Page 25 of Omega Island
“Same with ruts for alphas. But with Straten something changed in me. I didn’t have them anymore. He did, and it was as if that energy was diluting my needs. I existed only for him.” I gave a little laugh, though nothing was funny. “I’m telling more than you want to hear, right?”
“No, I want to hear it. I want to hear it all. But only if you want to tell it.”
Here he was suffering, in a strange heat he couldn’t escape that caused him pain, and he wanted to hear about me?
I could hardly believe my ears.
11
Senta
Irealized I was asserting myself. Maybe too much. The heat was affecting me with Raimi and I couldn’t deny I liked it.
“I want to hear your story, but only if you wish to tell it.”
“It’s not a good story. It doesn’t make me look good at all.”
I thought he looked great from my current viewpoint. “What do you mean?”
“It’s unflattering, to say the least.”
“I deal with so many different stories from all walks of life here. People have things happen to them that are out of their control. Even if they have made mistakes, this is not a place of judgment. Ever. This is how I run this place. How I am.”
Raimi’s muscles in his arms flexed as he leaned his elbows on his knees, body angling forward. “I think I judge myself. That’s probably the worst.”
“Why do you judge at all?”
He looked up, squinting. “Can I ask you a question first?”
I nodded.
“Why are you alone? You’re a very intelligent, interesting man. Still young.”
“Oh. Well. I guess I intimidate the alphas I’ve known.”
“Oh.”
“What do you think?”
“Of you intimidating alphas?” Raimi pressed down on a grin.
I leaned forward. “Yes.”
“I guess I don’t know you well enough. But if nothing else, you’ve just gotten me to talk more than my therapist has in any one session. Whatever that means.” Raimi let out a grunt, as if he wanted to laugh but couldn’t quite make himself yet.
“I have therapy training.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I took two years of it to better understand what is happening here. I find it fascinating. The only downside, I can’t turn it on myself. The mirror gives false signals, I guess.”
“Who can be objective about themselves? My therapist back home reminds me of that all the time.”
I nodded. “If I had met you, Raimi, at any other time, well—”
“What do you mean?” he asked, looking worried.
“You’re very lovely.”
