivering it that mattered.
I covered the backs of his hands with mine. “Is this our wish moment?”
“It is.”
“Then let’s make the most of it.”
* * *
The bakery was an all-night place, tucked down a side street but easy to find because of the wonderful smells drifting from it. We took a table outside, despite the chill.
Serath placed an order of hot chocolate and scones before fixing his pale blue eyes on me. “I’ve fantasized about this so many times.”
To someone else, this scenario might have seemed mundane, but to us, it was a fantasy. Being together like this. Just the two of us. This…date scenario.
“Me too. I’m glad you invited me.”
“We can make more of these memories,” he said. “If we get a chance before—”
“Don’t. Don’t spoil it. Tell me something about you. About your time as a cadet or your life with Farnell. Or…what was it like for you as a child before…”
His gaze took on a misty look. “It was happy. I was happy. Innocent. Lucky that my omega mother lived with us. That we had the illusion of a real family. She used to take me for walks every day to feed the birds. She loved birds. There was a garden close to our home filled with them. Every color imaginable. It was as if they were attracted to that place. To her.” His smile was soft, his expression faraway, lost in the memories.
“We’d sit on the same bench every time, and she’d read to me surrounded by all the beautiful birds and she’d say, ‘ One day you’ll be able to fly, just like them . ’”
“Wait…can omegas fly?”
“No. Omega’s don’t shift. Their bodies are made for procreation.”
“And your mother…she went onto the front lines?”
His smile was filled with pride. “Yes. She did.” His gaze swept over my face. “Everyone considered her weak, but she proved them wrong, again and again, just like you do, Cameron. I know that she would have loved you.”
I would have loved to know the woman who’d sired such an amazing male. Resilient, a survivor. “She sounds wonderful.”
“She was. What about you? Tell me about your childhood.”
“When I was little, my mother worked six days a week. She’d come home every night exhausted, make supper, then fall asleep on the sofa.
But on Sunday…” I sighed, recalling the feeling of a Sunday morning with my mother.
“On Sunday, my mother would bake. I’d sit at the table with a plate of cookies and a glass of milk and watch her work.
Sometimes I’d help, but mostly I’d listen to her talk.
She had a beautiful voice. She’d tell me stories while she cooked.
Afterwards, we’d snuggle on the sofa and watch our favorite cartoon tapes.
Sunday was the best day because on Sunday, she was all mine. ” Gods, I missed her.
Serath reached across the table and took my hand. “I would have been honored to know her.”
“Here you go.” The waitress placed a tray on our table. “Enjoy.”
We spent the next half hour drinking hot chocolate, eating scones, and chatting about anything and everything. Being with Serath felt easy. It felt right.
I polished off my final scone with a satisfied groan. “Delicious.”
“You have powder on your cheeks,” Serath said with a smile. He reached out to brush it away, his fingers lingering at the corner of my mouth.
His touch stole my breath.
“You have powder on your mouth too,” he said gruffly.
I licked my lips, and he made a soft sound, part distress, part yearning, because if this was real, we’d be going home to bed. Skin to skin, satiating the need between us. If this was real, there’d be no barrier, and he would kiss me right now.
He exhaled softly as if reading my thoughts and leaned in.
Oh gods, he was going to do it. He was going to kiss me.
“Serath?” A female voice called out.
Serath sat back in his seat, his expression shuttering.
The goyle strode toward us, another two goyles in tow. They were dressed in alpha team colors of gray and silver. My heart sank because could this be—
“Jana, what are you doing here?” Serath asked warmly.
“Outpost Ten respite. We have an evening off.”
“You should have let me know.” Serath pushed back his seat and stood.
“Oh?” Jana’s smile was flirtatious and pretty. “And what would you have done?”
Serath smiled, the slow burn smile that usually made my panties wet, but now, when aimed at someone else, left me dry as the Sahara.
Jana lifted her chin, eyes lighting up with expectation.
The scones and hot chocolate I’d consumed churned in my belly while my beast pressed against my skin, begging to be let out. Begging to defend what was ours.
“And who is this?” Jana finally looked my way.
“Miss Basque, meet Jana Rune,” Serath said.
“Basque?” Jana stood straighter. “Our new elite-to-be. It’s so good to meet you. Best of luck with the trials, not that you’ll need it with Serath as a mentor.”
Had he been her mentor at one time? Had they fucked back then? Oh gods, I needed to get out of here.
I stood up quickly and fixed a warm smile on my face. “Lovely to meet you too.” I blasted Serath with the same smile, cheeks aching from holding it. “Thank you for showing me this place. It was kind of you. I should get back to the others.”
“I’ll walk you,” Serath said.
“No need.” I waved him off. “I’m sure you have better things to do.” I walked away before I could lose my shit and claw out the poor, unsuspecting female’s eyes or bawl out my own.
The world blurred, hot tears of anger and frustration stinging my lids.
“Cameron! Hey!” A hand fell on my shoulder, and for one stupid moment I thought it was Serath, but it was Orix looking at me with concern. “Ah, shit.” He put his arm around my shoulder and tucked me into his side. “Where’s Serath?”
“Jana found us.”
“Ah…”
“I’m so fucking pathetic.”
“No. No you’re not. This situation is pathetic.” He gave me a sideways hug.
“Can we…” I swallowed back a sob. “Can we please go home?”
“Sure we can. Let’s go find the others.”