Page 88 of The Omega

“Fame doesn’t always pay the bills.” Dorian finally looked at me. And that was worse. The pain in his eyes threatened to make me choke. “I don’t want you to worry about this.”

“You can’t worry about it alone,” I almost cried. “What does the pack say?”

He huffed a humorless laugh. “That they finally have an Alpha to take care of them. It’s not their fault. Most of them are too old to work anymore. And it’s not like any of them ever had 401ks. Like I said, it’s my job and it’s fine. I’m figuring it out.”

“What did the previous management of the troupe do when someone needed to retire?” I was still trying to work through the details and understand what we were up against here.

“You don’t want to know. But that’s one reason why he isn’t a problem anymore,” Dorian growled.

I could sense there was more to it, but the look on Dorian’s face told me that wasn’t a place I wanted to go and I trusted him enough to respect that.

“The show…” I stopped breathing as I stared at my mate. “You left the show and didn’t get paid because of me.”

“This is not your fault,” Dorian grabbed my hands, stressing each word that he willed me to believe. “More opportunities are coming. I’ll take care of it. Promise me you won’t worry about this.”

“I have money,” I said instead, knowing I couldn’t make that promise. As an Omega, I was built to worry. It was literally in my DNA. “Lots of money. You can have it all.”

“No,” Dorian growled as his eyes flashed with his wolf.

I flinched.

“I’m so sorry, princess.” He gathered me close, pressing my head against his chest where his heart was beating fast. “I mean, no thank you. That money is yours.”

“Ours,” I whispered, trying not to cry as I thought about my one-sided bond. “We’re a team now.”

“And what about Atlas?” Dorian’s grip on me tightened.

“What about him?” I pushed back so I could look into his eyes. “Atlas is on my team too.”

“Yeah? And what happens when he hears how I took advantage of your kindness?” He caught me by the hand as I tried to get away, cursing under his breath as he rubbed his thumb over my knuckles, attempting to soothe like I would. “I need you to understand that a real Alpha wouldn’t take from his mate.”

“It’s not taking if I’m giving it to you,” I whispered.

“That’s not how it works for Alphas.” Dorian turned his red-rimmed eyes toward me, begging me to understand. “And speaking of Alphas, your other mate is here.”

*

I wanted to run to Atlas’s strong arms and beg him to help me make Dorian see reason, but I couldn’t. Not when the situation was already so precarious. The tightrope we walked threatened to snap at any minute. I couldn’t risk pitting them against each other or causing another fight.

My heart couldn’t take it.

So, I just smiled at Atlas when he took my hand, stopping at the border between territories to reach for Dorian.

“Come with me to meet Volk Pack?” I asked.

If we could spend more time together, we could figure this out. He wouldn’t have to do it alone. And I knew if I could just get Atlas on board, we’d all be able to sort through this mess, somehow.

“I can’t.” Dorian’s wolf flashed in his eyes as he nuzzled my neck, inhaling my scent like it was the last time he’d ever get a taste. “I have a meeting with my agency this morning.”

“A meeting?” Atlas frowned. “For what?”

Tension thickened between the two of them and I was caught in the middle.

It is way too early in the morning for this.

Dorian smirked. “Don’t worry, I promise to keep the volume down so we don’t annoy the neighborhood HOA.”

“This isn’t a game,” Atlas growled, moving me safely to the side so they could stare each other down. “If this is going to work, I can’t have the spotlight shining next door.”