Page 55 of His Snowbound Omega

Rationally, he understood he had to end this either way. Put a stop to it before he could fall any deeper. Baal may have paid off their debts, but there were still responsibilities Thorn had to meet.

There was still Aster. He was only sixteen. Thorn would be raising him for at least another four years. He couldn’t afford to leave himself open to this sort of weakness. If the mere idea of losing Baal could bring him this low, all the more reason to make a break for it now, while he still had some sense about him.

While he still comprehended what mattered.

The test results would merely tell him how much more time with the alpha he would have. If he was pregnant, he’d have months, and if not—

Thorn looked before he could second-guess himself again.

And froze.

Negative.

He wasn’t pregnant.

Thorn stayed locked in the bathroom until the sun rose the next morning.

* * *

“What do you mean you’re going to call it off?” Aster’s confused tone came through the speaker of Thorn’s earbud as he moved about the living room.

He hadn’t noticed, but over the past month, the alpha had been slowly moving in, leaving things behind to take up space in Thorn’s home. He’d spent the past hour gathering it all up and still wasn’t finished, so he’d had to take his brother’s call while in the midst of boxing bundles of expensive designer clothing and obscure poetry books and thriller novels.

He’d just gotten done telling his brother his plan to end things, and Aster’s reaction was to be expected, though it certainly wasn’t helping to make Thorn feel any better.

“That’s what I mean,” he said plainly.

“When does Baal get back?”

“Tomorrow.”

“And…you’re just going to…break up with him?”

He exhaled. “It’s not a breakup. We were never really together.”

“I can’t believe you’re really this dumb.”

Thorn paused and set his hands on his hips, glaring at the device where he’d placed it on the couch. “Gee, thanks.”

“I mean it,” Aster stated. “You’re a big fucking idiot.”

“Language.”

“Oh, come off it. I’m sixteen, not six.” He grew silent for a second and then demanded, “Wait, this isn’t about me, is it?”

“Of course not.” Thorn went back to searching, finding a cuff link hidden beneath the coffee table. Diamond-studded. Definitely the alpha’s.

“You’re lying.”

“I am not.”

“You are.” Aster swore. “That’s not fair.”

“Aster—”

“No, I refuse to be responsible for ruining your life.Again.”

Thorn didn’t like the sound of that. “Hey. Don’t say that. You’ve never ruined my life. You’re the best thing in it.”