Page 31 of The Sad Omega
I put the thought out of my mind.
I was too afraid to hope for more. The Goddess had already been generous.
“Hey.” Talius’ rumbly voice startled me from the doorway. “Are you awake?”
The covers fell away as I sat up, blinking sleepily. “Hi, Talius.”
I couldn’t help smiling happily at the sight of him, though I felt a little shy. Talius was a handsome man, tall and muscular with slim hips. He was gorgeous and sexy and quite possibly now partly mine. Or at least, I was his. And I was sitting here with my naked torso on display. I blushed, and lowered my eyes, hoping he had no idea of my thoughts.
“Irian’s still asleep,” I mumbled.
Talius advanced into the room, moving so smoothly that it made me think of his wolf.
He came and sat on the bed next to me, his calloused hand wrapped itself around my smaller one, as he asked me, “How are you feeling?”
I knew he was talking about more than just the physical.
“I’m good,” I told him, gratefully. “I’m still a little bit sore, but it’s nothing. And I’m… happy to be here... with you guys.”
He looked me over, as if checking the veracity of my words. His lips twitched into a smile, “I’ve made dinner. Join me in the kitchen? Let Irian sleep a little longer. He’s been so worried about you, he hasn’t slept much for days and he’ll probably wake up when he smells the food anyway.”
“Okay,” I said, moving to get up. I stopped, frowning, feeling awkward again. “Um, Talius. I don’t have any clothes.”
Talius motioned towards the corner of the room, where a pile of neatly folded clothes occupied a chair.
“Irian’s a similar size to you. He’s put out some of his for you to wear until we can organize a shopping expedition. Get dressed and meet me in the kitchen for dinner.”
With that, he left the room, and I scrambled out of bed and pulled on lounge pants and a t-shirt. They had the fresh clean smell of newly washed laundry and a faint trace of Irian’s scent. It made me strangely happy to be wearing his clothes. It was another tiny sign that I belonged here.
Talius was plating out the food when I arrived in the kitchen. I hesitated in the doorway, feeling awkward and shy in front of the handsome alpha, still unsure of my place.
“Come in,” said Talius, when he noticed me hovering there. “This is your home now.”
“It might take me a little while to get used to that,” I mumbled as I entered the room. “Can I help you?”
“Set the table for us? The cutlery drawer is the top one,” and he pointed to a set of drawers next to the pantry. I already knew where it was because of all the times I'd hung out here with Irian, but I didn’t say anything. I liked having him tell me what to do, and enjoyed fulfilling his instructions. It made me feel warm and loved in a way I didn't quite understand.
While I placed three settings on the kitchen table, Talius served two plates of some sort of beef and vegetable stew. It smelled amazing and my mouth watered. I realized I hadn’t eaten since breakfast, which now felt like ages ago.
“No need to wait,” Talius said as we slid into our seats. “You need to eat to get your strength back up. And you’ll see, Irian will be here shortly.”
I took a mouthful of the steaming dish and nearly groaned.
“This is really good, Talius,” I told him, earnestly. “I’ve never known an alpha that could cook.”
The blood rushed to my cheeks as I suddenly realized how rude that sounded, but Talius was unfazed.
“I enjoy it,” he said. “I don’t often cook, but I find it relaxing. And as you’ve probably realized by now, we’re not big on traditional roles here.”
Moments later, a half-dressed scruffy figure slipped into the seat beside me, sniffing exaggeratedly.
“That smells so good, you guys, and nobody woke me!”
Talius was already on his feet serving a plateful of food for his mate. As he placed it on the table in front of him, he ruffled his hair, and dropped a light kiss on his forehead.
“You’re so predictable, Irian,” he laughed fondly. Then he turned to me, “Didn’t I tell you the smell of food would have him out here in no time?”
Irian pouted.