Omega's Reluctant Alpha

Chapter Nine

Nikko

I wanted to jump into his arms and say of course I forgave him, but something held me back. I understood why he might have left me in the middle of the night to confront his father. I even understood that he might have be away from me to heal. What I couldn't understand, was why he'd come back now.

"If all of that's true, why did you come back now? Did it take three years to heal?"

There was nothing I could do about my scent or the hurt in my voice, but at least I wasn't crying. I'd cried enough tears over him and I'd be damned if I'd give him more right now. I was stronger than this. Or, at least, I could pretend to be.

"Nikko, look at me."

That smooth voice was like silk down my spine and I barely contained a shiver. I briefly closed my eyes to get myself under control. He still had too much control over my body and he wasn't even trying. How embarrassing it would be if I started putting out pheromones in front of my parents? I looked up at him and wanted to apologize for the pain in his eyes. I knew I had caused it with my answer.

"Nikko, I would do anything to keep you safe. I wouldn't be able to live with myself If I caused your death. One of my fathers men saved my life. But I could only stay safe by fleeing the country. So I left to heal and to plot. I knew if I came back too soon, and without a plan, my father would kill us both. I couldn't be responsible for your death. Please believe me."

I looked away again. It would be much harder to say what I needed to if I continued to look at him.

"Its not that I don't believe you. I do. I believe that you thought that was the right choice to make. I believe that you thought you were doing the right thing. I believe that you thought you didn't have any other options."

He stroked my knuckles and I looked up to see him smiling at me. That smile was nearly my undoing. I'd always been fascinated with Todoroki. He'd always had a hold over me. But I had to do this for myself. And for Shoyo.

"The problem, is that you chose wrong. I've had three years to get over you. Your son has spent his whole life without you. We don't need any more complications right now. I think it's time that you go."

My heart was breaking with my words and I wanted to take them back when I saw the hurt in his eyes. I bit my lip and willed him to understand. I needed time to accept this. I wasn't ready to trust him again. I had to protect myself and my son.

"Nikko, please-"

"I know you heard him! He said to leave! Now leave!"

My father lifted my dad off his lap and stood with his arms crossed, glaring at Todo. Todoroki slowly nodded then pulled out a card and handed it to me. He leaned forward to kiss my cheek and whisper his parting words.

"I'll give you all the time you need, Nikko. But you're my omega and I will be back for you and for my son. I still need to claim you properly."

I could feel my whole body flush as I shivered from his words. He winked at me, then nodded to my parents, before walking out the front door. My eyes were glued to him as he left. It was completely unfair how much control he had over my body. The house was silent for a minute and then my father started ranting.

"That son of a bitch! That's not a good fucking reason! He used you! Don't trust him. He doesn't deserve you or Shoyo. You're better off without him. Who the fuck does he think he is? As if I couldn't beat the shit out of his dad! He should have just fucking said something about his dad. We could have helped him. I should go over there right now and arrest his ass!"

"Calm down Kacchan. First off, you don't have any proof of anything to go after Enji. And secondly, Nikko is an adult and can make his own decisions. There's no need for you to blow a gasket."

I smiled at my dad. He was good at calming my father down. He always thought logically and planned things out before he acted. My dad turned and looked at me.

"You have a decision to make. Remember what we talked about. Don't go easy on him. Make him work for it."

He winked at me before dragging my father up the stairs. The giggling as they went up the stairs had me gathering up a bag for Shoyo and rushing out the door. I had no interest in hearing my parents go at it. You'd think they'd be calmer by now, but that wasn't the case. I really wished our walls weren't so thin. I decided to take Shoyo to the park to play.

What I really wanted to do, was to call Yuno and talk to him. My other friends had abandoned me once I got pregnant, so he was the only person I had to talk to. But I didn't think it would be proper for me to call him when I didn't have my mind made up yet. And it would be wrong of me to talk to him about how Todoroki made me feel. I sighed and sat on a bench as Shoyo played in the sand.

I didn't know what to do. On the one hand, I'd wanted Todoroki for as long as I could remember. But he'd hurt me, however unintentionally. I didn't know if I could trust him not to do it again. Would he leave again to try and keep me safe? I just didn't know.

And then there was Yuno. He was such a sweet alpha and he'd been by my side since Shoyo was born. He was a good friend and he was so kind to me. But was that enough? Could I be satisified with an alpha who I didn't feel any passion for? Was that fair to him? This was so confusing. I wanted to do the right thing, but I knew no matter what, I'd end up hurting someone.

"Mama, play!"

I laughed and went over to Shoyo. He wasn't interested in all the drama that had come into our life. He just wanted to play. I helped him dig around in the sand while I got my thoughts together. At the very least, I needed to let Todo get to know his son. It's not like I could stop him if he wanted to force the issue. The Todoroki I knew wouldn't do that to me, but a lot could change in three years. He could be a completely different person.

I was a completely different person, for that matter. I wasn't the same innocent he'd left behind. I wasn't exactly jaded, but I didn't take anything at face value anymore. That might be why it took three years for me to agree to date Yuno, even though I knew he liked me pretty much from the start. I pulled out the card he gave me.

A lawyer huh? Wow. That was impressive. I put the card away. I knew eventually I'd call him. I wouldn't be able to help myself. Todoroki was meant to be mine, even if I wanted to forget it. The longer he was around, the harder it would be to stay away. It really was only a matter of time. At some point, I'd give in. Until then, I'd just need to make him work to get me back. I sighed again. I guess I had made a decision. Now I just had to break it to Yuno.