Page 36 of Run Omega Run
As I made my way back toward Mom's room, I could hear him walking down the hall in the opposite direction, his footsteps confident despite the difficult conversation we'd just shared. The sounds of construction work continued around us, the productive noise of people working to repair what had been broken, but now it felt like a soundtrack to loss rather than hope.
Chapter 15
Angus
The boxes in my arms felt like nothing compared to the anticipation thrumming through my chest as I approached the orphanage. Two large packages containing the latest flat-screen television and gaming console from my company's inventory, complete with a professional-grade steering wheel controller that had cost more to develop than most people saw in a year. But as I climbed the front steps, none of that mattered, not as much as the sight that greeted me through the front window.
Heather stood in the hallway, her light brown hair catching the late afternoon light as it brushed against her shoulders with each movement. Even from this distance, I could see the exhaustion in her slumped posture. Her slender frame looked smaller than it had this morning, more fragile, that made something fierce and protective flare in my chest at the sight.
She deserved better than this. She deserved to be cared for, protected, cherished. The primal part of my brain that recognized her as mine growled its approval of that thought.
Before I could knock, the front door swung open, and chaos erupted as seven children poured out like a small army, their eager voices mixing in a song that made my heart clench with unexpected warmth.
"Angus!" Loubie Lou shrieked, her one-eared rabbit bouncing against her as she launched herself toward my legs. "You came back!"
"'Course I came back, lass," I said, shifting the boxes carefully to avoid crushing her enthusiasm. "Told ye I would, didn't I?"
Tomas appeared at my elbow, his usual silence replaced by wide-eyed curiosity as he stared at the packages I carried.
Even Susie had abandoned her usual teenage disdain for adult attention, her wild red hair catching the light as she craned her neck to get a better look at what I was carrying. "What's in the boxes?" She demanded with a directness that made me grin every time.
"Patience, lass," I told her, winking at the scowl that earned me. "Good things come to those who wait."
Through the chaos of children's voices, I heard footsteps in the hall, and then Heather appeared in the doorway. The sight of her hit me like a physical blow. Her green eyes were wide with surprise, her lips somewhat parted as she took in the scene on her front porch.
God, she was beautiful. Even tired, even worried, even overwhelmed by circumstances that would have broken someone with less strength, she was the most magnificent thing I'd ever seen.
"Angus," she said, and just hearing my name in her sweet voice made something possessive and protective flare in my chest. "What... what is all this?"
"Presents for the children," I said simply, though my eyes never left her face as I spoke. I wanted to watch every micro-expression, wanted to remember each reaction so I could replay them later when I was alone and missing her.
Her brows drew together in that adorable way that meant she was about to be stubborn about something. "I simply cannot accept such generosity," she said, her voice carrying adetermined independence that made me want to wrap her in my arms and show her exactly how much I wanted to take care of her.
My chest tightened at the sound of her protest, at the way she assumed she had to refuse help, had to carry every burden alone. The urge to protect her, to provide for her, to make her life easier in every possible way, crashed over me like a tide I couldn't fight even if I'd wanted to.
"I brought this for the children," I said, setting the boxes down carefully on the solid new porch and stepping toward her with deliberate slowness. "It didn't cost me anything, lass. These came from my company stores. They’re surplus inventory that would have been written off."
That wasn't entirely true. I'd specifically ordered the latest models, the best equipment money could buy, because I'd wanted to give these children something special, something that would bring joy to a household that had been dealing with too much sorrow. But I could see in Heather's eyes that she needed to believe accepting the gifts wouldn't be a burden on me, and I was more than willing to adjust the truth if it meant she'd let me help.
I stepped closer, close enough that my presence filled her space, close enough that she had to tilt her head back to meet my eyes. When I reached out to brush my fingers against her arm, the contact sent electricity shooting through my entire system.
Her skin was warm and soft beneath my fingertips, and I felt her shiver at the touch, watched goosebumps rise along her arm in response to my caress. Every cell in my body was screaming that this woman belonged to me, that she was my Omega, my mate, my everything.
"Heather," I said, my voice rougher than I'd intended, thick with emotion. "Look at me, lass."
