Chapter 155: The Most Feared Omega in the World! (Self-Proclaimed)

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I found myself still staring at the little bottle in my hand for what felt like ages, almost convinced the pills inside were taking offense at me.

After a moment, I shook my head so hard that I almost gave myself a headache.

"Nope... Not a chance. This family has been through enough already."

I thought about Lorenzo’s past, the mother he’d lost, and the sister who never got a shot at life because of the family they were born into.

Then I reflected on my own childhood, which was less of a happy upbringing and more of an extended lesson on why some people shouldn’t raise kids at all.

With all the family betrayals, kidnappings, and the casual way the Castelli household treated murder as just another option for solving a problem, having a baby felt more like putting an innocent child on the fast track to trauma than it did like celebrating a beautiful moment in life.

What kind of life could we really offer a child now?

One moment, they might be playing in the nursery with wooden toys, and the next, someone could swoop in to kidnap them for leverage against their dad.

Knowing Lorenzo, the nursery would probably have reinforced walls, bulletproof windows, and a guard stationed next to the changing table. Still, that wouldn’t really make me feel safe.

I pressed my lips together, glanced at the bottle one last time, and swallowed the pill before I could talk myself out of it again.

"There," I muttered, setting the empty glass on the bedside table. "One less potential Castelli catastrophe."

The joke felt perfectly fine in my head, but the silence after left a hollow ache in my chest that I hadn’t seen coming.

I looked at the breakfast tray, suddenly losing my appetite, and the image of a child I’d briefly let myself imagine slipped away like something I never really had.

It was silly, really, since I’d only spent a few minutes pondering the idea, and I had no clue if Lorenzo even really wanted to have a child with me. Still, making that choice felt like shutting a door behind me.

Maybe it was because for that one foolish moment, I had pictured a little one with Lorenzo’s green eyes racing through the estate, filling the quiet spaces with laughter and giving the man I loved something wonderful to guard instead of yet another reason to be afraid.

I leaned back against the pillows, turned toward the window, and pulled the blanket over myself.

The memory of the little girl in the Luxembourg Gardens came back to me, followed by the sight of Lorenzo’s scars and the look on his face when he spoke about his mom.

Most of all, I remembered his gentle voice as he held my hands and told me he had me now.

I had him, too.

That should have been comforting, but as I stared at the sunlight moving slowly across the curtains, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had made the right choice for reasons that still stung.

Two days later, I figured the best way to bounce back from my emotional crisis was to do something useful, preferably something that involved punching someone who agreed not to press charges.

So, naturally, I headed to the training room.

My body had mostly bounced back from the heat, although my muscles were still a bit sore and my sense of smell was heightened, making the estate’s halls feel like a heavily perfumed department store.

I’d also developed an annoying habit of recalling certain things Lorenzo had done when I caught a whiff of his scent on my clothes, which was inconvenient since I was trying to maintain a respectable level of annoyance with my husband.

An Omega’s pride can only stretch so far.

I spotted Nikolai over by the far wall, arranging equipment with his back to me.

He looked totally normal in his training clothes. But as I watched, an idea popped into my head that was either brilliant... or about to land my ass in the fucking ER.

Ignoring my instincts, I crept across the mats, grinning to myself mischievously.

When I got close enough, I jumped onto his back and wrapped my arms around his shoulders.

"Surprise attack, sensei snitch!"

Unfortunately, it turned out Nikolai’s combat reflexes were quicker than his ability to recognize people he lived with.

Before I could finish laughing, he caught my arm, shifted his weight, and flipped me over his shoulder with a stunning level of efficiency.

Suddenly, the spinning ceiling became the most fascinating thing I’d ever seen.

I landed flat on my back, the air knocked out of my lungs. For several seconds, I just stared at the ceiling, my soul debating whether it would be easier to leave my body altogether.

Then Nikolai turned to face me.

As soon as he saw me, color drained from his face.

"Donna!"

He dropped to his knees beside me so quickly, I half wondered if he’d somehow learned to teleport in his free time.

"Alex, can you hear me? Are you hurt? Why didn’t you announce yourself?"

I let out a dramatic groan and rolled my head to the side.

Shit... That really hurt

Note to self; don’t surprise attack a man trained in martial arts.

"My ancestors are calling me," I whispered. "Tell Lorenzo I want an open bar that serves only cake at my funeral."

