Then Eric stepped into the shop, and Ollie knew what he had to do.
“You should leave, Eric,” he mumbled.
If Eric was no longer affiliated with Olivier’s Strings, he could get his job back. If he was no longer seeing Olivier, he would have Dad and his siblings, too. And if he no longer had Ollie... Then he was free to find himself a better omega.
Olivier’s heart splintered.
Eric met his eyes, his gaze hollow and lost. “What?”
“We should break up,” Ollie said, stepping forward with Jenn.
He’d intended to return Jenn to Eric. But he tripped on his feet, stumbling. Panic sliced through him.
He lurched forward before Eric or Levi could get to him. His knees slammed into the thin carpet, and Jenn hit the floor, trapped in Ollie’s arms.
She began to cry. Ollie stared at her, his chest too tight, his thoughts whirling so fast he couldn’t catch them.
He’d hurt Jenn.
“Jenn!” Eric hurried forward, scooping Jenn into his arms. Then he hauled Ollie up, his lips a thin line. “Ollie, I need you to hold yourself together. I can’t deal with anything else right now, okay?”
Ollie’s heart sank to his feet. He shook his head. Is that what you think of me? A burden? “I can’t, Eric. You know that.”
Alice was the one who knew what to do, Eric had said. Ollie wasn’t that person. He could never be someone that strong.
“You should leave,” Ollie said again, backing away from Eric. “Take Jenn and go. I’m just going to keep tripping and hurting her.”
Something flashed in Eric’s eyes. He growled, “What the hell are you saying?”
“I’m saying I’ll keep on hurting Jenn.” Ollie’s chest squeezed tight. “I’m saying I can’t be your omega anymore!”
“The fuck are you talking about?” Eric growled, bobbing Jenn in his arms when she wailed. “I need you, Ollie.”
Levi had backed away, shutting himself into the backroom. Outside, the police lights flashed, and Ollie couldn’t see what had happened to Eric’s mom.
“You don’t need me,” Ollie said. “You need someone who doesn’t keep hurting your daughter.”
Eric hesitated. And Ollie’s chest constricted. Eric was so close to getting his life right again. All he had to do was leave Olivier behind.
“I don’t care that your mom’s hurt,” Olivier said, the words falling out of his mouth like sharp gravel. “I’m just glad that you’re safe.”
And that changed the look in Eric’s eyes, like Ollie knew it would.
“What?” Eric said softly.
“I wish she was hurt more. I wish she died!”
Silence rang around them. Ollie panted, not knowing if he’d spoken the truth. Some days, he had thought about it.
But Eric narrowed his eyes, stepping back. “That’s what you think?” he asked, his voice dangerously soft.
You’re this close to finding a better life.
“Yes,” Olivier said. “And—and Alice, too. Maybe she’s better off gone.”
That, Ollie didn’t mean. But he saw the change in Eric’s face, he saw the horror, the betrayal. I’m sorry I’m doing this to you again. This shouldn’t have happened.
“This is over,” Eric said, his voice trembling ever so slightly. His eyes burned like coals, and Ollie couldn’t drag his gaze away. “You’re not my omega, Ollie.”
Then he turned and strode out of the shop, the bells jingling on the front door. Eric never once looked back as he carried Jenn away.
Jenn looked over Eric’s shoulder, waving bye-bye.
Eric was out of Ollie’s life. Things would look up for him now, and maybe he’d even get his job back.
Ollie couldn’t move. Just closed his eyes, his heart breaking as his tears began to fall.
The backroom door creaked open. Levi poked his head out, looking warily at Olivier. “You okay?”
Ollie shook his head. Levi glanced around the empty shop, swore, and stepped over to pull Ollie into a hug.
“I’m here,” Levi whispered.
Olivier buried his face in Levi’s shoulder, and cried.
28
Eric
For the first week, Eric seethed.
All it had taken was one day for everything to go wrong. One day for him to lose his job, his family, and for Olivier to show his true colors.
Because of course Ollie would. He’d told Eric once before, I don’t love you. And Eric had wondered why the hell he’d fallen in love with his stepbrother. Ollie had lied to him, he’d been using Eric, and Eric should never have returned to Meadowfall.
For ten years, Eric had cursed at the memory of Olivier.
I wish she’d died, Olivier had said.
I never knew you were that kind of person. All those soft smiles, and all those pleasured sighs. Eric had let him so fucking close.
Mom was in the ICU. Eric had been by to visit her twice, and Dad had barely glanced at him. No one spoke about Olivier.
Eric still didn’t know if his mom would die.
He sat in the living room of Cole’s new apartment, Jenn’s cot and rocker and toys scattered around him, his clothes shoved haphazardly into boxes. He’d thought about applying back to work at Total Sounds, now that he wasn’t Olivier’s alpha anymore. It wasn’t like he’d be breaching any more company policies.
Cole stepped out of the kitchen, nursing a mug of lemonade. “You look like a tramp or something. At least get your face cleaned up.”
Eric flipped him off. Jenn closed her fists awkwardly, trying to get her middle fingers up.
Cole mashed his palm against his forehead. “Real smooth, Eric.”
“Shut up.”
“Sha-up!” Jenn said. “O-eee.”
Eric closed his eyes. Regretted ever teaching Jenn that name. Cole’s gaze burned into him. “Where’s Ollie? You never told me.”
“Damned if I know,” Eric muttered.
“You promised to protect him.” Cole glowered. “What kind of alpha are you, Eric?”
“He said it’s better that Alice was dead, okay?”
Cole fell silent. And Jenn shook her rattle, the pastel one that Ollie had bought for her.
Eventually, Cole asked, “What about his baby? The one you put inside him.”
Eric hadn’t thought that far. “I don’t know. I’ll pay for him to abort it, or something.”
That felt wrong. He’d wanted that baby.
Cole
