Chapter Nine
Once they were aboard, Ryder sat down and pulled Daisy onto his lap before pushing the disk into the computer on his ship. It didn’t take long for the A.I. to translate the language it was written in and interface, and her file soon appeared.
They scanned it together, gleaning the name of the planet from where she hailed. When he asked the computer to bring up information about it, it turned out to be a small agrarian planet owned by a man named Lucien Collins. He looked at Daisy when she gasped. “What is it?”
“Collins is my last name.”
He blinked as he realized he’d never learned it until now. “He might not be any relation.”
She nodded, “I know, since it’s a common last name, but it’s a small planet, so it gives me tenuous hope. Can we please go there?”
He frowned. “Of course, we can.” He was unlikely to deny her what she most wanted, and he was hurt she had even asked. He reminded himself to restrain the sensitivity, since they still had a period of adjustment until they both realized the depth of their feelings for each other and the extent of their devotion to the other.
They had the bond between Alpha and Omega, but they still had to build another bond, one that was even more intimate and deeper. The loving bond between Ryder and Daisy required more attention and construction than the natural connection forged by their biological imperatives. Though it was well on its way to being established, it was still faltering at the moment.
“I’m suddenly nervous. What if he told her to send me away?” She was nibbling on her lower lip in her anxiety.
He reached up to gently brush the full lip from between her teeth, getting her to stop the nervous habit. “Perhaps he did, but I find it unlikely. You said there’s someone in your past who gives you warm feelings. Maybe it’s this man. Or someone on the planet.”
Her dark-brown eyes were filled with fear. “What if it’s not him? What if I get there and find out there’s no one left who cares about me?”
He pulled her into his arms, hating the hint of heartbreak in her features. “It’s a possibility, but it doesn’t mean it’s likely. If the worst happens, there’s certainly someone who cares about you. You’re not alone anymore, and you never will be again as long as there’s breath in my body. I will love and care for you ‘til the day I die, Daisy.”
She pulled back, having stiffened slightly when he used the word love. “What happens if I die first?”
He shrugged a shoulder. “That doesn’t mean my devotion will lessen. I’ve seen firsthand how an Alpha can continue loving an Omega even after he loses her. That will be me if something happens to you, but I can’t imagine that. Whatever might take you has to get through me first.”
She started to giggle, even as her eyes flooded with tears. “That’s exceedingly morbid, but I find comfort in it.”
“Then I’ve done my job as your Alpha.” He purred lightly, which seemed to soothe her, and she was soon napping in his arms. It was only after she’d fallen asleep that he realized she’d never reciprocated or told him she loved him.
He tried not to panic or worry about that. Their relationship was still new, just blossoming, and though he might be certain of his feelings for her, she needed time and deserved the right and respect to discover her own for him without being rushed into something.