Page 27 of Galaxy Between Us

Jaimie’s words have been taunting me since he said them. And now they’re back, pushing their way to the forefront of my mind. Did you love him?

I cared about Arius. Deeply. Stayed up at night wondering what I did that made him leave. Wondering why he told me to wait when he couldn’t do the same for me. I tried to be angry at him, I tried not to care, but it always came back to sadness. Cold, lonely, sadness.

But that was before. Now he’s back. He grew up, settled in, and moved on. Maybe it’s time for me to do the same. Maybe it will even be easier now that I at least have some semblance of closure.

“Everything okay?” Arius peers up at me.

My vision refocuses on the present. How long has he been standing there? I clear my throat and reinstall my blank expression. Alphas don’t express weak emotions. At least, not here in the workplace. Suck it up and be a leader.

“Yeah, you ready?”

He nods and we head toward the West wing. His eyes linger on the library as we walk by, the yearning evident in his gaze.

“Do you still read?” I ask.

It’s a silly question, but I hear that Omega boarding schools can be quite strict on etiquette, so maybe Ari has dropped his old habit of slipping literature novels into the covers of recipe books.

“Not as often as I’d like. I’m not allowed in there and they don’t have an Omega section.”

He pouts, staring longingly at the library. Before he even finishes his sentence, I’m already thinking of a way to sneak him some books. Afterall, he’ll be holed up in his dorm for a few days.

“Why don’t you write down some titles you’re interested in, and I can have them sent to your room.”

He shakes his head.

“You don’t need to do that. I’ve gotten myself in enough trouble for the week.”

“Are you sure? It’s the least I could try and do since you won’t have anything to keep you busy for a while.”

“It’s fine, Knox. Besides, Brock usually has me help him study textbooks.”

My jaw is getting sore from the amount of clenching. Is that some kind of sick innuendo? Why does Brock need Ari to help him “study”?

I force a couple of deep breaths through my nose. That simmering anger is beginning to boil over, except now I understand that it’s not just anger. It's jealousy.

“Right. Well, if you want some just for yourself, you know where to find me. Who knows what genius ideas you could come up with next.”

“Genius ideas you can take all the credit for?” he bites back unexpectedly.

Ouch.

There’s not much venom in his voice, but it still stings. It's not like I want things to be this way. I’m just trying to offer him the privilege he doesn’t get as an Omega. Because he deserves it, not because I want to take credit for his work.

We’ve always been a team effort. The world doesn’t believe in him the way I do, but Ari was always content to let me take the lead where they were concerned. Wasn’t he?

Chapter XIII

The longer I sit in my room, the more I wish I took Knox up on his offer. I’ve run out of stuff to do much quicker than I thought I would. There’s no way I can do this for the next several days. I begin pacing the confined space while I think of anywhere that I can go but here. The cafeteria is closed. Library is off limits unless I’m with Brock. I’ve already strolled the public halls and retreated once I spotted the pretty Omega who yelled at me.

He’s Knox’s personal cleaner so that explains why he gets away with such an attitude.

The only other place I’m allowed is Knox’s office, but I shake my head at myself. He’s got work to do and probably doesn’t want to see me after what I said. I hadn’t meant to say it out loud, but Knox isn’t someone I’ve ever had to bite my tongue around.

Not to mention, I meant what I said. I’ve been defending and standing up for Omegas for years. What has Knox done for us? He believes in me, sure, but he makes no effort to see me succeed.

I mean, look at him! He was promoted right up to the executive floor without me, happily taking his rightful place at Comet XI as an Alpha. I don’t want him to sneak me textbooks. I want to be able to walk into a library and pick them myself!

I don’t expect change to happen overnight, of course, but it still needs to start somewhere, and I certainly don’t see him stepping up to the plate. He has no idea how easy he has it. His journey in life is a breeze compared to mine.