Page 65 of Generation Omega: Claimed (Originverse #3)

When I reach him, I extend my hand, which instantly finds a home in his.

Together, we leave the living room without any explanation.

He opens the door to the first room in the hall and leads us inside.

It’s not until he moves to close the door that I realize we’ve found the promised land, a space with beautiful, colorful florals and vibrant solids in deep purple, lavender, and pink.

I didn’t realize how much the beige was getting to me until leaving it.

I approach Ory again where he stands beside the door, freeing myself to take what I need, knowing he won’t ever deny me. I’m against him a moment later, surrounded by his ancient power and his embrace that seems able to stop time for us.

The first alpha—I know exactly why the legacy chose this man, but I also comprehend the way it tested him to ensure he was the correct choice.

It kept him alive all these years, lurking in the background of other men’s lives, waiting—always waiting—to live again.

No, not live… serve . It didn’t give him back his life.

It bound him inside Mackenzie. But that presents another mystery.

Why is Ory so much more present in Mackenzie than my inner omega is within me? Why are the rules so different for her? Why is she a shadow that must be suppressed, while Ory is able to control his form and own his actions?

The wild origin omega surges from the void, roaring her fury at being silenced for so long. I expect a tirade from her, but I sense she’s mulling my questions and also probably enjoying Ory’s arms around us—exactly where they belong.

I’m sorry… I start to say that, knowing I’m currently overstepping with her man.

No—never be sorry for connecting with him.

How can you say that? He’s yours, not mine.

I think we both know that’s not true.

But what does it mean?

She’s wrapped in sorrow, her words drowning in regret. None of this is what I thought it would be—that’s what it means. But even I know that’s irrelevant.

Irrelevant? You aren’t irrelevant, not to me. I don’t understand our situation or how I can help you, but if you’ll just explain, I’ll…

No.

Why?

Tell me what you think the millennia of existing without actual life proved about Ory. You were considering it just now.

There really isn’t a better test of Ory’s worth to the omegaverse than to give him extreme power and then ask him to abandon it.

Power corrupts—that’s what everyone says.

But it didn’t corrupt Ory. I have to believe there was some way for him to escape this fate, if he’d ever been willing to break his vow.

He never did, and now he’s here. I think that means the omega legacy has been testing him all this time.

Keep going. What else does it mean?

Ory can’t be the only one the legacy tested, right?

Yes. Continue.

It tested me, and it tested you. No, wait—it’s testing all of us. Oh, god… all of us… all the time.

I lean harder into Ory, and he increases his support, taking responsibility for my body while my mind blows like a shaken can of soda. Fuck.

Yes, take this path. I can’t help you, but Ory and I can protect you while you reach your conclusion.

Does the legacy not want me to know this?

The legacy fancies itself all wise, regardless of the ever-present evidence to the contrary. It knows you will grasp the truth eventually, but it likes to control the order of things, and it doesn’t think you are ready. I disagree.

I try not to get tripped up in my annoyance with being managed , but that’s a struggle.

How has your pack been tested?

I don’t come up with just one thing—I’m wading in a river of them.

Every moment since this began, every action and reaction has been part of a test. Did Ethan listen to the direction, providing me with a nest and remaining with me when it almost got him killed?

Did Gideon obey the pull when he first met me?

Did Kazimir save Ethan? Did Thatcher come and then go?

Did Kazimir save his enemy, remaining true to the pack?

Did Ory claim Mackenzie’s life, snuffing out the generous, loving man who wouldn’t have stopped him?

Did Mackenzie accept this unbelievable sacrifice that was beyond unfair?

What about me? I’ve been tested a dozen ways today.

Did I sabotage Thatcher with the pack? Did I advocate for myself at the risk of losing my alphas’ support?

Did I trust my alphas? Did I accept Kazimir, regardless of the past?

Before that, did I accept my place in the omegaverse with a fight or without a fight?

And that first test, my battle to get free, was that the proof the omegaverse was seeking that my life and experience made me strong enough to carry the burden of this legacy?

Before I get mired in the thousand other pop quizzes forced on my pack by the omega legacy, I consider something else, maybe even more relevant. What was your test?

She doesn’t answer immediately, and I wait, wondering whether she’s concealing the answer or doesn’t know it.

I think this is my test, at least the one that matters.

She’s whispering, her anguish only more potent for her lack of rage.

Without a worthy and wise heart, the omega will spoil the pack for the protection of all.

That’s in the new piece of the old prophecy, but what does it mean to you?

I see, at last, what I’ve been unwilling to see… the test of my worth.

Okay, what is it?

I must let him go—no, I must yield my claim to the omega who’s worthy of him, the omega he hasn’t allowed himself to claim.

He was never the problem, the reason for all of this—the corruption of this world and everything that followed.

I am. My callous heart spoiled the omega legacy to the detriment of all.

My harshness, my inability to forgive, destroyed what was meant to root and blossom all those years ago.

You asked why my position and Ory’s are so different in this place and time—it’s this… it’s always been this. He was the right alpha, and I was the wrong omega. All the lives lived and lost between then and now, it’s all on me.

Not to be overly direct, but that’s a bunch of bullshit. You were one woman living in a certain time and place who was given a role you never asked for. This isn’t all on you.

I appreciate the sentiment, but my inflexibility has endured and is only now being confronted. That speaks volumes about who I am and where I belong.

Where do you think you belong?

Tillie, can you make me a promise?

Nice redirect, but answer my question.

After you answer mine.

Stubborn ass—fine. A promise about what?

About him.

Well, that depends what you’re asking.

I want you to promise to love him dearly and be the mate he always deserved—the one I couldn’t be. Can you swear to that?

Yes. I didn’t even need to think about it.

Don’t allow him to resist you because of an oath he made back then. I know what he wants—I feel it, his deep adoration for you, but it’s not just that. You’re his heart’s true home. What you two have and will build… it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever beheld. But I have a warning too.

This isn’t right. We can’t make decisions about Ory’s life without him. You should talk to him.

That’s not possible. My warning—you must heed it.

What warning?

Ory is living as a visitor in your life, more my alpha than yours. When that changes, you’re going to meet the first alpha for the first time. Don’t be afraid, just prepared. You’re entirely safe and so are your alphas, as long as they adapt quickly to what his true presence brings to your pack.

I’m not sure how to process that, but I could never fear him.

Remember, your heart possesses all the answers you need.

What’s happening? Are you leaving me, leaving us ?

It’s time. I honestly didn’t realize, but I’m a threat to your survival and his—that’s why the legacy’s been suppressing me.

You are the omega this world needs, not me.

A few more things before I go… beware the fissure that’s expanding in your pack.

Never assume there’s time to put things back together later.

Cement every bond you can before the trials truly begin.

This is crucial. When the Inquisitor asks if you are the marble, the statue, or the sculptor, don’t rush to answer.

Take it all in, everything you know, and remember that in your heart is the power to transform all, but only if you possess the courage and compassion to understand, accept, and claim responsibility for weaving the tapestry of life.

That’s the trial awaiting you, the one that will make you queen—the one that will bring the omegaverse to life.

I don’t understand any of that, but please, I don’t want you to go. I need you and your wisdom. I don’t know what the hell I’m doing here.

Yes, you do. You were born for this. Now, honor your promise. Make him yours and become the omega this world needs.