"Alex!"

"Oh, and make sure I’m buried somewhere with really good Wi-Fi."

Nikolai looked genuinely horrified, which would’ve been touching if I hadn’t been enjoying myself so much.

He leaned closer, reaching toward my shoulder, and I seized that moment to spring upright, grab his arm, and pull him down onto the mat with me.

A second later, I was straddling his waist, pinning his wrists against the floor in what I thought was a pretty decent martial arts move.

"I win!"

Nikolai just stared up at me.

I stared back down at him.

Then I threw my head back and laughed so loudly, I was pretty sure someone in the kitchen heard me.

"I actually won! Did you see that? You actually fell for it! Of course, you did...you’re the one lying on the floor! Oh, this is amazing. I’m telling everyone I finally defeated Sensei Snitch, the fearsome trainer who makes me run until I’m gasping for air! Wooo!!!"

"Alex," he said carefully, his ears turning a bright shade of red, "C...could you please get off me?"

I blinked, finally realizing our position, and scrambled backward.

"Oh! Right. Sorry." I cleared my throat, trying to regain some pride I’d lost somewhere between the ceiling and my victory dance. "You should have said something sooner instead of lying there looking like a tomato."

Nikolai sat up and adjusted his shirt, avoiding my eyes like they were the plague, which made me wonder if he’d bumped his head after all.

"You attacked me from behind, I wasn’t ready."

"That was sort of the whole point of the surprise attack, sensei snitch."

"You could have seriously hurt yourself."

"But I didn’t, and now I’ve officially bested you."

"You fell on your back."

"Details."

He looked like he was weighing whether the perks of his job outweighed the urge to throw me through a window.

I grinned at him, knowing that being married to Lorenzo had taught me that annoying powerful men was a completely acceptable pastime, as long as you were ready for the fallout.

Speaking of which, something popped into my head, and I leaned forward.

"Oh, by the way, how are you feeling after your rut? All better now?"

Nikolai’s expression got so stiff, I nearly burst out laughing.

"I’m perfectly fine."

"Really? Because you look a bit tense."

"I’m tense because my employer’s husband has decided to use my spine as a jungle gym."

"That sounds like a you problem." I stood up and brushed off my clothes. "Anyway, since I’m obviously a combat prodigy now, let’s move on to something more advanced. I want to learn a roundhouse kick, a spinning elbow, and that move you just used to toss me on the floor!"

"You want to learn the move I used to throw you onto the floor?"

"Yes, so I can use it on someone else."

"How reassuring."

I clasped my hands together, offering him my best charming smile. "Please, Nikolai. I promise I’ll be a great student...for two hours max."

He studied me for several moments before responding with a smile that was definitely less reassuring.

"Of course, Donna. We’ll kick things off with a warm-up."

My instincts immediately went into overdrive. "What kind of warm-up?"

"Jogging."

I frowned. "Jogging where?"

"Ten laps around the estate."

I stared at him, dumbfounded.

He stared back.

"Ten laps?!" I repeated, certain I misheard him. "Around the whole estate? Nikolai, darling, I’ve got a husband who could buy a private island, and you’re suggesting my best use of time this morning is running around like a hamster in a giant cage?"

"Eleven laps if you keep arguing."

"You can’t do this to me!"

"Twelve."

"THIS IS TYRANNY!"

"Would you prefer thirteen?"

I didn’t hesitate before turning toward the door.

"I hope you know that when I become a world-famous martial artist and the most powerful and feared Omega in the world... my first trophy will be dedicated to your downfall."

"Make sure you stretch before you start."

I stormed out of the training room while muttering some very unflattering things about Nikolai’s character, his bloodline, and the cheerfully smug expression on his face while crushing my dreams, but I still did the laps.

I’d found out he had a very personal interest in punishing anyone who tried to negotiate.

When I got back, I was sweaty, breathless, and reconsidering every life choice that led me here.

Unfortunately, Nikolai seemed thrilled. "Good. Now we can begin."

"I hope you know I hate you."

"Of course, Donna."

"Deeply."

"I understand."

"With my whole soul."

"Then maybe we should focus on your sit-ups."

With a heavy sigh, I dropped onto the mat, feeling the kind of exhausted resignation that usually accompanies someone preparing for their own execution.