Page 60 of The Rejected Omega

I need to squash this,now.

“And Cassandra?”

“I told you?—”

I spin around in his arms, facing him.

“That you’reon a break.That you’re not togetherright now.You’ve given me every indication that your separation is temporary. And when you two inevitably get back together, how will that play out? I just got you back as a friend, Connor. I don’t can’t lose that again.”

His hand grips my chin. “I haven’t thought about Cassandra since the moment you walked back into my life. I wantyou. Maybe I always have.”

Maybe, maybe, maybe.

“You don’t know what you’re saying. You’re high on fucking—fucking pheromones.”

“I missed you so much.”

“I don’t want to hear it.”

I try to pull away from him, but Connor won’t let me break free. “Just listen. Part of me always wondered if it was you. If we were at a mating ceremony together, would we spark? I’ve been struggling, realizing that wasn’t the case.”

Blood pulses between my ears. He’s far too close to the truth for comfort.

“We haven’t been friends in a long time, Connor.”

“And whose fault is that?”

My breath stutters. I slam my palm against his chest. “Yours! It’s your fucking fault! You weren’t there when it mattered most.”

He pulls me into a hug that compresses my ribs and buries his nose in my hair.

“I know. But you needed to say it.”

I try to pull away, and he traps me against him. His body is so big and warm. I want to just collapse into his embrace. I’m so tired of resisting.

“In high school, you pulled away so fast, put up all these barriers between us and turned into a hollow version of yourself. I should never have let that happen.”

I don’t realize I’m crying until I feel moisture sliding down my cheeks, tracking through dried sweat. Then I’m shaking in his arms, and Connor is holding me tight against him, rubbing little circles into the knot between my shoulders.

“Let it out, baby. You’ve been carrying it for too long. It's my turn now.”

I cry until I run out of tears. My nose is snotty and my eyes are swollen and Connor’s so warm and perfect that I never want to move.

Connor sighs. “You need to choose an alpha, Lana. Even if it’s not me. Even if it’s just someone to make sure you stay hydrated and keep your batteries charged. But a knot would be better?—”

“Stop.”

“You know I’m right. I’m betting Kanata told you the same thing. You need to heal.”

I sniffle and swipe snot away from my nose.

“Why would you offer to see me through it?”

He grins and gestures between us. “We’re obviously compatible. And I’ve always carried a torch for you, Lana.”

I scoff. “No, you haven’t. You only chased betas in high school. You never looked at me that way?—”

“Oh, I looked. You just didn’t see. I didn’t want you to.”

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