“That drink you made me before you left…” he said the first thing that came to mind.
“Sweet core?”
“That’s what you’re calling it? I thought you said I inspired the spirit.”
“You did.”
“So, you think I’m sweet.”
Mac went silent for a few seconds. “It’s just a name,” he said.
“Liar.”
Deltta wished he could see him. His omega was probably blushing and hiding behind his hair, looking adorable. “I like that you think I’m sweet. That means you saw something in me, even though I am not the alpha I used to be. It means I’m good to you in some way.”
“You are good to me. You’re perfect,” Mac was quick to say. A smile pulled at Deltta’s lips.
“What else?”
“No. I’m not doing this with you.” He laughed slightly. “I have to go back to work. Tonight is our busiest night. I’ll talk to you soon. Good night.”
“Good night,” Deltta said. The connector went silent. He stupidly stared at it feeling giddy inside.
The door to his room opened, and Yarr walked in. A data reader in his hand, he froze and watched him.
“What?” Deltta rubbed his neck self-consciously.
“You’re smiling. I haven’t seen you smile like that since…” Yarr paled.
Deltta sighed. “You can say it, Yarr. The whole planet knows what happened five years ago. What do you have for me?”
Clearing his throat, Yarr stepped forward. “I finally found your schedule. It wasn’t easy since so much time had passed, but Nylune was good at his job. He backed up everything. He even had projects you never got to propose to the council. It's amazing.”
“Nylune? What does the omega have to do with anything?” Deltta asked, reaching for the data reader.
“Uhhh… I…”
Deltta looked up. The beta hesitated. “Don’t be angry. I knew how important this was to you. I had no choice. I asked Maxus for Nylune’s code, and he gave it to me.”
Deltta clenched his jaw. Five years ago, everything imploded for him, but it must have been worse for the omega – for every omega on the damn planet. He loathed the thought of messing with his life again. “You shouldn’t have connected with him,” he bit out.
Yarr flinched, but composed himself. He straightened his shoulders and stood his ground. “If I didn’t, I would have looked for that information and found nothing. There are no records left in the council office. It’s as if you never existed as the alpha king.”
“Maybe that’s not a bad thing,” Deltta mumbled. Yarr gasped, having heard him. “You should retire for the night. I feel tired.”
Yarr paused at the door.
“How long are you going to punish yourself, master? Tarymn found evidence that you and Nylune were poisoned, that what happened five years ago was planned. It wasn’t your fault. Yet…”
“Yarr,” Deltta warned.
Stiffening his shoulders, he bowed, all business-like. “I apologize for my impertinence, Master. You have an appointment with Dr Micha tomorrow. Do you want me to go with you?”
“No. I’ll be fine on my own,” Deltta said.
“Of course, Master. Good night.”
The door clicked closed behind Yarr, leaving an oppressive silence. Deltta felt like he did a few months after the incident – guilty, confused, animalistic and most of all, sorry.