Omega's Truth - Nora Phoenix Page 0,19
You focus on the clinic. You have enough on your plate with Enar out of commission.”
Relief flooded Maz’s system. “Thank you. I feel bad, though, making this your problem.”
“Don’t worry about it. I like solving problems, actually, especially situations like these that I can do something about.”
“It’s frustrating that there’s nothing we can do for Palani,” Maz said softly.
“It infuriates me. I’m a fixer, but this is one problem I can’t fix. So I appreciate being able to focus on this and feel useful.”
“Thank you again. And, Sivney, in case you come up short for shifts, don’t put Sando into the rotation. I’ll take shifts if you need me to, but he can’t.”
Sivney nodded in understanding. “If he’s been taking care of his father by himself all this time, he must be exhausted. Take care of your boy, Doc.”
Maz raised an eyebrow. “My boy?”
Sivney grinned. “Don’t play stupid, Doc. We all know you three belong together.”
“Until yesterday, I didn’t want to admit that to myself.”
“Why?”
The omega was surprisingly easy to talk to, even though they’d only interacted a few times. “I was so scared of getting hurt. I know it sounds stupid, but—”
“Fear isn’t stupid,” Sivney interrupted him, and Maz smiled. “When I found myself getting more and more entangled with Naran and Lev, I was terrified. Hell, I still am. My ex fucked me over good, and I’d vowed never to fall in love again. It turns out that’s not something you can control.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Do you love him?” Sivney asked, and man, Maz had to admire the omega’s gumption to ask that straight up.
“It’s complicated, but yes, I think I do.”
“And Lucan?”
That one was easier. “God, yes. He’s…he’s my heart, my compass. Without him, I’d have been lost.”
“Betas seem to fulfill that role often. I mean, just look at Palani.”
“For sure. And yet they so often feel underappreciated…and they are. I need to do better with that, make sure he knows how much I love him.”
“You should. But what about Sando? What’s holding you back?”
Maz hesitated. Could he share this with Sivney? The strange thing was that he wanted to. He loved talking to Lucan, but he always had to be aware of his feelings, of being careful not to hurt him. With Sivney, he didn’t have that worry. It did feel private to share, though. Way more personal than he’d thought himself comfortable with, and yet he wanted to.
“If it helps, Doc, we’ll file this under medical confidentiality.”
Maz smiled. “You’re smart, knowing what my objection was.”
“You’re not that hard to read.”
“Sando is inexperienced. We’re his first. His first kiss, his first-time sex, we were there for his first heat…and now we’re his first love. What if he’s confusing the excitement over experiencing all these new things for the first time with love?”
Sivney leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “Has he told you he loves you? Or that he loves Lucan?”
“Well, no, but…”
“Then so far, he’s not confusing anything. He may be with you right now because of how you make him feel, but that doesn’t mean it can’t grow into something much deeper. You’re gonna have to show him you want more…and trust that he’ll grow to love you as much as you love him.”
“I said I thought I loved him. You’re stating it as if it’s a fact.”
Sivney chuckled. “Of course you love him, Doc. You wouldn’t be this scared if your heart wasn’t involved. If he didn’t mean anything to you, you wouldn’t feel the need to protect yourself.”
“Damn.” Maz sighed. “That’s not even funny how true that is. You’re good at this.”
“It’s a lot easier to figure out other people’s shit than your own. I have no trouble telling you what’s wrong and what you need to do, but don’t ask me to examine my role in my own relationship. Facing the truth is scary as fuck, Doc. Love is scary. As beautiful and amazing as it can be, it also has the power to break your heart like nothing else can, so once we’ve experienced that, we become careful.”
They sat in silence for a while, Maz pondering the omega’s words. He was right on so many levels.
“My parents showed me how horrible love can be,” he said quietly. “They got together young, then had to marry because my mother was pregnant, and their marriage was awful. They hated each other. They still do. My whole childhood was nothing but fights. And I was aware of the scars this had left.