Page 19 of The Rejected Omega

“Is this about the claiming? How long are you going to ice me out?”

Forever.

Our friendship was over the second I scented his shirt. Tears begin to gather in my eyes, and I stare at my feet. His shoes are bracketing mine.

Connor cups my jaw in his hand and tilts my face up. I tremble beneath his fingers. His rough thumb against my skin is a panacea.

“Don’t ignore me. Yell at me, cry, tell me to fuck off and go to hell—but don’t ignore me.”

"This one's beyond fixing, Connor."

His frown deepens, his eyes scanning my face.

“You smell different, and you look like shit. What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

I suck in a deep breath, trying to calm my racing nerves. “I needed you to be there. I called you, texted you—” My voice cracks. “And you ignored me.”

“I talked to every alpha that came of age this year,” he snaps. "You didn’t match with any of them.”

I pull away from him, but he follows me, backing me up toward the gym wall until my shoulders hit brick. He's too close. He's all I can smell, all I can feel.

Anger rolls off him. "Did someone bother you? Touch you? What happened? Mac won’t tell me shit.”

"It's none of your business, Connor."

He snarls. “Give me a name. I’m going to fucking kill him.”

I try to duck beneath his arm, and he pins me to the wall.

He takes a deep breath. "Wait. Just wait." He looks me over, scanning my face, then leans in and inhales deep.

My heart tries to escape its cage. Does he feel something? Smell something?

Dr. Kanata assured me he wouldn’t recognize me as his mate with my scent blocked. Were we a fucking statistical anomaly?

“I don't understand what's going on, Lana. I know I fucked up, but I can’t lose you. Don't let this ruin things between us."

“You chose her over me. You broke your promise. I’ve never said anything about your relationships. The way you treat girls like temporary toys. But I trusted you to be there for me when I needed you. I thought I was different.”

“Youaredifferent.”

“Apparently not.”

He breaks eye contact with me. “Fuck. I’m sorry."

“It’s too late for that.”

The familiar jingle of his ringtone breaks the silence. Connor curses and pulls his phone from his pocket, one hand still pinning me to the wall. Cassandra’s name lights up the screen.

He flicks his thumb to end the call.

Rage and jealousy bubble in my gut. I raise a brow at him. “Aren’t you going to get that?”

“This is more important.”

“Just let me go,” I whisper. It’s the last thing I want. I want him to fight for me, for us. But I don’t have a history of getting the things I want.

He pulls away from me, looking stricken. His nostrils flare.

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