Page 323 of Labor of Love

The Omega’s cheeks flushed red again, and he lowered the bowl to rest on his belly. “No, that’s not why I was crying. I was crying because the person I should have been able to depend on turned out to be a really shitty person. And so now I’m about to do something very scary all on my own, and not only do I not have ready access to my silverware, but I?—”

He stopped, glancing away. I stepped forward, closing the distance between us.

“What?” I asked softly, crouching to meet his eyes. “I’m sorry I was rude, but you can tell me.”

He glanced at me with his face still mostly turned away, looking even more vulnerable than he had when he’d been sobbing. “I don’t need an Alpha,” he whispered.

The words hit me hard. I nearly tumbled back on my ass, the rejection cutting so deep it was almost comical. I’d known this man for all of twenty minutes, and yet it felt like he was carving my heart out with a rusty spoon.

Clearing my throat, I scratched at the back of my head and rising to my feet. “Right. Of course. I’ll get out of your hair, then?—”

“Wait,” the Omega said.

He tried to push himself up, nearly toppling over when the top of the box caved in beneath his hand. I jolted forward, grabbing at him. The beef stew—what remained of it—slopped over the edge of the bowl, landing on his belly and staining his soft gray shirt.

“Easy.” Hands on his shoulders, I steadied him.

He stared up at me, light brown eyes huge in his oval face. A moment ofawarenesspassed over us, and my blood began to heat, but his next words were like a splash of water in the face.“I promised myself that I didn’t need an Alpha after the last one was such a disappointment.”

“Okay,” I said slowly, trying not to project my hurt feelings all over the room. Maybe whatever I was experiencing every time I looked at, scented, or touched him was completely one-sided. Maybe he really had clung to me as he cried simply because I wasthere. Maybe?—

“But… I could probably use some help.”

The words came out raspy, like he had to force them past his lips, and I realized how difficult it really was for him to admit that. I had no idea how long he’d been on his own or when his good-for-nothing Alpha had fucked off. Who knew how longbeforethat asshole he’d been struggling. Standing before me, he was shrouded in pain and worry. The kind that went way past the surface and into your soul, taking root if you let it.

If I could, I’d stop it from growing into something bigger. Even if he never saw me as anything other than his Alpha neighbor. Because I knew he probably wasn’t even asking for help for himself. The hand that wasn’t still clutching the now empty bowl was rubbing over his belly absently.

He was doing this—asking me for help, a stranger, an Alpha, someone nearly three times his size—because he was worried about his baby.

And for whatever reason, that made me start to fall right then and there.

I’d show him that not all Alphas were disappointments, so when he was ready, he’d hopefully see me as more than a broad shoulder to cry on.

He’d see I was trustworthy. Kind. Patient.

And ready and willing to make him mine.

3

BASIL

Ibroke my rule. Or my new goal.

I don’t even know what to call it.

The point is—I broke it, and I broke ithard.

I squished down farther into the huge recliner Viktor had settled me in after giving me a new shirt to change into after my shower and stealing my car keys so he could finish unloading my boxes. I tried to resist at first, really, but my ankles were swollen, my back ached, and I was covered in a thin layer of sweat.

Honestly, he probably didn’t have to try that hard before I gave in.

So now I was clean, wearing a shirt that was more like a dress, even with my huge belly, and eating more stew. Little Bean and I were feeling good for the first time since my first trimester ended and I realized my horrible ex really wasn’t coming back to help.

Good riddance. He’d been rude more often than not, making little derogatory comments about Omegas and then playing it off like he was joking and I was being too sensitive. And then he’d been… less than helpful during my last heat. As well as incapable of properly using a condom.

Whereas half an hour after meeting me, Viktor had gently taken charge, led me to his apartment, pampered me as best he could without any notice, and fed me again. If more Alphas in my life had been like him, maybe I wouldn’t have made the vow of avoiding them from now on to begin with.

Then again, if that were the case, would I have even met Viktor? And why did my full stomach roll at the idea of missing out on finding him? I decided it was indigestion and sighed, pulling a blanket that smelled overwhelmingly like Alpha over me.

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