Page 44 of Omega's Formula

The floor drops out from under me. This is my fault.

“Ellie—”

“You gotmarried.” Her eyes are bright with tears she’s refusing to let fall. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“It’s not—” I cross to her bedside, reach for her hand. She pulls away. “It’s not what you think.”

“What is it, then? Because what Ithinkis that my brother has been lying to me for weeks. I mean I knew you were being cagey about something, but that’s usually about money because you don’t want me to money. This is—” she breaks off. “How? Why? I don’t even know what to say to you.”

“It’s not real.” The words come out in a rush. “It’s a Bureau arrangement. Compliance only. I had to register because—” I take a breath, force myself to slow down. “The medical trial. The committee rejected your application because I was an ‘unmarried omega in an unstable family situation.’ The only way to get you in was to get matched.”

Ellie stares at me. The anger in her face wavers, replaced by something worse: hurt.

“You did this for me?”

“Of course I did it for you. Everything I do is for you.”

“I didn’t ask you to do that!”

“You didn’t have to ask.”

“Nolan—” She presses her palms against her eyes, shoulders shaking. “I don’t want you to sacrifice your life for me. I never wanted that.”

“It’s not a sacrifice. It doesn’t have to be permanent. We can dissolve the match after a year and then everything goes back to normal.”

“You hate alphas.”

I sit down heavily on her bed and run my hands through my hair. “Yeah, I do. Assholes, every one.”

“And who is he? This alpha you married for my sake? Is he an asshole too?” She drops her hands, looks at me with red-rimmed eyes. “Do I at least get to know his name?”

I hesitate. This is the part I was dreading. The part I hoped I’d never have to explain.

“Erik Nilsson.”

Ellie goes very still.

“Erik Nilsson,” she repeats slowly. “As in Nilsson Industries?”

“Yes.”

“You marriedthatErik Nilsson?”

“The Bureau matched us. 98.8% compatibility.” I laugh, and it sounds hollow even to me. “Apparently the universe has a sick sense of humor.”

Ellie is quiet for a long moment. When she speaks again, her voice is barely above a whisper.

“How could you do this?”

“I told you. For the trial. For you.”

“There must have been another way.” Her voice breaks on the last word.

“Stop.” I grab her hands, hold on tight when she tries to pull away. “There wasn’t and it’s worked. Part of the agreement is all your medical bills being paid.All of them. Forlife.We never need to worry about it again.”

“But you hate him.”

“Yes.”