An Omegas Curse [BOOK FOUR]

13.

**Quin**

I tossed and turned that night, the thunder shook the house and it created whimpers that escaped me as I tried to tune out the sound outside of the house.

"Dance with me."

We stood inside of the cafeteria, all of the tables moved away and the music had died down from his request.
It was a joke, something that had gone on long enough, we both should have put an end to it right from the beginning.
He saw me as nothing more than candy in the jar waiting to be picked up and savored.
And here I was, in front of everyone, waiting to be laughed at as he stood in front of me with his hand opened, waiting for me to take it.
I knew what his plan was, and it wasn't for me to fall in love all over again.
It was to make a joke out of something I wanted to be real.
But to humor him and the rest of these clowns.
I took his hand.
Letting him dance us into the hellfire the two of us created.
Without a damn idea on how to stop the brakes.
Love was insane.
No.
Love was madness.

We danced in front of our classmates who smiled or laughed, pointing at the two of us.
And the terrifying part was?
They were missing their eyes, nose and mouths.
Like blank mannequins dressed in prom outfits.
It made me nervous as he spun me around.

My blood ran ice cold as his hand left mine and I fell into another.
My chest hit the strangers as I looked up and an inaudible scream escaped my lips.

"Memphis." I gasped as the vampire smirked looking down at me.
"Are you having fun?" He asked dancing us around the room next as the students began dancing in pairs as well.
I desperately looked around for Asher but found him nowhere.

"Your eyes should be on me, after all." He dipped me backwards as his black eyes pierced me.
"Your life is in my hands, remember that, Quin." He said as screams all around me echoed inside of the room as he stood me back up and the scene in front of me was a nightmare.

There were bodies everywhere, vampires were feeding from the wolves and slaughtering each other.
I wanted to run but my legs felt like they were glued to the floor watching my classmates killing each other.
Vampires tackled omegas while alphas tried to fight them off.

"This is a dream." I cried.
"No, this is how it should be, vampires and wolves despising each other." Memphis whispered into my ear as he took in the scene.
"Helping each other? Falling in love with one another? It's disgusting, and sooner or later, it'll become like this once again, everyone just needs the right push." He said turning me around.

"Starting with you." He said as his fangs pierced my neck and my screams filled the room next.

"NO STOP IT." I screamed tossing and turning in my sleep, tears were streaming down my cheeks as I felt movement next to me.
"Quin, wake up you're having a nightmare." I heard someone tell me as the pain echoed throughout my body.
"STOP!!"
"QUIN!"

My eyes were wide as Asher hovered over me, his eyes also wide as the tears slipped past my eyes and my heart pounded hard against my chest.
He also seemed out of breath just hovering over me.

"Where am I?" I asked him.
Asher frowned looking at me.
"You're in my room at the lake house, you were having a nightmare." He told me.
I laid underneath him and more tears greeted my eyes.
"Are you okay?" His brows furrowed bringing his palm to my cheek, gently caressing it as I stared at the alpha.

"Asher, do you ever see yourself marking me?" I asked him.
He blinked looking at me.
"What kind of question is that, all of a sudden?" He questioned.
My face felt hot laying there.
"Never mind, it was a stupid question, sorry I woke you up. I'm okay." I lied turning over on my side underneath the other.

"Do you want to be marked by me?" Was his next question.
It made me turn back over as I looked at him with tears falling.
"Would it be stupid of me to say yes?" I asked.
Asher was hesitant but he sighed softly looking at me.
"No of course not, but we're still young, there could be better alphas out there for you-"
"What if it's you I want for the rest of my life?" I asked him.
His brows furrowed.
"And what if you regret it down the road?" He looked at me.
I frowned.
"Then that would be the futures problem, this is the present and I know I want you Asher Woods, but the bigger question is... Do you want me?" I questioned.

He held his breath before sighing as he smiled softly, his lips gently pressing to mine.
"Of course I do, if that'll make you realize I'm not going anywhere any time soon, I'll mark you." He told me.
My heart was in my throat as the tears slipped.
"Then do it, please, make me yours Asher." I told him.

Asher looked at me and his lips pressed to my neck, kissing and sucking before he stopped and looked at me.
"Are you really sure about this? What about your parents?" He asked me.
I looked at him.
"What about them?"
"Don't you, I don't know, want their blessings for this sort of thing? Markings are a big commitment." He told me.
I stared.
"Iggy was sixteen and got marked by three different guys, if he can be reckless, I can be too." I responded.

Asher stared before sitting up as he pulled me up as well.
"Call your parents first, if I want them to believe I'm changing for you, I want them to know that I think you should at least tell them what you're planning, it's a respectful thing to do, or at least that's what I've heard." He shrugged.

I stared before nibbling my bottom lip, letting out a shaky sigh I nodded.
"Okay, I'll call them." I told the other before grabbing my phone.
--------
I listened to my dad's phone ring before someone finally answered.

