Page 59 of Dance Omega Dance

I drew a breath. The air moved through me differently, as if even my lungs knew everything had changed. That I had changed.

I was no longer an Omega. A victim.

I was a fighter. A warrior.

I was free.

THE NUMBNESS BEGANto recede. Shock. Horror. Vindication. They swirled inside me, a maelstrom of conflicting feelings too intense to unravel. A hysterical laugh bubbled up my throat but emerged as little more than a strangled whimper.

I barely registered the movements around me, the subtle repositioning of bodies. It wasn't until a heavy hand landed on my shoulder that I startled back to awareness, flinching away from the touch on instinct.

But it was just Anders, his normally soothing face set in lines of concern. He pulled me into the shelter of his body, his arms wrapping around my shoulders.

"Easy," he murmured, his breath stirring my hair. "I've got you. You're okay."

I leaned into him anyway, desperate for something solid to cling to as the world tilted around me.

Over Anders' broad shoulder, I saw Blake and Zach moving to flank us, their stances loose but alert. They formed a barrier of muscle and intent, placing themselves between me and the rest of the Alpha pack. Between me and the consequences of my actions.

The alphas shifted, their postures of aggression wilting into something warier without their leader. They eyed me with varying degrees of hostility and unease. The power dynamic had shifted, the script changed, and none of us knew quite what to expect anymore.

Blake met their collective gaze, no hint of the pain he must have felt. Blood still trickled from the wound at his temple, carving a crimson path down his jaw, but he held himself tall. Strong. Unshakable.

"She's ours," he said simply, each word weighted with authority. "No one touches her."

There was no room for argument in his tone, no space for questions. A few of the alphas bristled, a low rumble of displeasure rippling through their ranks. But no one stepped forward. No one challenged his claim.

Because it was the truth, I realized, with a sudden blinding clarity. The haze of fear and confusion receded, allowing the shape of things to emerge in stark relief. I was theirs. And they were mine. My pack. My partners. My equals.

Anders's hand settled at the small of my back, a grounding touch as he leaned in close. "Let's go home."

Home. The word settled in my chest; the thought warmed through me. I belonged somewhere now. And I would protect that belonging with everything I had.

I let Anders guide me forward, with Blake and Zach falling into step on either side. We moved as one, a pack bound by something deeper than obligation. The need to survive. To overcome. To forge a future together.

With each step away from the carnage, from the crumpled remains of the monster who had defined so much of my life, I felt a new identity crystallizing within me. The weak omega died on that blood-soaked concrete. The woman walked away.

I left the fear behind, discarded like an outgrown skin. There was no room for it, not with the solid heat of my alphas surrounding me, the unshakable knowledge of my own capabilities thrumming through my veins.

Shattered and remade, I was a mosaic of jagged edges and fierce determinations. And I would never allow myself to be broken again.

Chapter Twenty-six

Three weeks had passed. Three weeks of healing, sleeping, and living. I had never been happier than I was now. Never felt more accepted. Blake, Anders, and Zach were my everything. But it was time. I knew it was. The soft, twinkling aches had been easing into my womb over the last few days. The night sweats, the flare-ups of heat during the day. My body had been preparing itself for this moment, the moment when the kiss of sweat, slick, and need, claimed my body.

I walked into my bedroom, feeling the soft rug caress my toes. The moment the door clicked shut behind me, I exhaled, slow, shaky. Safe.

The bed waited in the middle of the room, smothered with pillows, fluffed just how I liked them, blankets folded into cozy layers that invited me in. I sank into the middle, dragging everything close until I was wrapped in warmth and softness. I’d ‘borrowed’ my alphas shirts, adding them to the nest and inhaling deeply. It was them. All three of them cradling my body, soothing me.

I was wearing Zach’s shirt, which hung from my frame like a second skin, oversized, with the neckline slipping off one shoulder. His rich cedarwood scent clung to the fabric like a possessive touch. The moment it hit me, heat pulsed low in my belly. My thighs pressed together, and my body whined out for more.

The little fridge Anders had stocked up hummed in the corner. It was stocked to the brim with everything I loved. Juice boxes, chocolate. They were prepared. Prepared for my heat.

So was I.

A slow smile pulled at my lips. It wasn’t the room, the cushions, or even the soft golden light that made it feel like mine. It was the way they’d each claimed a part of this space, ofme.

I curled deeper into my cocoon, heart thrumming, nerves alive.

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