"Choose."
The word still echoed in my head long after it was said.
Neither of them moved.
Neither of them spoke.
But both of them were watching me.
Waiting.
My chest tightened, breath shallow, thoughts tangled beyond reason. This wasn't supposed to happen. I wasn't supposed to matter this much. I wasn't supposed to be standing here, forced to decide between two people in a world that didn't even belong to me.
"I told you…" I started, my voice unsteady, "I don't know."
"That's not an answer," the original omega said calmly.
"It's the only one I have."
Kairo's gaze didn't leave me. It felt heavier than before, like it was pressing down on every hesitation I tried to hide.
"You're thinking about running again," he said.
I flinched.
"Stop reading my thoughts," I snapped.
"Then stop thinking things you don't want me to hear."
"That's not how thinking works!"
A brief silence followed, and then—
A quiet chuckle.
It came from Kairo.
Low. Amused.
And somehow… more dangerous than anger.
"You're honest when you're frustrated," he murmured.
"I'm always honest," I shot back.
Not about him.
I froze.
Kairo's eyes darkened slightly.
"Exactly."
My face burned, and I looked away quickly. This was impossible. Every thought, every feeling—nothing stayed mine. Nothing stayed hidden.
"Enough," the original omega said softly.
We both turned to him.
His expression had changed again. The calm was still there, but beneath it… something colder had settled.
"This isn't going anywhere," he continued. "You're asking someone who doesn't even understand his own feelings to make a decision that affects all of us."
"That's not my problem," Kairo replied.
"It will be."
Their eyes met.
Sharp.
Unyielding.
And for the first time, I realized something important—
They weren't just fighting over me.
They were testing each other.
Me choosing… was just part of it.
"I don't want to choose," I said quietly.
Silence fell again.
But this time, it felt different.
Heavier.
Real.
"I didn't come here for this," I continued, forcing the words out. "I didn't ask to be here. I didn't ask to take anyone's place. I didn't ask for… any of this."
My voice cracked slightly.
I hated that.
"I just wanted to survive."
That part was still true.
It had always been true.
Kairo took a step toward me.
"Then survive," he said.
My head snapped up.
"What?"
"Make the choice that lets you survive."
"That's not fair."
"It's not supposed to be."
My chest tightened again. "You're asking me to choose between staying in a place that isn't mine… or leaving when I don't even know if I can survive out there."
"Yes."
The answer came without hesitation.
Of course it did.
"And what about him?" I demanded, gesturing toward the original omega.
Kairo didn't even look.
"That's not your concern."
"It is if I'm the reason—"
"You're not the reason."
The words cut me off instantly.
I froze.
"Then what is?" I asked.
Silence.
Just for a second.
Then—
"You."
My breath caught.
The original omega exhaled slowly, like he had expected that answer.
"I thought so," he said quietly.
His gaze shifted to me again.
"You see now?"
I didn't respond.
Because I didn't.
Not completely.
"You're not replacing me," he continued.
My chest tightened.
"You're changing him."
The words lingered in the air.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
True.
"That's enough," Kairo said, his voice dropping slightly.
"No," the omega replied calmly. "It isn't."
He stepped forward again.
Closer.
But this time—
Not toward Kairo.
Toward me.
"You think leaving will solve this?" he asked softly.
I hesitated.
"…Yes."
"No," he said.
That one word made my stomach twist.
"If you leave now, you won't just be running from him."
His eyes softened slightly.
"You'll be running from yourself."
I clenched my fists.
"That doesn't make any sense."
"It will," he said, "when you realize you've already started caring."
My breath caught.
I haven't—
I stopped.
Because even thinking it felt like a lie.
Kairo moved suddenly.
His hand caught my wrist again, pulling me slightly back toward him.
Not rough.
But firm.
Claiming.
"That's enough talking," he said.
His voice wasn't loud.
But it carried weight.
Finality.
The original omega didn't react immediately.
He just watched.
Carefully.
"You're avoiding the point," he said after a moment.
"I'm ending it," Kairo replied.
"No," he said quietly.
"You're delaying it."
Silence.
Sharp.
Uncomfortable.
"Because eventually," the omega continued, "he will choose."
My heart skipped.
"And when he does…"
His gaze flickered between us.
"…one of us loses."
That word settled deep in my chest.
Lose.
This wasn't just tension anymore.
It wasn't just rivalry.
It was turning into something real.
Something that couldn't be undone.
"I'm done with this conversation," Kairo said.
His grip on my wrist tightened slightly.
"Come with me."
My breath caught.
Again.
I hesitated.
Just for a second.
And that second—
Was enough.
The original omega saw it.
His expression changed.
Not anger.
Not jealousy.
Something quieter.
More painful.
"I understand," he said softly.
I froze.
"What?"
He smiled faintly.
And this time—
It did reach his eyes.
But not in a way that felt comforting.
"You've already chosen."
My heart stopped.
"I haven't—"
But the words didn't come out right.
Didn't feel right.
Because my body had already moved.
Closer to Kairo.
His grip tightened just slightly.
Not forcing.
Not pulling.
But there.
And I didn't pull away.
Silence filled the room again.
The original omega nodded slowly.
"Then I won't ask again."
He turned.
Calm.
Composed.
But as he walked past me—
He paused.
Just for a second.
"You should be careful," he said quietly.
"Because what you're stepping into…"
His voice dropped slightly.
"…isn't something you can walk away from anymore."
Then he left.
The door closed behind him.
And just like that—
It was over.
Or maybe…
It was just beginning.
Kairo didn't speak immediately.
Neither did I.
The silence between us felt different now.
Heavier.
Closer.
More dangerous.
"You didn't move away," he said finally.
My chest tightened.
"I didn't move closer either."
A pause.
Then—
A quiet chuckle.
"But you stayed."
I swallowed.
And this time
I didn't deny it.