{"Quin? Is everything okay?"} I heard my dad question on the other end as Asher sat next to me.
I frowned softly.
"Yeah.. I'm sorry for calling you so late, I just wanted to go over something with you and papa because Asher said it was the respectful thing to do." I said.
{"Smart boy."} Papa responded as I smiled softly looking to Asher who was rubbing the side of his neck looking at the phone.

{"What did you need to go over with us, Quin?"} Dad asked.
Biting my lip I frowned.
"I want to be marked by Asher." I told them.
{"..."}
It made me nervous from how quiet their side was as we sat there staring at the phone.

"Dad?"
{"Is that what you really want, Quin?"} Papa asked me.
I frowned softly.
"Yes sir it is."
{"Is there a reason on why you're rushing to be marked so soon? I know Iggy did the exact same thing, I don't know what it is with you kids wanting to be-"}

{"Magna, I was sixteen when you marked me, don't play that card with him. Quin baby, I appreciate you calling and wanting our opinion on this, but being marked is rather serious, what happens if you and Asher fight or want to break up? You'll be-"}

"We'll figure it out like you and papa do." I blushed cutting the other off.
{"And if you don't want to figure it out? Quin, we're just trying to prepare you for the what ifs."} Papa said now.
I blushed sitting there.
"I know you are.. B-But this is what I want to do." I said as tears formed in my eyes.

{"Oh dear he sounds upset, Quin baby, what's really going on?"} Dad asked me now and more tears fell as Asher looked at me.
I wiped my eyes.
"I just had a really stupid dream that felt too real, it scared me and when I woke up, all I wanted was to be marked by Asher." I told them.
{"Did something happen in the dream that made you want to be?"} Dad questioned.
I nodded looking at the phone.
"Memphis came after me, h-he said everything would eventually go back to how it used to be where we all hated each other, and I'm scared Asher will hate me too." I cried sitting there.

{"Baby, it was just a nightmare, nothing is going back to how it used to be, trust me. Your papa and I won't let it, we've all came too far to go back to the past and be miserable, and I'm sure Asher will never hate you if he's sitting there being the support you need while being on the phone with us."} Dad told me.

I snifflied wiping my eyes as I frowned deeply.
"So you think it's silly to want to be marked all because of a nightmare?" I asked.
{"I don't think it's silly at all baby, we just want you to make sure this is something you really want to do before you commit yourself to Asher, it's different when you're marked by a vampire but an alpha? Things will really change for the both of you, all you will want is him and all he'll want is to protect you, and alphas get real territorial. If this is something the two of you know that you want, we'll support you baby, but please don't rush into things all because you're scared. You have family and friends who can protect you as well, does that make sense?"} He questioned.

I sat there but frowned softly.
"Yes sir it makes sense, but if it's something I did do, would you and papa judge me for it?"
{"Of course not."} Papa responded.
{"If we judged our children for wanting to be marked so early in life, we'd only be hypocrites for doing the same thing when we were kids ourselves. Love does that to you."}

Love..?
Did I love Asher?
I looked to the alpha who sat there looking at me.
And..
Did he love me?

{"How about you two talk about it and if it's something you seriously want to do, then go for it then, but only after you talk about it first."} Dad suggested.
I nodded sitting there.
"Yes sir, we will, I'm sorry for bothering you so late."
{"You didn't baby, you just have fun and we'll see you on Monday okay?"}
"Okay.." I responded.
{"We love you Quin, goodnight."} They both said before hanging up.
------
We sat there in silence and it made more nervous.

"Can you mark someone you don't know if you love yet?" I found myself asking out loud.

Asher looked to me.
"You don't know if you love me?"
"Do you love me?" I looked at him with knitted brows.
Neither of us were quick to answer and it was quiet as the rain hit the roof of the house.
It was almost hard to breathe.

I stood to my feet as Asher watched me.
"Where are you going?" He questioned.
My body trembled as the tears returned.

"I'm going to sleep in the other room, if neither of us know if we love each other, why share the same room and confuse things?" I asked keeping my back to the other.
The tears kept falling as my body trembled standing there.
"I mean I was pathetic earlier, desperate even, to beg for you to make me yours without even considering if we loved each other." I finally turned to him with a hurt expression as he jumped to his feet.

"Quin-"
"I was silly, I let my guard down for a moment and didn't stop to think, does this guy even see himself mated to an omega like me? Someone who was molested, raped and then had his parents killed, could he really love someone as broken as I am?" I asked through fallen tears but let out a startled gasp being pulled away from the door.

Asher pushed me back and pinned me to the bed.
"Yes." He answered as I laid underneath him.
"Yes I could love an omega like you Quin Grimes, I can love the scars on your body, I can love the past you ran and saved yourself from. I can love you." He told me as the tears slipped looking at him.

"You're lying-"
"I'm not lying." He took my hand and placed it to his chest, where his heart was.
"My heart is beating this fast because of you and only you, let me love you the way you deserve to be loved, let me cherish you the way you should be cherished, let me make you feel wanted so you won't think any less of yourself. Let me love you, Quin." He told me.

I stared at him as the thunder roared above us, my eyes were locked on him as he looked down at me.

"Please." He began again.

"Let me love you."