Chapter 86: I Think I Love Him
RHydian;
I push the door to Elian’s room, expecting to see him on his bed, but I pause when I find it empty.
My eyes quickly scan the room, and my heart drops when I don’t see him.
I’m about to start panicking when his scent hits me. It’s still strong. So... he’s still here.
But where??
Why can’t I find him??
I walk into the room and gently shut the door behind me.
Is he playing with me? Is he pissed that I was away for some time??
Why can’t I see him?
I walk over to the bathroom, pull the door open, and still don’t find him.
"Elian?" I call in worry as I stand in the middle of the room, but I get no response.
"Elian, are you hiding??" I question again, and I ask when I hear a soft sound. Almost like a little moan.
My ears pick up what sounds like soft snoring, and my brows crease.
I follow the sound, and there, peeking out from underneath the bed, are a pair of fair, small legs.
I let out a relieved sigh, and right after, an avalanche of emotions consumes me.
Of all of them, the most poignant is confusion.
Why is he under the bed??
I walk to the other side of the bed and kneel beside it. I get down on all four and peek under the bed.
Sure enough, Elian is there, and I can not help the smile that splits my face, or the warmth that floods my chest.
He’s wrapped in a blanket, fast asleep with his cheek smooshed against his flexed forearm.
I blink at him as he snores softly, and I suddenly don’t have it in me to wake him up. How can this little troublemaker look so peaceful in his sleep?
I let my body down, lying on the floor as I stare at him.
My eyes travel down to his plump, light pink lips, which are slightly parted, and I marvel at his beauty. At how delicate he is.
He is the kind of person you would want to give anything to protect. How could I hurt him the way I did?
And now, when I want to make up for my crimes, my mother chose to be a thorn in his flesh. I won’t let her hurt him. I can’t...
He’s mine. Mine to protect...
I know I used to think I didn’t want or need an omega... But I’m glad my brother’s got him.
I’m glad he came into my life...
He’s given me purpose... A raft to stay afloat in a dreadful ocean of crashing waves.
I was always drawing in the empty, suffocation of my mother’s expectations. Now... now, it feels like I can dare to live... for me.
I can be stubborn like him. Not as irrational though... but brave. Like him. Speak my mind when needed and stand up for what I believe in.
I don’t care if he killed those men. I don’t care if there’s a secret about him that I do not know.
All I know is that... I’m happy to have him, and I won’t give him up for anything...
I reach out and gently caress his cheek, causing him to moan softly.
He stirs a bit and slowly pulls his eyes open. As soon as his eyes rest on me, they widen in fright, and he jerks away, causing his head to bump into the bottom of the bed, and he groans in pain.
"Ouch!"
I grab him and pull him out from under the bed as I check his head to see if a bump formed.
"Be careful!" I scold as I search under his hair at the place he’s massaging in pain, and he pushes my hand away before pouting at me.
His face is still flushed from sleep, and with his messy brown hair sticking out all over, he looks adorable.
"What were you doing under the bed, Elian?" I question, unable to hide my smile, and the scowls at me.
"Why are you smiling? What’s funny?! You ran out of here to save Bram and spent most of the day there? What... you needed a whole SWAT team to save him?!" He rants, and I blink at him in confusion.
"SWAT... team??" I repeat in confusion, and he rolls his eyes as he grabs his blanket and gets up.
He seems pissed.
"Elian?" I call as I stand up, and stare at his back, which he’s turned to me with his arms folded across his chest.
"Are you upset with me?"
"...No." He replies hesitantly, and I sigh as I can hear the annoyance i his voice as loud as gongs.
"But you sound upset," I reply as I take a step towards him, and he turns to face me with his face scrunched in annoyance.
"Of course I’m upset! You left me here to go and save the very person who helped get me into this mess. As if that wasn’t enough, you spent hours with him. Is he that special?!" He scolds, and my jaw drops.
Shit. I knew he’d be upset.
"Did you not think once that I might be waiting for you?! I have no idea where Alana is. I’ve been too scared to step out of this room. I’m hungry, and I was waiting for you! I’ve been waiting for you, Rhydian!" He adds, and I try to reach out to him to calm him.
"Elian..." I begin, but he cuts me off.
"In case you’ve forgotten, I’m your omega. ME! Not some pesky, beady-eyed manipulator who knows how to play the victim card like his life depends on it. I’m your responsibility. I’m the one who came here with you. You’re just going to forget about me now because some new boy came up?? He matters more than me now, doesn’t he?!" He rants while pointing at the door as if Bram was right outside.
"Elian..." I try again to stop him, but he raises a hand to cut me off.
"Don’t! Don’t say my name like that. Did you not think once that I might be waiting for you?!" He scolds, and I swallow as his hurt hits me.
He’s really upset.
"If you want Bram to be your new Omega, just say so! Cause it makes no sense for you to abandon your Omega to be with some other dude for hours. Did you even wonder how I was while you were away?! I was so scared someone might try to hurt me in your absence that I had to hide under the bed. And you were what?! Feeding soup to Bram?! Next, you’ll take him on a therapeutic vacation to Hawaii and stare at the ocean with coconut drinks in your hands, huh?!" He adds, and knowing my words won’t change anything, I walk over to him and pull him into a hug.
He stays frozen at first, and I can feel his confusion.
"I’m sorry," I whisper as I hold his head against my chest, and his hands slowly rest on my chest.
"You’re the most important thing to me, here. I should have let my actions prove that." I continue, and he stays frozen.
"You’re the only Omega I’ll ever need. Bram can’t even touch your heels. I was just trying to do what was empathetically right for him. But I shouldn’t have done it at the expense of your comfort. I’m sorry." I add, and he slowly looks up at me.
I look down and find his bright red eyes twinkling at me.
"You’re apologising?" He questions in honest confusion, and I nod.
"That’s what a person does when their sorry," I reply, and he blinks at me in stunned silence.
"You... You’re becoming rather difficult to fight with." He replies, and I can’t help my chuckle.
"Oh, that’s good news," I reply with a laugh, and he gives me a side eye.
"You won’t do it again?" He questions, and I smile with a nod as I gently pat his hair.
"Bram won’t replace me?" He questions, and I smile.
"A hundred of him couldn’t," I reply, and his cheeks turn a soft shade of pink.
He hides his face in my chest, and I laugh as I hold him tighter.
In the silence, the sudden sound of a low rumble interrupts, and my gaze snaps back at Elian, who shyly peeks up at me.
"Was that your stomach!?" I question in amusement, and his cheeks take a brighter shade of red.
"It’s not my fault, I’ve had nothing to eat all day! I’m waiting for Alana." He replies, and I smile at him.
"It’s okay. I’ll get you something." I reply as I start guiding him back to the bed, and he stares at me with creased brows.
"You... want to go to the kitchen?!" He questions in shock as I set him down on the bed, and I nod.
"What?! You can’t do that! You going all the way to the kitchen to get food for me will pull more attention to me!" He rants, and I scoff.
"You’re my Omega, Elian, you can not avoid attention. Besides, I’m not going to let you starve. Stay here. I’ll be back in a few minutes. Okay?" I reply, and his jaw drops.
I smile at him and gently kiss his forehead before standing up, and he stares at me with his mouth agape.
"But you’re an Alpha... Your people will talk." He whispers, and I smile.
"And you’re my omega. Let them talk." I reply with a wink before turning around and walking out of the room.
They might be right... I think I love him...