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I swallow, licking my lips. “Now you’re forgiven.”

Angel ruefully holds his fingers to my lips, and I kiss them. “If I trick a wild Omega out of their den, I should expect to be bitten.”

My lips twitch, and I kiss his fingers again.

“Am I?” Luca’s gaze anxiously darts to me, as he perches on the end of the bed. “Forgiven?”

Surprised, my expression gentles.

Doesn’t he know that we are playing?

Something lies beneath that question, which isn’t just about what has happened. He is tapping his leg and looks close to standing and pacing.

Why is he antsy?

“Always, my Alpha,” I reply.

“Hmm.” Luca drops his gaze from mine.

“What’s going on?” I demand. “Why isn’t Rhett here? Doesn’t he want to at least say goodbye to me? What’s so god damn important that he had to abandon me like this?”

Luca winces.

Then he plays with the hem of his jacket, as he mutters almost too quietly for me to make out, “Just something very important.”

“Very important,” I echo.

…not like me.

I hear the words without him saying them, and they fucking wreck me.

“I get it.” I am surprised how dead my voice sounds.

“I’m not lying.” Luca’s gaze flies to mine in alarm.

“Didn’t say you were.”

“I can’t…it’s not…” Luca’s anguished gaze turns to Angel’s over my shoulder. “What should I say?”

“How about this?” Angel sets down the muffin on the nightstand, before gripping me by the shoulders. He forces me to look at him, assessing me carefully. “He’s not the one who has been lying, but I reckon you have been hiding something from us. You don’t need to tell us, beautiful. We are not bonded, right? But we could have helped. There is nothing I regret more than that it took me years to be strong enough to protect my Omega mom and brother. Don’t put me in that position with you.”

I scramble off his knee, panting.

They can’t know about the auction, right?

Is that what he means?

Shame surges through me, flushing my cheeks.

I’m a failure.

This inn was the Monarch pack’s dream, and I ruined it after Beau and Evan’s deaths.

I’m a terrible Omega. No wonder they don’t want me.

“I don’t need anything from you,” I choke out, struggling not to let my tears fall that are trembling on my lashes.

Frustrated, Angel kneels up. “Are you talking about Devlin stalking and harassing you? Trying to force you into bonding with him? Or are you talking about this place being auctioned off today?”