Don’t get me wrong, my dream was always to pack up with Koa and Kai – they’re my best friends – but I never expected Sol to be a part of that equation, as he barely seemed to tolerate us.
And that’s without taking my father’s demands into account too.
Lani complicates things. But something in me says that she’s more than worth it.
“Outside,” I say, my voice calm but firm.
Kai frowns immediately. “What?”
“Now.”
Sol remains where he is, watching, assessing. He’s not part of this particular mess.
Lani’s gaze flicks between us. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing dramatic,” I reply, though I can feel the tension thickening. “I just need a word with Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum.”
She doesn’t look convinced, but she doesn’t stop us either.
Instead she mutters, “I think of them more as the Chuckle Brothers, actually.”
I laugh.
The terrace air is cool, but it does nothing to relieve the pressure building beneath my ribs. Kai folds his arms defensively. Koa watches me with quiet apprehension.
“We end it,” I say without preamble.
Kai’s jaw tightens. “End what?”
“The bet.” I hold his gaze. “It stops now.”
He exhales sharply. “We already knew that.”
“Knowing it and formally ending it are not the same thing,” I reply. “It started as a game. It isn’t one anymore.”
Koa nods once, slowly. “It was stupid.”
“Yes.” I don’t soften the word. “And it isn’t harmless now. Lani’s presenting as an omega. She’s emotionally invested withallof us. I don’t want her to get hurt.”
“So are we,” Kai shoots back.
I don’t deny it. “That’s precisely the issue.”
Silence stretches between us, heavier than it has any right to be. I don’t regret calling it. I regret not doing it sooner.
“We tell her,” I say quietly. “All of it. No more hiding behind it.”
The terrace door slides open behind us.
“Tell me what?”
Her voice isn’t loud, but it cuts cleanly through the air.
We turn too late.
She’s standing in the doorway, pale but blazing with something far sharper than confusion. Hurt pulses through her scent – not heat, not flare. Hurt.
“How long?” she asks.