Page 40 of Generation Omega: Claimed (Originverse #3)

Jameson pushes a memory at me—one first and then a dozen more—scenes from his many explosive sexual encounters with others.

He’s not stoking my jealousy; at least, that’s not his goal.

With his light nudging, I finally capture the lesson to be learned in his past, what this maestro was seeking from his endless string of romantic conquests—the courage of his partner’s surrender, something he could never duplicate.

He studied them, honored their leaps of faith with his absolute devotion to their pleasure, not understanding his actual, desperate desire until now… until me.

Show me, Tillie, the power of your surrender, and I’ll jump with you. I’ll be your alpha, but only if you will truly be mine forever. An alpha is nothing without the absolute trust of his submissive—in this case, his omega.

I have to admit the truth to him. I think I’ve already broken our pack… and I don’t deserve…

Nonsense, darling—it’s not over as long as we’re still breathing, and this crew will be tough to kill. But you must give us something to fight for, and you can’t hold anything back.

I don’t know how.

Close your eyes.

I wince, threatened by a small act of surrender, let alone the complete release of my individuality that’s currently dismantling our pack. My pack. They are here for me, but I decide whether we thrive.

With a shuddering exhale, I close my eyes.

Now, release my shoulders.

I obey, while tightening my legs around his waist—not having forgotten that I’m perched on a railing above an unpleasant drop.

His chuckle inside me teases at my resolve. Release me, sweetheart.

Crap. I know what he wants, what he’s asking—no, what he’s demanding of me. Trust. For me to release the rope. Release my need to cling to the doubts that can’t be part of our future.

At first, my breathing accelerates, but then my heart begs me to let my alphas in and welcome them home.

To free them to be who they are. To accept them as they are.

To believe they are here to serve this pack.

To trust in their worth, whether I see it or not.

To open myself to the ridiculous idea that we can change the world for the better.

I want that.

Then make it happen—no, let it happen. The omegaverse is here with us, and I know why it’s been giving us space. Because it’s done all it can to bring us together. The rest is up to us. Whether we survive or are destroyed by doubts and the lack of commitment I’m exhibiting even now…

I release my hold on Jameson.

“Lean back,” he urges with a relentless edge.

I surrender. I trust. I’m yours. I belong to this pack. I am your omega, and you are my alphas.

I lean back, the wind soothing me as I’m suspended over the sea, held in place only by Jameson’s knot. If it releases, I’ll fall. But I won’t. Three alphas and Ethan—they would never let me go.

No panic.

No walls created by a wounded child that only ever blocked out the opportunity to find something better.

No reservations about my place in the omegaverse.

Most importantly, there is no searing pain in my chest now that I’ve embraced my part in this grand destiny that chose me. The ache remains and will continue until my pack is together again, which is a reminder I need and encourage.

There’s something in you that made you the right choice. Jameson aims my words directly at me.

In response, I send him a message. Omegas claim their alphas as much as alphas claim their omegas. Jameson Matthieu Farraway, I choose you. I claim you.

Again, that lasso seems to surround me, tightening almost punishingly.

You’ll take what I give you, and only what I give you. His sudden abrasiveness is like a slap.

Yes, alpha.

You know why I’m here—how my limitations serve our pack.

At first, I don’t comprehend, and he gives me time to find the answer. When it reaches me, I think I might drop into the water from the abrupt heaviness in my chest.

Say it to me.

You’ll never love me.

That’s right, sweetie. I’ll protect you and use every resource at my disposal to serve our best interests.

But I’m not one of your pussy-whipped lovers here, not that I won’t whip that bondmark on your pussy whenever you need to be reminded who your alpha is.

I’m not your damn bestie or your boyfriend.

I won’t buy you flowers, but I’ll be present every single minute to make sure we have the chance to see where this clusterfuck takes us.

And one warning—you don’t get any more time off either.

Your primal heat buddy has her job, and you have yours.

Yes, alpha. I answer him even as his words continue to sting me. But given a little time, I understand something about pack balance that no one but Jameson could have taught me, at least not right now. The only others who could teach this lesson are miles away.

To balance the devotional love of Gideon, Ethan, and Mackenzie, the omegaverse brought me alphas who won’t love me or crave me other than to satisfy their physical desires and drives.

These alphas will shield and guide me, providing the harsher lessons that men who cherish me never could.

They will prepare me for the fight that’s coming in ways the others can’t.

Gideon saw it in his penthouse, how he had tunnel vision where it came to me. Thatcher was supposed to help remind Gideon of the broader picture, but he wasn’t the only one. Jameson is here for that, and one day, Kazimir will be too.

Balance—that’s what a pack needs to succeed, and I must accept my alphas for who they are.

Jameson will never love me.

That’s fair, but it’s also fair that I’ll never love him either. This girl knows never to fall for a bad boy.

His knot releases without warning and, for one second, I’m weightless, before Ethan snatches me out of the air and carries me back toward the cabin.

“I have no idea what just happened,” Ethan murmurs. “Are you okay?”

“I am, Ethan, as long as Kazimir comes back to us both, and brings Thatcher with him. I owe everyone an apology, but Thatcher most of all.”