The woman that stood before me yesterday was so different, but also the same omega I love. She let me claim her, because I had no doubt that if my Aries was opposed, she wouldn’t have allowed it.
I was dying to know what she had endured from the time I lost her until now, and that familiar fear was there. The one that worried she wouldn’t like the man I became.
Life had changed me. Grief had changed me.
I had taken lives. Most, if not all, I felt like were justified, but was it really my place to make those assumptions?
A soft sigh escaped Aries, and her eyes fluttered open. Her long, dark eyelashes made them even more stunning. She was gorgeous now that she was all grown up.
Her eyebrows crinkled adorably as she glanced up at me like she couldn’t figure out how I was here.
“Nikolai… it wasn’t a dream,” she breathed out.
“Does that mean you dreamt of me often?” I husked.
God, I still couldn’t get over the fact that I was holding my Aries. After all this time, it felt incredible, but delicate. Like any small movement would make this moment shatter like glass.
“I didn’t notice any other marks on you.”
Instinctively, her hand went up, covering the bite mark I’d left on her collarbone.
“You marked me.” It wasn’t an accusation, more of an observation.
“I did,” I confirmed. “I’m not going to apologize for it, either. I’ve waited too many fucking years to do that.”
Her eyes darkened for a moment, full of heartbreak. I could feel her discomfort through the bond but couldn’t quite make sense of it yet.
Was she angry that I couldn’t save her?
“I’m sorry, baby. If I had any idea?—”
She tried to shrug it off, but it fell flat. “There’s nothing you could’ve done,” she argued.
“I should have never left you. You were already vulnerable and hurt. I just thought that your boss would keep you safe while I got us a way out.”
“He didn’t know,” she said. “I was just taking out trash. I'd done that a million times.”
“I brought our pack with me,” I said, carefully studying her.
There was hesitation in her bright blue-gray eyes. I couldn’t blame her. I’d known Ronan and Luca for years now, to her they were strangers. I had a feeling once she scented them we’d be golden.
“I’ve started forming a pack as well,” she admitted. “It’s new. We haven’t even fully slept together yet. God, I hope he’s not upset with me.”
“I should hope not. We’re scent matches,” I said, my annoyance flaring.
“So are we,” she challenged. “We’ve both been through a lot, and I won’t leave Leon behind. He was here for me when I had no one else. Honestly, when the nightmares started again, he was the one that finally helped me sleep like a human again. I need him.”
“Nightmares?” I questioned, holding her tighter. I hated the thought of her alone and scared, waking up screaming.
At one point in our lives, Aries and I were each other’s only salvation. I didn’t like that she was finding that in others but at the same time I was relieved to know she didn’t suffer alone all of these years.
“I’m assuming you’re talking about the beta?” My voice was careful, but my bond let my insecurities slide through.
“Yes,” she said, sitting up and narrowing her eyes.
I pulled her back down with a sigh. “Don’t pull away from me right now.”
“I get to do whatever the fuck I want, Nikolai,” she ground out, refusing to rest against me again.
