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Her name doesn’t matter.
She doesn’t matter.
I catch Riven’s expression before he turns his back. There’s a flicker of shock, like he can’t believe what Dax said, which only makes me feel worse. If his friends are shocked by his cruelty toward me, then that means he’s probably not normally a male who treats Omegas like trash.
I clear my throat and steady myself, breathing through the burst of irritation in my chest.
“What would you like me to do today?” I ask, obediantly keeping my eyes trained on the floor once more.
“Dax…” Riven murmurs, but Dax cuts him off.
“No,” he snaps. “You want to be here to help, so help. But you don’t get to say a word about how we handle her. If you want to run things, go back to Redmark.”
I expect Riven to back down. Everyone else does. Dax is always so self-assured, moving through the world with a level of confidence I can only dream of possessing.
Riven rocks back on his heels, hands still stuffed lazily in his pockets. “Oh, I don’t know. I think I’ll stay a while. Something tells me we might need some adult supervision if you’re going to keep acting like a fucking child.”
I lock my jaw to keep from gasping. Was that—did he just stick up for me? Dax’s jaw tightens, but he doesn’t look guilty or even the least bit uncertain. He just looks… annoyed, like he thinks Riven’s an idiot for questioning him.
“She’s a liar,” he says flatly. “And I don’t acknowledge liars.”
My fingers twitch, and I realize I’m rubbing the cotton of my shirt again. Dax and Riven both clock the motion. Dax’s scowl deepens, but Riven’s eyes narrow. He looks like he’s putting pieces together, but I don’t know what it is he’s trying to figure out.
I drop the fabric and clear my throat, just loud enough to remind them that I’m standing right freaking here.
‘Hide everything. Everything, dear girl.’
Fates, why can’t I get her voice out of my head today?
Her words are usually a comfort. A reminder of her love. But today the memories have a painful hook in my sternum, pulling me back in time.
Back to somewhere I don’t want to go. Not right now. Not when I don’t have the strength to face it.
“Omega, you’re going to be helping Riven and me today,” Dax says, like he didn’t just make me feel two inches tall.
“There are some old documents that need to be rewritten. Here.” He snaps his fingers in front of a chair on the other side of the table. It takes a second for me to process the action, but when I do, my vision narrows in anger.
He’s calling me—like I’m a dog.
I grind my teeth in irritation, but make my way around the table.
“Old documents,” I murmur.
“Yes.”
“To be… rewritten?” Why would he assign me a task like this?
Don’t be stupid, he has no idea this is something you’d enjoy.
“Yes. Gods, you can read, can’t you?” He asks in disgust.
“Y-yes?” I stutter, shocked by his question. I don’t dare look at him as I maneuver around his large body before sinking into the chair.
Just the heat of him at my back has tingles racing up my spine.
“Oh, good. Wasn’t sure with the way you’re repeating every fucking word out of my mouth.”
I flinch.
