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“It depends.” Shadow’s gorgeous mouth pinched to the side, his eyes dipping momentarily from mine. Sliding his hands under my hips, he brought me up to sit on his lap. Our faces were so close, I saw the flecks of gold in his gray eyes. Heat poured off his body as I pressed myself against him, and he cradled me to his chest.
“How does it depend?”
“Everyone reacts differently. I’ve heard of Omegas dying when the connection breaks. One Alpha I knew lost his ability to speak.”
“Shit, that’s bad.” Fear crept into my body.
“The connection is intense and makes you feel like you couldn’t live without your partner. The hard part is being marked by multiple partners doesn’t lessen the ache if one is lost. In fact, all of us bonded with you would feel it.”
I swallowed hard, lifting my gaze to his sympathetic one.
“Why do people do it, then?”
“Because it’s the greatest expression of love for someone. You are physically putting your life on the line to prove your love.” He stroked my cheek, a lock of black hair tumbling over one eye.
My heart thumped faster at how completely smitten I was by Shadow, how beautiful he was, how I could just look into his eyes all night long.
“I won’t hesitate to do that for you when you’re ready.”
I blinked at my beautiful Alpha, loving his affection and patience. I thought about Viper biting me without asking me first and how I couldn’t hate him for it. Maybe because I’d become so smitten with him, I stood no chance to keep being mad at him. Perhaps he knew that when he marked me, but Viper was also a man who acted on his emotions. When he loved something, he went out and took it… something that definitely took getting used to.
“Are you okay?” Shadow asked, stroking the back of his fingers across my jawline. “There’s no rush or to even mark you if you don’t want it.”
“I want to feel the deep connection with you and Aspen, too. What Viper has brought out in me when we’re together is breathtaking. I’m just torn if we do it now or after everything, and what if we don’t make it through? What if I lose you? Is it selfish of me to be worried I’ll hurt worse to lose all three of you if we’re marked?” I cringed and wished I could take my words back. “Shit, I’m sorry I even said that. You must think I’m so selfish.” Moving to get off him, Shadow brought me back into his embrace.
“Don’t be sorry. Those are the feelings we should be talking about—the fear, the excitement—because it’s a big decision. You need to do what feels right to you without any pressure, so if it’s easier to wait, then we wait.”
Snuggling against him, the silence was comforting, but with it came everything we’d gone through, along with my last conversation with Thelma back at Shadow’s cabin.
“So, you and the guys run a business called the Bronze Cobras,” I stated, not asking him.
“Yeah, we do.” There was no hesitation or pause. “We operate in importing and distributing enhancers and suppressants for Omegas and Betas.”
Pulling back, wanting to look him in the eyes, irritation curled within me.
“And you used to sell them to the Institute my father owns, the pills Bakewell would make the girls take when she wanted to sell them as Omegas, even when they hadn’t turned. Some of those girls ended up dead because of it.”
He exhaled loudly, agony rolling behind his gaze. “It’s my fault for not investigating further how these organizations used the tablets. I sold them and didn’t bat an eye. For that, I’m sorry. I worked hard to ensure the pills never harmed the girls as so many others on the market do.”
“I don’t think the idea of the pills is wrong. It’s like everything else. People use them to their benefit and to Omegas’ detriment.” I pinched my lips, feeling my temper rising. It wasn’t directed just at Shadow but at the whole fucking world that walked over Omegas.
“Your friend, Frannie, was a true Omega, and she ended up with terrible Alphas. I’m not excusing what Bakewell did or me selling them. As soon as I discovered you came from the Institute, I canceled all my orders from them. In fact, I paused all orders. Hearing everything you went through and finding out about Frannie’s death left a sour taste in my mouth. So, the business is on hold.”
I blinked at him, appreciating that he did the right thing in the end, although I wanted to be furious with him for not thinking about us like the rest of society. Breathing heavily, I shifted to get up off his lap, but he held me.
“Trinity, please don’t be mad at me. I’m making up for my wrongs now, changing my business, taking a hit. I want to help Omegas and am even considering investing in buying several of the Omega institutes around the city to run them correctly. To investigate every fucking Alpha who shows interest and do follow up with them.”
My breath caught in my throat. “Y-You are? I love that idea.”
We embraced once more.
“You will run it with us, ensure Omegas only have the best care and education.”
“It never even crossed my mind to do something like that, but can you imagine how good it would be? Yes, I would love that. We just need to not die first.” I laughed, sounding slightly strangled but adoring Shadow for actively planning to make a change.
The front door burst open, and we jumped to our feet, my heart slamming into my chest. Aspen and Viper strolled into the room, wearing smiles that let me breathe easier once more.
“We found five Amys,” Aspen announced. “One of them has to be her.”
