Trouble || Gay MxM || Omegaverse

10. Trapped

I couldn't stay. I knew that. Hell, I should've been long gone already. But I still sat on my bed, staring at my clothes I had pulled out of the bag Kieran had left for me. The shirt in particular... I stared at the front of it, the spot where the bullet meant to end my life had pierced through.

Kieran had fixed it. He'd done it so well I probably wouldn't have noticed it in the middle of the colorful picture printed on it if I didn't know what to look for. There was no trace of blood left, either. I could still smell the faint scent of laundry detergent. He'd washed all of them. Washed and fixed...

My alpha was watching me again in silence. I could feel its attention on me like a physical touch, and the pressure was growing. There was no ignoring it, but I tried. I didn't need its hate right now. I didn't need to know about the point it was trying to make clear.

Destroyer...

I gritted my teeth together, the heaviness on my chest getting worse. Yes, I'd helped to destroy lives. Lives like Kieran had. Because of me, there were omegas who never got to return home to their families, and children who were ripped away from their parents. I had helped to rip those lives apart. There were alphas still searching for their mates, the birthgivers of their children...

My alpha didn't need to remind me of that.

Because I could still see Ares in my arms, giggling at his smiling father... That image was still vivid in my head...

I needed to leave.

I hastily pulled the shirt on. I ignored my tired body and my aching wound when I got up and changed my pants. I refused to think. About anything. I just needed to get the fuck out of there.

As soon as I got dressed, feeling weird being back in my own clothes, I took my gun and left the bag on the floor, then turned to face the stairs. But taking another step was not easy. My alpha was making it difficult.

But... Our mate...

"No..." I grunted, shaking my head. "Stop..."

It was a hard no. I refused to let myself to even consider it. The image of Ares in my lap, and Kieran leaning over him... So close to me... Happy... Laughing...

No... No.

I had to get the fuck out of there.

I pushed everything out of my head, took a tighter hold on my gun, then headed to the stairs. I listened carefully as I quietly climbed up. Kieran was somewhere in the house. Somewhere in the kitchen, or maybe in the living room... I wanted to leave without having to see him. I just needed to get my shoes and walk out.

Then I reached the top of the stairs, and Kieran's scent grew stronger. Before I even realized it, I'd stopped next to the open door, staying hidden from view. That scent... Again... It was already luring me in...

And that image... Why couldn't I forget it? Why couldn't I get it out of my head? The baby and the omega, both so close to me...

Want...

No!

Together...

I wished I could've punched my alpha, to force it into silence, but it was right there, its needs and wants so clear it was practically shouting in my ear.

Mate!

I could have it. I could take it. I could easily follow my instincts and do whatever the hell I wanted. I could let my alpha have what it wanted.

But that weight on me... It was still growing heavier.

"So... You done lurking?"

I let out a breath and stepped out of the shadows to face Kieran. He stood in his kitchen, watching me. Something changed in him when he saw me fully clothed. Or maybe it was the gun I was holding.