Page 1 of Under the Dragon's Spell
1
ADRIAN
When my boyfriend and steady partner of five years handed me a suitcase with my things and told me to get out, I was pretty sure my life was over. The worst thing, though, was that it didn't take me by surprise.
I only looked at Rory, standing in the den of our small house, and the red suitcase he was shoving at me, and asked, "Did you pack my tooth brush?"
It seemed like such a silly thing to ask, but there wasn't any room for deeper thoughts in my head. I'd loved this man who was kicking me out. I'd thought we were going to have a family together, one or two children, maybe a cat... I'd thought we would have forever.
But at the same time, I'd never really believed it. Some part of me had been waiting for this all along, and all the recent fighting hadn't done much to reassure me.
"I packed all your shit." Rory ran a hand through his hair.
I looked at the suitcase. Apparently, all my shit fit into it. Another thing that wasn't hard to believe. Most of the things we had belonged to Rory, really. He earned most of the money. All I had were occasional crappy jobs stocking shelves. These days it was difficult to get anything else when you were an omega male—a man able to bear children. I'd wanted to have Rory's children, but it had never happened. Since he was kicking me out, maybe that was for the better.
"Why?" I asked him, trying to keep my composure as I picked up the suitcase.
He looked away as if he was suddenly ashamed, a flicker of doubt in his blue eyes. "I haven't always been faithful, you know. Sometimes you didn't want to, and then I had to..." He cleared his throat.
I grit my teeth. I'd suspected he didn't always keep his hands to himself when he ran out after we had a fight, but to have it confirmed was something else entirely. I'd never become violent in my whole life, but that moment, I wanted to punch him. Until he spoke on.
"I'm going to be a father."
I dropped the suitcase, it snapped open and the contents spilled out on the wooden floor. "Fuck," I cursed, momentarily distracted as I knelt down to shove my clothes back into the case. Tears stung at my eyes and I had to grab some of my things blindly. When Rory reached down to help me, I slapped his hand away. If he'd opened this conversation with that line, he wouldn't have had to tell me to get out, I would have left of my own accord while my dignity was still somewhat intact. No chance of that happening now. The tears were coming and I couldn't stop them.
How could he knock someone else up after we'd been trying for so long?
"Who is he?" I demanded.
Rory rubbed the back of his neck. "Just some dude I met at a bar a few weeks ago."
I rubbed at my eyes and stared at him.
"I didn't plan it, okay?"
I wanted to yell at him, but I didn't even know what to say. All the words stuck in my throat.
"It wouldn't have happened if you'd just gotten pregnant, you know? But something's wrong with you."
I picked up one of the shirts that had landed on the floor and slapped him with it. Nothing was wrong with me. I'd had myself checked.
But if he'd knocked someone else up now, there was obviously nothing wrong with him either. And I couldn't stay here any longer. I grabbed everything I could, including the suitcase, and left him staring after me in astonishment, one hand on his cheek.
I ran for a block or two, then stopped, sat on my suitcase and cried my eyes out. God, I was so stupid. I should have left that bastard a long time ago, but I'd kept believing that things would eventually work out. Ever since I was little and I'd watched my mother waste away in a haze of cigarette smoke and the stench of alcohol, all I'd wanted was to start a family of my own away from her and have children. I really thought Rory would be the man to give them to me.
Stupid.
Now what was I going to do?
I didn't have a place to live. I didn't even have a job.
I dried my eyes on my sleeve and looked down the street. My brother didn't live far from here. He wouldn't be happy to have me, but he wouldn't turn me away either—I hoped.
Jackson did let me into his house, but not without poking fun at me first.
"So you're not even good at being an omega?" he asked. "How hard can it be to an obedient little bitch?"
I drew my lips into a thin line and said nothing. People had all these misconceptions about omegas being complete wimps and Jackson was never going to let go of his, no matter what I told him. The fact that I did look like a sad little loser right now probably didn't help matters.
