Page 56 of Nanny Omega

Fury’s face filled the screen, but his expression was grim. “I couldn’t get a hold of Thron,” he said, “but I reached out to one of my buddies at Alpha Force. He confirmed it—everything Nath said checks out. He’s registered at Marinet Mental Health Center. He’s still a patient there.” Fury’s voice softened. “How the hell did you not know this, Xander?”

Xander’s knees went weak. He staggered back, sinking onto the edge of the bed—the bed that still smelled like Ersa. His throat tightened, and it was suddenly hard to breathe.

“I didn’t handle him leaving well,” he admitted, his voice raw. “I shut everyone out—you, the family. I kept hoping he’d come back on his own. If he did… it would mean he wanted me. I thought if I just waited, I wouldn’t have to chase him. I wouldn’t have to force him to stay.” He ran a shaking hand down his face. “But I was wrong. And now, my entire life is falling apart.”

Fury’s silence stretched across the line. When he finally spoke, his voice was cautious. “So… you’re still legally bonded?”

Xander’s heart sank like a stone. “I guess so. Since he wasn’t in his right mind when he broke the bond,” he whispered.

“I’m sorry, Xander.” Fury sighed. “I wish there was another way. I know how happy you were with Ersa. I’ve never seen you like that before… so in love.”

Xander’s throat tightened, the ache almost unbearable. “It was too good to be true, wasn’t it?” His voice cracked despite his effort to stay strong. “Now… now, I’m going to look like the worst kind of bastard if I try to break the bond with my very mentally ill bond mate.” He forced out a laugh, but there was no humor in it—only pain. “It doesn’t matter that he left us. It doesn’t matter that he abandoned Benjn when we needed him most. All everyone will see is me turning my back on him when he’s at his weakest.”

Fury was quiet for a long beat, his face tight with frustration. “Yeah,” he finally said, his voice low. “I’m sorry, brother. I really am.”

Xander closed his eyes, the weight of the situation crushing him. “Thank you for trying, Fury,” he whispered. His fingers gripped the edge of the bed so tightly his knuckles turned white. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now.”

But he knew there was one thing he needed to do. He had to tell Ersa everything he found out. He wished he didn’t have to.

He didn’t want to break the omega’s heart.

Chapter 16

Ersa

Three months later.

Ersaneverimaginedhe’dfind himself in this position again—his family gathered in the guest room, their voices low and worried, discussing him like he wasn’t just down the hall, listening. It was too familiar, too painful. Once again, he had no alpha, no cub to care for. Once again, his life had shattered in the blink of an eye, leaving him with nothing but the hollow ache in his chest and the deafening silence where his happiness used to be.

Tears welled up, and he blinked them away furiously. He was still surprised he could cry at all—after everything, it felt like he should’ve run out of tears long ago. But the heartbreak was fresh, too raw.

From the other room, his family’s muffled voices drifted through the walls.

“What are we going to do?” His mother’s voice cracked with fear. “His belly’s growing bigger. He can’t go on like this.”

“There must be a way to stop the false pregnancy,” his dad said, his tone gentle but strained.

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” his mother whispered. “The emotional toll… the devastation… it’ll destroy him. I’ve seen what it can do to omegas. This—this might kill him.”

“But we can’t let him keep living like this,” his father insisted, frustration and helplessness clear in his voice.

“I know,” his mother whispered. The quiet agony in her words twisted the knife already lodged deep in Ersa’s chest.

He knew they were right. It was time—time to stop holding on to something that was already gone. He couldn’t go back to caring for Benjn, couldn’t go back to Xander’s arms, no matter how desperately his heart ached for them. That life… that dream… it was over. And the longer he clung to it, the harder it would be to let go.

Sucking in a shaky breath, Ersa pushed himself out of bed, his limbs heavy and his body weak. The room spun slightly, and he had to steady himself against the wall as he made his way to the washroom. His sleeping shirt clung uncomfortably to his skin—cold, damp, and sticky—making him shudder. Reaching the mirror, Ersa lifted his soaked shirt with trembling fingers and stared at his reflection. His mounds had grown heavier, fuller, aching and swollen with milk his body had no reason to produce. The pumps he used only seemed to make it worse, convincing his body even further that it was nurturing a life that had never existed. His belly had changed too, rounding out and stretching his skin taut as if cradling a cub. And it was growing far too fast—faster than he could keep up with—as if there were more than one cub inside. But there was nothing. He knew better.

It was just the hormones—the drugs they’d used to trick his body into this state. Still, there were moments when he wasn’t sure anymore. Moments when he swore he felt tiny flutters, faint movements deep in his abdomen, and the sheer hope of it nearly drove him mad. That was the most dangerous part—the way his mind started to believe the lie his body told so convincingly.

It was time to stop. He had to stop before the fantasy became too real, before the ache of losing something he never had destroyed him completely. And besides, he couldn’t stay here, hidden away in his parents’ house. He had to return to the commune house since he lost his job. To do that, he needed to go back to normal—whatever “normal” would even mean now.

Turning away from the mirror, he stripped off the damp shirt clinging to his skin and cleaned up quickly, trying not to focus on the way even the simplest touch made his body feel alien. When he dressed, the clothes stretched tight across his changed form, uncomfortable and unfamiliar. He’d need new clothes—bigger ones—but there was no point in shopping for clothes meant for a body he didn’t plan to keep.

When he was finally ready, he went in search of his mother and found her in the cooking station. The hushed meeting had ended, but the air still felt heavy with the words they’d spoken.

“Will you come with me to the health center?” Ersa asked quietly.

His mother’s head snapped up, guilt flickering across her face. “Yes, of course,” she said quickly. “I was just coming to talk to you, actually. I think… I think we should do something about the false pregnancy before things get out of hand.”

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