“We do,” Dash says quickly, dancing over to pull me into a hug. Dr. Green watches him with the same fascination I often find in my own reflection, and I bite my lip to hold in my smile. She might not be too sure about Bram, but she’s clearly already a member of Team Dash. “I’ll show you to your room, Dr. Green.”
“Nora,” she corrects him, giving his arm a fond pat. “There’s no point in being formal if I’m spending the night under your roof.”
He blushes prettily but shoots me a sly wink as Lachlan comes over to pull me into his arms. I nuzzle into his neck, his sunshine scent restored now we’re away from that warehouse of horrors. “Are you okay, Katie? You’ve been through so much…”
“It was awful,” I tell him, skimming my lips over his scent gland and drinking down his shiver, “but I knew you were coming for me. I just had to hold on.”
“I’ll always be there. Now I have this, I couldn’t live without it.”
I stare up into his eyes, a kaleidoscope of memories hovering in their depths. It’s crazy to me that I missed it for so long, but now I recognize it for what it is.Soulmates, or whatever magical word you give to two people who are linked on a level deeper than bites or biology.
“I love you, Lachlan. And I don’t want to live in a world without you, either.”
Tears well in his eyes, but it’s like sunlight through raindrops, because his smile is pure joy. “I love you with everything I have, Katie. Whatever I can give you, it’s yours.”
“Just you,” I tell him, then press a hand over my mouth, because he’s coming in for a kiss and he doesn’t deservethat. “And maybe a toothbrush, because I wasn’t kidding about the puking.”
He laughs, kissing my temple, and my heart is so full, I’m surprised I don’t combust right there on the fancy silk rug.
But Dash has come back, and he’s making a beeline for our alphas, a frown on his face. We follow, and I catch a flash of eyeshine as Bram glares at Corbus. It’s so out of character, I stop abruptly, looking between them. “What’s going on?”
“Bram is being stubborn.” Corbus clicks his tongue, and he must see the tension on my face, because he reaches out to stroke my cheek. “It’s alright, my love. We are just having a discussion about dynamics.”
“Really?” That seems like something we should work out together – preferably in the nest. While naked. Heat blooms in my belly, and I shuffle my feet. “What’s the point of contention?”
Bram gives an irritated growl. “Corbus thinks I should be pack alpha.”
I nod, but Corbus gives another click of his tongue. “It’s not something I think, Bram, it’s who youare. You shouldn’t fight it.”
“You mean I should just accept I’m a freak of nature?”
Dash makes a low sound in his throat, and Corbus shakes his head in a rare display of disappointment. “Don’t call yourself that. Ubers are the embodiment of power and control. We just witnessed it back at the warehouse. And some of us might not be here if you were a different man.”
“It’s true,” I say softly. “They weren’t planning on letting me go, Bram. I heard them talking, and one of them was boasting about how easy it is to make omegas disappear.”
Lachlan’s arms tighten around me, but I watch as Bram’s fists clench, a tremor of emotion straining his vest to breaking point. “There’s nowhere they could’ve taken you that I wouldn’t have found you.”
“Because you’re pack alpha,” Corbus says. “We rely on your caution and control, Bram, but that’s not your only virtue.”
The eyeshine flickers, overcome by his curiosity. “What are you talking about?”
“Stop trying to fix me by fighting yourself.”
Bram’s frown deepens. “I don’t do that.”
“You do. But it’s not your fault. You’re doing this out of love for me, because you believe I always need to be handled.” Corbus places a careful hand on Bram’s arm, which is now folded across his chest. “But in trying to control my issues, you’ve also adopted some of my worst traits. I don’t want to be an emotionless shell, Bram, so why are you choosing to be one?”
I catch a wide-eyed look from Dash, but Bram is locked on Corbus’ face, a glimmer of hurt in his gaze. “You really see me that way?”
“No. Because I’ve seenallof you. The strong, the brave, and the ruthless pack alpha.” He nods to the rest of us. “But we are more than two now. We need all the different parts of you, not just the ones you think are safe to share.”
Bram is quiet for a moment, his head down as he digests Corbus’ words. “I never thought of it like that. I was just trying to keep everything contained.”
“Because you’re both risk-averse and intuitive, which makes you one of the most brilliant financial minds I’ve ever met. But you’re not just that,mijn broer. You’re so much more.”
Bram turns his attention my way, the eyeshine all but gone. “I don’t know if that’s true, but I don’t want to disappoint you.”
“You won’t.” I step into his arms, feeling the unsteady thud of his heart under my ear. Everyone has been treating me like I’m fragile, but Bram has been through as much as I have, unleashing a part of himself he’s always kept buried. “You’re everything I want, Bram, but more importantly, you’re exactly what we need. You have to be our pack alpha.”
