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He grins. “I saw the old piano…you know when, and you said something before...You play?”

I hesitate. “A little.”

He leans back, stretching. “Maybe you can play for us later.”

I scoff, shaking my head. “Not a chance.” Though we both know I probably will if he asks – or annoys – me enough.

Blaise only smirks, but he doesn’t push. But it has the desired effect. He’s distracted me, lightened the atmosphere in the room, and made me smile.

I love that about him.

The conversation shifts, drifting into something light, inconsequential. I realise what they’re doing – keeping me distracted, keeping me engaged. It works, for the most part.

But the heat doesn’t fade.

I feel it under my skin, simmering. I feel the pull, the way their scents calm me even as they tempt me closer.

And Xar...

He’s barely spoken, standing near the doorway with his arms crossed, his honeyed brown eyes steady. He’s watching me, waiting. Not pushing. Not crowding. But his presence is impossible to ignore.

I hate how much I want him closer.

I press my thighs together, frustrated and restless. The air in the kitchen feels thick, charged with something unspoken.

I can’t keep fighting this.

The realisation makes my stomach drop.

I take a slow breath, my fingers clenching around the fabric of Xar’s t-shirt. My voice is quiet when I finally speak.

“Will you…stay?”

The words barely leave my lips before I regret them, but there’s no taking them back.

Blaise stills. Dane tenses. Xar’s eyes sharpen.

But none of them push.

I swallow hard, forcing myself to lift my gaze. “I don’t – I don’t want to be alone. I don’t want it to be like last night.”

Dane exhales, something easing in his expression. “You won’t be.”

Xar’s voice is the one that makes me shiver.

“We’ve got you, Omega.”

And deep down, I know it’s true.

Even if it terrifies me.

Even if I know I’m already losing this battle.

I’m not alone anymore.

“Just one thing,” Dane says, making my heart sink.

“What?”