“I will consent to letting Zayd mark me so I am not the source of anyone’s discomfort or disorder in the pack,” Layla says.
Strykr stands, his pack alpha presence drawing our attention. “Very well. I appreciate your decorum and consideration for how your presence will affect the pack,” he says as a dismissal. Reluctantly accepting our arrangement.
It is not the outcome I wanted either, but it is one I will embrace with my whole heart.
Though she is angry with Sutton now and claims not to want him back, I know that feeling will not last forever. Someday she will want him back, and most likely he will want her, too. I will not do anything to stand in the way of their reunion. No matter how long it takes.
Chapter 14
Layla
Zayd’sscentstilllingeredso heavily on my skin after Sutton left that I had begun to hope that Zayd wouldn’t have to mark me again. That Sutton would realize his mistake and come back. But it’s been a week, and he’s not here.
It’s probably foolish for me to hope that Sutton will come back. The way he left and the fact that he gave his blessing for Zayd and me to bond? I’m afraid I have to accept that he never plans on coming back.
Knowing that should make it easy for me to submit to Zayd scent-marking me, but it still feels wrong. While I understand that alpha’s ability to sense a marked omega is greater than my own, I woke up today with a pit in my stomach. Homesick for an alpha’s scent on me, because Sutton and Zayd are absent from my skin.
I hate it. And I hate that I hate it. I hate that I can’t smell Zayd on me anymore, and I hate that I want to smell him on me. And I hate that he’s the only one I will be able to smell again. Part of me wonders if that’s what feels so wrong about this. It shouldn’t be Zayd’s mark; it should be Sutton’s.
Or both of them.
I know it’s wrong. I can’t wear both of their scents. I’m sure that was a huge part of what drove Sutton mad and ultimately drove him away.
But I would be lying if I said I didn’t like it. Especially when we had sex. I love the scent and how it made Sutton go absolutely feral.
Fuck. I miss my husband.
My finger hovers over Zayd’s name on the comm as I try to find the courage to call and ask him for his help.
He was kind enough to keep his distance until I needed him. The alone time has helped. I wouldn’t say I’m over Sutton leaving me, but I am closer to being able to accept that he’s not coming back. That’s the best I can do.
One thing I can’t do is become a prisoner in my own room. I need to get out and do things. See people. Get some fresh air, even if it is just the circulated air for the garden in the Courtyard.
Finally, my finger touches the screen to select Zayd from my contacts. Before I can change my mind, I press the call button.
“Hello, Layla. What can I do for you?” Zayd’s voice is like a beacon on a starless night at sea.
I’m lonelier than I thought.
I desperately miss my husband because I’m supposed to miss my husband. So why is there the same ache in my heart to see Zayd as there is to see Sutton?
That’s something I’m not prepared to think about right now.
“It’s time,” I say, hoping he doesn’t make me say out loud what it’s time for.
“I am on my way.” Zayd ends the call.
I shouldn’t be surprised he’s eager for this. He’s an alpha; this is the stuff they live for. Crave. It’s probably been killing him waiting for my call.
Poor guy. He really deserves better than this. He deserves an omega he can claim and bond with.
Maybe there’s a way to cut him loose. Some loophole they haven’t discovered. They didn’t know anything like Sutton existed. There could be a lot of things they don’t know.
I wonder if there’s a library here. With books from Thro. Even if there is, I wouldn’t be able to read them. They wouldn’t be written in any Earth language. They have replicator technology, and they speak English and other Earth languages; maybe they have translations or an easy way to translate.
I’ll ask Willow or Angie next time I see them.
I feel better having a mission. A purpose. A way to make something right after everything that has gone to shit in the last few weeks.
