Page 15 of Omega on the Rocks
“No,” she snapped. “No, you don’t get to tell me that. You look like you’redying.What’s happening to you? Mal—talk to me.”
“I can’t.” My voice broke. “You wouldn’t understand.”
“Try me!” she yelled, stepping closer, crouching down. I felt her hand on my back—warm, human, terrified.
I flinched.
And then I broke.
“I need him,” I whispered, and it felt like something inside me shattered when I said it out loud. “I need him, Jules. I can’t— I can’t do this, I can’tbreathe.It’s too much—ithurts.Oh God, it hurts so bad—”
“Who?” Her voice cracked. “Who do you need? What are you talking about?”
“My mate,” I sobbed. “I never told anyone. I’m not— I’m not human, Jules.”
She froze. I felt her hand hover behind me, uncertain now. “What…?”
“I’m a shifter,” I forced out. “Wolf. Omega. I’ve been hiding it—my whole life, I’ve beenhiding.I thought I could run from it, fromhim,but the bond—Jules, the bond is real, and it’s ripping me apart. My body—it’scalling for him,and he’s not here.”
Tears burned down my face. I couldn’t even lift my head.
“My slick won’t stop. I can’t walk. I can’tthink.It’s not going to stop until he—until heclaims me,and I’m going to die like this if I don’t get to him.”
“Jesus Christ…” she whispered.
I heard her breath catch—whether in fear or sympathy, I didn’t know. Probably both.
“I need you,” I begged. “Please, Jules. I need you to take me to him.”
“But I don’t— Mal, I don’tknowwhat’s happening—”
“His name is Keiran. I don’t care if you don’t believe me. I don’t care if you’re scared. I need you to take me to him. Or I’m going to lose my mind right here in this fucking alley.”
I reached for her, grasped at her wrist with all the strength I had left. My fingers were shaking. My body was soaked, the scent of heat thick in the air now, and I was falling—freefalling.
“Please,” I whispered. “I don’t want to die alone.”
Jules didn’t answer at first. And then, slowly, carefully, she wrapped her arms around me and held me up. I felt her swallow against my shoulder.
“Okay,” she whispered. “Okay. We’ll find him. Just hold on, Mal. I’ve got you.”
I sobbed into her shirt, clinging to her like she was the only thread tethering me to reality. Because she was. Until Keiran could come… She was all I had.
“Mal, talk to me,” Jules murmured, practically dragging me toward her car. “You have to stay with me. Tell me where to go as I get to the turns.”
I couldn’t open my eyes.
I couldn’t think past the crushing weight in my gut, the pulsing between my legs, the molten ache deep inside that screamed to bestretched—to beknotted.
My knees buckled. Another wave hit, harder than the last. I screamed, sharp and raw, echoing in the alley like a wounded animal.
“I can’t—” I choked. “I can’t hold it anymore—Jules, I need him—I need to be bred—I need to be—fuck, please—”
Her hands tightened around me, keeping me from collapsing. “I’ve got you. Just hold on.”
She shoved the car door open, helped me inside, and slammed it shut. My body shook, drenched in slick and shame andneed.She climbed into the driver’s seat, buckled with shaking fingers.
“Tell me how to get there,” she said as she started the engine.
