The Lycan King's Outcast Omega (by Cara Anderson) novel Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Alaric

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Her scent lingers on my hand where our fingers intertwined in the library last night. Honeysuckle and rain, with that underlying hint of something ancient that calls to my beast in ways I can’t explain. I should be focusing on territory reports, but all I can think about is how she leaned into me slightly, trusting despite everything.

“Is that my brother with a dopey smile on his face?.” Iris lounges in my office doorway, grinning. You’re thinking about her, aren’t you.”

“I don’t smile dopey,” I growl, but there’s no heat in it.

“You kind of do,” Garrett adds, appearing behind her. “It’s disturbing, actually.”

“Don’t you two have duties? Besides tormenting your Alpha?”

“And miss this entertainment?” Iris’s eyes dance. “Never.”

Garrett tries to pull her away, but she dances out of his reach. “Come on, menace. Let’s leave his brooding in peace.”

“Fine.” She sighs dramatically. “But only because you asked so nicely.”

Their playful bickering fades down the hall, leaving me with thoughts I can’t seem to control. My beast tracks Sage’s movements through the packhouse – she’s in the healing wing now, her gentle presence a balm to my restless soul.

11

The morning training session does nothing to settle me. Sage helps another injured wolf, her small hands sure and capable as she applies a poultice. Pride wars with possessiveness as I watch her work, see her quiet strength in the face of continued noble disdain.

“She doesn’t need proper training to know her place,” one noble wolf mutters. “Just a firm hand.”

My growl silences them, but I force myself to stay back. Sage needs to fight some battles herself, no matter how my beast rages to destroy anyone who threatens her.

Later, rounding a corner too quickly, I nearly collide with her. My hands find her waist automatically, steadying her small frame against my chest.

“Sorry,” she breathes, looking up at me with those violet eyes that haunt my dreams. “I wasn’t watching-

Words fade as awareness crackles between us. She’s so close I can feel her heartbeat racing to match mine. My beast demands I close the tiny distance, claim those slightly parted lips, show her exactly what she means to me.

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Chapter 44

Her fingers curl into my shirt slightly, and my control nearly shatters.

“Alpha!” A guard’s voice breaks the moment. “The council is waiting.”

Sage steps back quickly, cheeks flushed. “I should go.”

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I catch her hand before she can flee. “I promise you, sweetling, one day very soon, we’re going to finish what we start.”

The shiver that runs through her nearly undoes me.

Evening finds me prowling the packhouse, drawn by instinct to the library. Sage curls in her window seat, moonlight turning her silver–blonde hair ethereal. She’s fallen asleep over an ancient healing text, her face peaceful for once.

My beast purrs at finding our mate so vulnerable, trusting enough to sleep in our territory. Before I can think better of it, I gather her gently in my arms.

She stirs slightly, nuzzling into my chest in a way that makes my heart stutter. “Alaric?”

“Sleep, sweetling. I’ve got you.”

By the time I reach her room, she’s dozed off again. I should put her to bed and leave. Should maintain the distance duty demands.

Instead, I find myself brushing hair from her face, memorizing how she looks in the moonlight. My beast howls to claim her, mark her, make her ours in every way.

“Stay?” she murmurs, still half–asleep. Her hand catches mine weakly.

Moon help me, I want to. Want to gather her close and never let go.

“Sleep,” I say again, pressing my lips to her forehead before I can stop myself.

Later, in my study, Garrett finds me staring at territory maps without seeing them.

“You could just tell her,” he suggests.

“She’s not ready.” I run a hand through my hair in frustration. “After what Cassius did, rejecting their mate bond… she needs to trust me first. Really trust me.

“But it’s more than just waiting for her to trust me.” I stare into the darkness beyond my study window. “She deserves better.”

“Better than the Lycan King?” Garrett raises an eyebrow. “Your father really did a number on your

head.”

“She deserves someone who can put her first.” The words taste bitter. “Someone who isn’t

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constantly being pulled away by duty. Someone who knows how to…” I trail off, frustrated.

“How to what?”

“How to be what she needs.” My beast snarls at the admission of weakness. “You’ve seen how she flinches from cold authority, how she blooms under kindness. I was raised to be a weapon, Garrett. To rule with power, not gentleness.”

“And yet,” he says quietly, “I’ve never seen you more gentle than when you’re with her.”

“Moments stolen between crises. Between territory disputes and border attacks and endless political games.” I grip the window frame, wood creaking under my hands. “She’s already been second choice to one Alpha’s duty. I won’t do that to her again.”

“You’re not Cassius.”

“No. I might be worse.” The words carry my deepest fear. “He at least knew how to pretend warmth. I’ve spent my whole life learning to freeze my heart.”

Garrett is quiet for a long moment. Then: “You know what I see? A king who drops everything when she needs him. Who teaches himself about healing herbs just to understand her world better. Who looks at her like she hung the moon herself.”

“Looking isn’t enough. Being drawn to her isn’t enough.” I turn to face him. “She deserves someone whole. Someone who knows how to love without fear.”

“And you think you can’t learn?” He shakes his head. “The fact that you’re worried about this proves you’re already changing. Already learning.”

Down the hall, Iris’s voice carries as she teases a guard about his stance. Garrett’s face softens just slightly as he listens.

“Some of us,” he says carefully, “thought we were too broken for softness too. Too ruled by duty. Too scarred by the past.” His eyes meet mine meaningfully. “Sometimes it takes the right person to show us we were wrong.”

The words sink deep, stirring something I’m not ready to examine. Because what if he’s right? What if I’m not just protecting Sage by keeping the mate bond secret – what if I’m protecting myself?

What if I’m more afraid of succeeding at love than failing?

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