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Another two weeks passed and nothing eventful had happened. My parents and I were safe and Nicole didn’t appear to have encountered that guy again.

I was at Ashton’s house in the meeting room. We were about to leave for the annual Origen gala at the Cilan Kingdom. My parents had already agreed to the trip in an effort to help me forget about what had happened. They also trusted Ashton and Kevin, who were coming along.

Of course, they didn’t know that it was an Origen affair. It wasn’t something I could just mention like that, but they did know that a party would be involved and I had to listen to their millionth lecture about the importance of being safe. How fun.

“And that’s that,” Ashton concluded as Jackson made notes on his computer beside him.

Bianca and Beau were sitting on one side of me and Jun was sitting on the other, sulking because Kristof had dismantled all the traps he had set for Diana.

I guess he just wasn’t going to be won over by her that easily, despite her continued attempts to befriend him. Hopefully this trip changed that.

Diana had arrived about three days ago and she and Kristof were completely inseparable. They had already accepted each other, and he had marked her on a date they went on. There was a small moon symbol just above her collar bone. It was like a small birth mark.

Callie and Daniel had also accepted each other and he had marked her, but it wasn’t somewhere visible because that would just cause questions. Callie would not stop gushing about her first night with Daniel, something Melissa and I couldn’t relate to.

We were happy that they were happy. Kevin still had his qualms about Daniel, but he was willing to get to know him better for Callie’s sake. He was a gigantic upgrade from Demetri and it was nice seeing Callie getting all the love she deserved.

They were supposed to come with us, since Daniel was rank Epsilon, but Callie had movie scenes to shoot and she couldn’t get the time off. Daniel decided to hold off on going until next year when he could go with her. I smiled at their cute romance.

My mind flashed to Micah and my smile instantly vanished and was replaced by a frown. He still wasn’t responding well.

“What’s wrong, princess?” Ashton asked, coming over to me.

“It’s just… Micah.”

He frowned and I could see the consternation beginning to cloud his eyes.

“I’m going to go see him before we leave, okay?”

He nodded. “I have some last minute stuff to discuss with Jackson too. We’ll leave in a few, so take your time.”

I nodded and quickly headed to Micah’s house. Ashton had made provisions for him to move into a new house because this one was so old, but he adamantly refused. Esmeralda was planting seeds in the tiny garden at the front of the yard as I approached. She looked up with her usual scowl, but her eyes were much softer than they were a few months ago.

“Good morning,” I greeted her, “I came to check in on Micah before we go.”

She grunted and nodded towards the door. “The boy’s practically lifeless,” she sighed.

“At least he’s still breathing,” I said positively.

“Breathing doesn’t mean you’re living,” she muttered. “You can be dead on the inside.”

I sighed and glanced over at the almost broken down bench. Just a few months ago I'd sat there with Armani. I shook my head. I was here to see Micah.

I made my way to Armani’s room where Micah had moved to. Armani’s scent was still there, but it was fading gradually. The fainter it got, the more miserable Micah became. I entered the room to see him sleeping gently. He had lost so much weight and his skin was so pale.

I tried to brainstorm what else I could do for him. He was no longer interested in books or movies and he refused to leave the house. He only went to the bathroom or to the room where Armani’s urn was. I wished that I could take him to the gala, but only the first five ranks and their soulmates were allowed. The soulmates had to either be human or fall within the first five ranks.

I thought about turning back, so as to not disturb him, but he sat up suddenly with a gasp.

“Bad dream?” I asked softly as I sat next to him.

He buried his face in my shoulders with a strangled sob.

“It’s all my fault.”

“No, Micah. It isn’t.”

“Yes, it is. If I had been strong enough to defend myself, then Armani wouldn’t have had to fight those guys for me… everything could have been different.”

“Life is unpredictable, Micah. There’s really no telling what could have happened. But what I do know is that Armani is not blaming you for anything.”

“I should have died instead of him!” he cried. “Why am I alive and he’s not?”

“There’s no shame in surviving,” I said as I comforted him. “Your brother wanted you to survive, even if it’s in a world without him. He believed that you’re strong enough to get through this. It just takes some time. You’re not alone.”

He sniffed and we stayed like that for a while until Esmeralda came in with some food for him.

“Child, I know I didn’t stand around that hot stove to cook this food just so you could tell me you’re not hungry,” she said gruffly after Micah refused to eat. “Are you going to eat willingly or should I stuff it down your throat? Because either way you take it, this food is going inside of you. You’re not starving on my watch, do you hear me?”

Micah glowered and I laughed to ease the tension. Esmeralda could become quite heated sometimes.

He hesitantly took the food and took a small bite. Esmeralda grunted in satisfaction and went back to the kitchen. I stayed with Micah as he ate slowly. I told him about the small trip that I was going to go on with some of my friends. I didn’t mention names but he figured out where I would be going. I guess the Origen gala was no secret to him even though he’d never been there.

“Do you have to go?” he asked softly.

“I’ll just be gone for a few days,” I smiled. “And I’ll video call you and Esmeralda every day,” I promised.

I placed a light kiss on his forehead and he closed his eyes with a resigned sigh.

“I’ll wait for you to come back. If I sleep the time won’t seem so long.”

“Are you a bear looking to hibernate?” Esmeralda commented as she entered the room. “You’re going to come outdoors with me tomorrow. It’s about time you feel the sunshine on your face again.”

Micah looked depressed at the thought and just lied down, covering his face with the sheets.

“I’ll see you soon,” I smiled as I headed out. Esmeralda followed me to the door.

“Human child, please be careful around Micah from now on.”

“What do you mean?”

“You kissed his forehead earlier. It’s a simple gesture, but Micah might misunderstand.”

“I think of Micah as a little brother,” I said hurriedly.

“I know you didn’t mean anything by it. But he’s not emotionally stable right now, and he’s at the age where he might develop feelings towards you because you’re so good to him. You are not his soulmate, so this isn’t good for either of you. I don’t want that Alpha of yours to get the wrong idea either.”

“I see,” I frowned. I never thought of that before. “Thanks for always looking out for Micah.”

“Us Omegas ought to look after each other. If we don’t, then who will?” she sighed.

“Please take care of yourself while I’m gone.”

“Hey, I’m strong enough to live one hundred more years,” she grinned, muscling up her forearm. “I haven’t lived half of my life yet.”

I grinned back at her and she gently pushed me out of the house. “If you have somewhere to be, then you should go.”

Her words might be spoken roughly, but Esmeralda’s heart and eyes held a special kind of compassion. As tough as she might be on Micah and me, that was her way of showing affection.

I waved at her as I left to meet up with my group.

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