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Dane's face went from self-righteous to stricken. "I-I did?"
All three alphas paused and turned their heads towards Elias, seeking clarification. He slunk so far into the treatment table, Elias wished he could become a part of it. What the hell was this? A coup?
"I'm the sick one trying to heal here, and you're yelling at each other about irrelevant bullshit. So what if he made me cry? I'm an omega. We cry a lot."
Ian's face softened, if only a little. "You don't."
Elias looked away, ignoring the sense of pride the statement brought him. Reactions like that were the reason Elias' mind was the way it was. They directly contrasted with his base nature, tearing his mind in half. He dropped his head back to the vinyl, closing his eyes.
"Why is this happening? Is it my karma?"
Three sets of shuffling feet followed, along with scraping chairs. He sensed their presence lingering around him, but Elias refused to look. Even if it was a farce, he needed a bit of alone time to gather his thoughts.
One, all three men wanted him to be their omega.
Two, his body wanted it too.
Three, Elias' mind was ready to jump ship while screaming.
He rolled his head back and forth, singing eenie-meanie-minie-moeto himself until it fell to the right side, and Elias opened his eyes. Dane sat there, looking ten times more anxious than he had a few minutes prior. Elias supposed he never told the alpha about what happened after their romp in the back of a car, but he really hadn't wanted to, either.
Thanks, Ian.
"You didn't make me cry because the sex was bad," he told him, feeling lame.
Dane didn't smile. "Then why did I make my omega cry, and how do I make it up to him?"
The phrase was so overwhelming that Elias wanted to shut out the world around him. It stirred something deep within him, causing an ache to spread throughout his body, making him shiver with both excitement and guilt. Were his mind and heart finally lining up for once, and did that mean he could take a chance on this? Is it possible that three men could handle what one couldn't? The opposing outcome was so terrible he refused to think about it.
"There are…words that trigger my trauma response," Elias began, looking anywhere but at the alphas around him. "You said one to me, and you didn't know it, so I—"
"Fled," Dane cut in, his voice grave enough to prompt Elias to turn his gaze towards him and nod.
The alpha's blond hair was disheveled, appearing as if he'd repeatedly run his fingers through it since he entered the room. Elias' knee-jerk reaction was to comfort him, to make that scrunch between his brows smooth out in favor of the wicked smile he remembered.
"Yes."
"I apologize for that. We were bantering, and I—"
Elias held up his hand with a shake of his head. "No explanation needed. If I wasn't like this, it would've been no big deal."
"But you are like this," Ian urged. "And they need to know that if—"
"If what?" Elias snapped, cutting him off with a glare. "I never agreed to be anyone's omega, let alone to three stubborn men who don't listen to me."
As if he'd reached out and slapped them all, every alpha in the room reared back, eyes wide and wounded. Elias rolled his, trying not to let the immediate wave of regret crashing through his ribs show on the outside.
"Don't give me that stare," he groaned.
"How else are we supposed to react?" Levi grumbled, forearms pressed into his knees as he leaned forward. "I've never met an omega like you before."
He wanted to roll his eyes again. "The reason for that is quite simple, actually. I'm traumatized. Damaged goods. Return to sender. Even if you want me, you don't, I promise you. I'm a twenty-nine-year-old omega with no interest in mating or relationships. Shouldn't that be a red flag?"
Ian sighed and gripped Elias' hand again. "Fine, you're a walking red flag. Is that what you want to hear?"
Elias said nothing, keeping his gaze upon the burning fluorescent lights. Truth was, he really didn't know what he wanted or feared it. Was that such a surprise when he'd spent his whole life running into the arms of those who hurt him?He'd finally stopped six years ago, just like everyone wanted, alienating and throwing himself into psychosis. It was the price to pay for peace of mind.
Funny how that works, huh?
