Page 18 of Generation Omega: Claimed
The moment she’s still, her insatiable need temporarily smothered, the alphas stagger and sit, their exhaustion overwhelming them.
“We’ve got a fucking problem,” Kaz shouts at them. “We’re not even at the end of day one, fellas, and none of us are going to reach day two if we can’t fix this.”
“Fix what exactly?” Thatcher sputters, while Gideon asks, “What do you mean?”
Kaz scowls at Tillie, as though her body can answer him, and then glares at Mr. Kilt. “You’re the fucking first alpha ever—is this right? I know why I’m holding on to reality, and why Ethan isn’t lost in the rut, but the omega should be. Youallshould be. But you aren’t, are you? Your inner alphas are rearing their omega-obsessed caveman brains, but either her call to you isn’t strong enough or…” His disgruntled expression arrives. “Well, shit.”
“Kazimir,” Gideon seethes, “explain before I…”
Kaz waves a dismissive hand at the unhinged first alpha and stares at Mr. Kilt. “Just tell me. Am I right that something is wrong?”
Mr. Kilt’s green eyes tighten as he reaches for memories from another time, another age. “Yes, but I’ve never attended a heat with the perspective I have now.” He grimaces, attempting to shake himself free from wherever his mind took him. “Remembering a heat—that doesn’t happen. The primal is meant to forcefully overwhelm all cerebral functioning that gets in the way of true connection. No one should bethinkingduring a heat.” His hands become fists, but his rage isn’t pointed outward. “We’re failing here. This pack is failing.”
CHAPTER 10
KAZIMIR
Ethan’s instant panic is a sandblaster laying waste to my soul. My hands are on his shoulders a second later, as I kneel behind him.
“Kaz,” he pleads, almost whines. His hand is still inside Tillie, and the omega is resting. Luckily, everyone is either too stressed—or suffering from alpha mush brain—to wonder how I knew this fisting gambit would work on her, almost as effectively as a knot.
While I attempt to review the other tools in my unconventional arsenal, the alphas verbally bash around like caged animals. I hear their sharp words. Bite her. Bond her. Bonds would fix everything. That’s all from our bite-happy professor, who shouldn’t even be in this nest. She doesn’t like him. She doesn’t trust him. Wait, no. The omega wants to fuck him—to claim all her alphas with her greedy, chomping cunt—but Tillie doesn’t. Tillie sees the professor as a threat to Ethan, just like I do.
Something ripples through Ethan and lands inside me, a hazy confirmation.
Fuck.
“Shut up!” I roar so I can think, assess, and overwhelm my revulsion that’s mixed with a hint of honor.
Kaz, please.That’s from Ethan.
In response, I wrap my arms around him, pressing closer, aware that he can feel my undeflatable erection against his back.
I’m here, and I’m going to take care of this. After communicating that to him, some of his stress eases.
“This might be a little strange,” I whisper to him, “but just trust me, okay?”
“I do—I trust you, Kaz. Please, help her. We need this to work.”
The alphas are silent as the grave we’re occupying if we fail here. I just wish they would always shut the fuck up and let me take care of things.
I try not to consider what I’m going to do, because any roads back to sanity are about to be nuked. At least, that’s my guess. For Ethan—I’m doing this for Ethan. I tell myself that, but it rings false even to me. Shit, I am going to need therapy before we’re done here.
I close my eyes. The sight of Tillie’s luscious, naked body so close to Ethan’s challenges my control in the worst way. After dragging in a deep breath, I push my awareness and power inside Ethan. His emotions are jagged edges all around me. It’s unsettling—not being within Ethan, that’s a balm on my soul, but the fact that we’re suddenly vulnerable to what’s happening around us. But the faster I do this, the sooner I can get back to protecting us from the alphas in the nest.
The knowledge hits me instantly. Tillie—not her omega—is aware that she’s connected to Ethan, and she’s as relieved as I would be. Another ripple of truth begins inside her, flows through Ethan, and reaches me. Then I hear her directly. She’s calling tome. Ethan seems to understand and clears his mind,doing everything he can to eliminate any interference between Tillie and me.
Not him, Kazimir… not him. Not safe… Ethan… threats… can’t… surrender—won’t surrender.
Each word she manages to share is hard-fought. Tillie’s a fucking warrior.
Just like you… fight… never surrender… protect him… my life… he’s my life… and my life… is mine.
I know what’s happening, and I can’t even be surprised—impressed, definitely, but not shocked at all. The tiny, exquisite woman who decided to wage war on the omegaverse for rudely interrupting her life, is now in a pitched battle against her own inner omega. But she’s not attempting to destroy her omega or get back to her old life—Tillie is committed to the omegaverse now. Our pack-forming roadblock isn’t that her omega’s call is too weak to fuel this heat—it’s that Tillie’s trust hasn’t been earned, not by everyone here.
My pride in her loyalty and dedication is absolutely obliterating every escape route out of this shitshow, as though I could ever walk away from Ethan or get him to abandon Tillie. Damn, this is a first-rate clusterfuck, as ourdaintyomega is basically killing her own pack to protect Ethan from the danger she perceives in her nest. We really are failing here, and that just sucks.
Ethan sends a wave of support toward me, as though sensing my aversion to playing the role of Kazimir,thepack builder. The extremely quiet omega legacy is mocking me, I just know it.
