Gregrois moved slowly to avoid startling the trembling omega in his arms. He sat slowly on the couch, and his pheromones, that sharp sting of metal in winter, began to fill the room and his companion's lungs.
Rafael was trembling from rage.
"She risked everything for something I didn't even ask for."
Gregoris didn't contradict him or tell him to calm down. That would have been useless, and he knew it. He adjusted his hold instead, drawing Rafael closer until the omega's weight settled fully against him. The tension in his palms was rigid, like a body bracing for impact long after the blow had already landed. He let his pheromones sink deeper, cold metal in winter slowly warming to breath and skin.
"It wasn't about you," he said quietly. His voice wasn't gentle.
Gregoris didn't know how to do gentle. But it was something Rafael could lean into. "It was about her. Her ambition. Her fear of losing relevance. You were just the piece she decided she had the right to gamble."
