Page 78 of Collateral Omega

“Like what?”

Xaine sighed. “I did something stupid tonight.”

Klane looked up to stare at him for a beat. “Is Holi alright?”

“No.”

“What did you do?”

Xaine grimaced. “I called him my service omega in front of another alpha.”

“Why would you do that? Holi must have been mortified.”

“I was angry that another alpha approached him. I wasn’t thinking straight. I wanted to claim Holi somehow and since he’s my service omega, the words just came tumbling out of my mouth,” Xaine said, calling himself all kinds of stupid.

“Shit.”

“You can say that again.” Xaine rubbed his eyes. “He wants to get bonded. And he believes he won’t because he’s my service omega.”

“Then get bonded to him. I know you want to.”

Xaine wanted to. He was desperate for it.

“Do you think I have a right to do that after everything I’ve put him through?” he asked. Xaine buried his face in his hands. From the moment they met, he was a beast. He terrorised him. Forced him into a life he didn’t want. He took away his freedom. He was no better than his dad.

“Don’t,” Klane said. “I know what you’re thinking. Please, don’t do it. You won’t survive being alone. You need him.”

“I know,” Xaine said. “I need him more than you know. I’m falling for him, Klane. I want him to be mine. I want to claim him as my mate, to be with him forever.”

“Then tell him. Tell him you want more.”

Xaine shook his head. He had no right to do that. “I never intended to take more than what I needed from him. But I think I took everything from him.”

Klane stared at him, saying nothing.

“What?” Xaine asked impatiently.

“You’re only thinking about yourself in this situation. You haven’t stopped to think about how Holi feels.”

“He hates everything about his life. He wishes he never met me,” Xaine said, his heart aching all over again.

“He told you that?” Xaine nodded. “Fuck. What’s going on with you two? I thought things were going well.”

Xaine thought so too. He thought Holi wanted to be with him. He thought they were slowly falling in love.

“I hope he can find someone to give him the life he wants,” Xaine said.

***

Holi

Damn. I’m so stupid, Holi thought, burying his face in his pillow.

What did he expect?

Xaine didn’t lie.

Holi was his service omega. It was his foolish heart that got him into this mess. He shouldn’t have fallen in love with Xaine. Or longed for things he knew would never be his. He shouldn’t have secretly wished for Xaine to claim him as his mate. He shouldn’t have wished for more.

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