Page 250 of Dark Haven Omegaverse

The problem was, I couldn’t just throw my people into the void and hope for the best. I had to be sure or lose every bit of loyalty I’d gained.

Helheim and Dark Haven needed me more than ever. Whose life would I be willing to gamble with... that was the question.

Harlow

Dark Haven Institute

“You’re not sacrificing yourself,” Kol said as he stared me down, arms crossed and wings out, twitching in agitation.

This was the third time someone told me that, and I was ready to send them all back to Helheim.

“I never said I was,” I countered, flopping back on my chair and rubbing my temples. Pain wasn’t a thing I experienced much in this new life but my head was throbbing thanks to this conversation.

They were stubborn and refusing to listen.

Monty was pacing between us, his shadows trailing behind him and obscuring my vision for a few moments each time he passed.

Hiro and Roman were sitting on the window seat in the common room. They’d been the first to grasp my intentions, but Monty and Kol always had to act like everything I planned to do was some great martyr act.

“We have to do something. Odin is not going to be patient for much longer,” I said, breaking the tense silence.

I already told them every detail of my recent encounter with him. Outside of Monty’s frustration at my lack of filter and dangerous habits, they all agreed we had to act.

There had been a terrifying warning look thrown my way by Odin that I couldn’t get out of my head. It replayed on repeat, a horrifying reminder that my time was as limited as his patience.

I would not bet on any of our lives.

We had to figure this out, and I was relying on them to help me, not just argue about things that didn’t matter.

“Stop. She already said she isn’t going to sacrifice herself. Can we move past that?” Roman shouted.

“Okay... an even exchange,” Drake said. “Someone needs to be exiled for that to happen. If that’s the case, you have to choose who it is.”

“It would make sense for Stravos,” Hiro said in such a low voice I had to strain to hear him. “He’d rather stay with Layne than return to Helheim.”

“It’s not about staying,” I corrected him. “Exile from Helheim will cut off his connection to Helheim. He’d be a gargoyle without power and without a home. Layne would die one day and he couldn’t follow her to the afterlife.”

They all winced at that. I’d never risk her happiness like that. Call me selfish but I had to protect my people and my group.

“You don’t know that,” Monty argued. “He might still have his connection, he just can’t ever go back, and honestly with the way that gods work, that would be the most accurate. Imagine knowing what you had, feeling it strongly every day, and experiencing the pain of knowing you could never have it back.”

“For tonight, it doesn’t matter. In the end, this is not a democracy, it’s my decision and I’m choosing to deal with it tomorrow,” I yelled to stop the back and forth.

“And for tonight?” Hiro asked, tilting his head.

“For tonight I believe I have five mates who are more than capable of making me come inverycreative ways.”

They all paused at my words and Drake raised an eyebrow.

“You can’t just use sex to escape, Harlow.”

“I can and I will,” I said with a shrug.

This was not a normal society, and we weren’t humans.

“Drake, you have a beta to claim,” I pointed out as if that would be the final straw for him.

“You want all five of us together?” Kol questioned slowly, as if I couldn’t possibly understand what I was asking.

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