Chapter 262: Mirror, Mirror, Listen Not To The Subconscious

[FROLO]

"Wow. So that’s how you’ve been seeing me all this time, huh? The omega who couldn’t keep himself sane enough to stay away from the Moskowsky ghosts running around?" Katya asked, his scoff making Alek pause for a bit.

It was the most unexpected of reactions.

Any normal person would probably be desperately trying to explain, and yet Katya was just looking at him like this was a man he’d never seen or understood. Like this was the first time he was seeing Alek truly.

"Little rose... Please," Alek sighed desperately.

"You can do what you want with your shares, Alek. I didn’t sign the acceptance papers. If you don’t reclaim them in a week, you know who they will go to," Katya said, getting up.

He wasn’t in the mood to deal with this.

"So that’s it? You’re just going to walk away?" Alek asked, and Katya stared at him like he was not really going to deal with this.

"You still don’t get it, do you?" Katya asked, and Alek stared plainly.

And when he didn’t say a word, Katya continued.

"Sergei is always going to be a part of my life, whether you and I like it or not. He is my boss, and I’m not planning to resign from a job I love just because my boyfriend can’t handle someone being nice to me," Katya said, and Alek stared defeatedly.

It hurt seeing Katya like this.

It hurt being in such a position, and yet he had managed to fail to keep himself in check.

"Please don’t walk away," Alek begged, and Katya sighed.

"Why? You got more accusations to throw at me to make yourself feel better for the decision you made with the Kumarin Bratva?"

Alek stepped forward carefully, like he was terrified Katya would leave him here. Like he was scared his boyfriend would make a turn and never hug him again.

It was a decision he still regretted, but what use was it at the moment when the fire was already burning then?

"I’m sorry. I know it’s becoming useless now, but I really am..." Alek begged as he stepped closer to Katya.

The omega stood in the middle of the room, staring at him boredly like it was way past his bedtime and he didn’t have time to listen to an alpha complain about everything else.

"I love you. I love you so much I can’t... I can’t handle the thought of not belonging to you. I made a stupid decision because of my desperation, and I should have trusted you more.

"But it’s just that... The gala happened, and I smelled his scent on your collar, and I lost it," Alek said desperately.

And Katya thought back to the bathroom.

The famous bathroom that had his legs shaking and his heart beating.

The bathroom that had his mind working in reverse and his desire out in the open for Sergei to read.

The same bathroom that somehow made him realize just how deeply in love he was with Sergei.

That bathroom.

And Sergei having left a scent?

Learning that should have pissed Katya off, given the conversation they were having. Yet instead, his heart was hammering in his chest for the one stupid decision the mad alpha had made.

Only that Katya knew Sergei was calculated.

He never made mistakes.

Especially not with his scent.

He’d left it there on purpose.

And suddenly, Katya couldn’t trust himself to stand anymore. So, he sat on the nearest seat, his hands fidgeting while his heart was dancing a whole different tune.

Alek, on the other hand, looked relieved that Katya was sitting down. Because then it meant that the omega wasn’t going to walk away from him again.

That they could fix this.

They absolutely could...

... Right?

"I know I put you in a tough position with everything. I know I should have trusted you more than my jealousy. But that gala had me wondering if you would leave me for him," Alek rambled, taking a seat next to Katya.

So far, the omega hadn’t looked at him.

Not until Alek sat beside him and held his hand gently.

"I’ll do everything to make things right. I know it’s a little late, but can we please start over? Can we forget about the past and start over? I love you so much, little rose," Alek said as he gently lifted Katya’s chin so he was looking into Katya’s eyes.

"I missed you, my little rose. My beautiful little rose," Alek breathed, as he released his blueberry pheromones carefully. His scent was bitter because of how things were, but damn, the more he got closer to Katya, the sweeter it was getting.

’You look breathtakingly beautiful today, Solnyshka,’ Sergei’s voice from that day hit him, and Katya shook his head suddenly, only to end up pressing his lips against Alek.

Great.

Just great.

The alpha pulled back for a moment, as if looking into Katya’s eyes for permission, and he must have found what he was looking for because he mumbled a desperate, I love you.

Then he dove right into capturing Katya’s lips with his own.

And Katya...

He let him.

Because for a moment, he needed a distraction from the way Sergei had looked at him in that bathroom. The way Sergei had professed his love so casually, like Katya was worth everything. The way that Sergei’s rainforest scent smelled so good.

That thought had Katya’s citrus scent sweetening.

And Alek...

He took it as forgiveness.

Katya didn’t stop him, not because he needed it. But because this was the one time, he didn’t trust himself to listen to Alek complain about Sergei and the scent Sergei had left on him without being affected.

And when they pulled back, the alpha smiled heartily at him, like the world was suddenly all glittery. Oh, it was crazy as hell.

"I love you," Alek said softly.

"You don’t trust me," Katya whispered.

"I’ll do better... Do I have to take back the shares?"

"Yes. If you don’t, they’ll go to Vladimir," Katya stated matter-of-factly.

"Please don’t be mad, I’ll make things better..."

"It’s late, let’s go to bed," Katya said, getting up. And Alek followed him, but Katya didn’t push him away. After all, turns out he needed a better distraction from his thoughts on Sergei than he needed from his anger toward Alek.