Reborn as a villain:Claim the omega, Kiss the beta, Kill the dukes-Chapter 134: Belong

Chapter 133

Nolan

This is dumb.

Very dumb.

Stupid, even.

I stare at my reflection on the fogged-over shower wall—just a smudged outline of a man who clearly has no dignity left—and shame crawls down my spine.

The tears fall anyway.

At least the shower hides them. At least here, I can pretend it’s just the water.

I should be happy.

I am happy.

We’re finally back together. Safe. In the same place. With Jack.

But the moment we stepped into that car and I watched Jack fold around Ciel like his entire world was finally returned to him...

The moment I saw the way Ciel melted into his arms, unconscious yet instinctively reaching for him...

Something inside me cracked.

They looked like a painting.

A complete one.

A portrait already finished.

And I—

I felt like a smudge in the corner.

Extra paint the artist forgot to wipe off.

Of course it’s obvious.

They’re in love.

He’s an alpha.

He’s an omega.

That bond... you can feel it in the air when they breathe near each other.

You can see it in the way Jack holds him, like the earth will split if he loosens his grip.

There was a moment today—just a second,when it felt like I was watching from outside a window. A stranger peeking in at a family that wasn’t mine.

It made my chest ache so sharply I almost dropped Lanny.

I brace my palms against the cold tile, letting the hot water pound over my back.

Trying to breathe.

Trying to pull myself together.

This is ridiculous.

Selfish.

I know they love me.

I know they do.

And yet...

And yet.

The ache deepens, twisting through my ribs, ugly and sharp. I clench my fists and squeeze my eyes shut, willing it away. Forcing myself to breathe through the hurt like a bruise I can’t bandage.

It’s a good day, Nolan.

A great day.

They’re safe.

They’re here.

I won’t ruin that.

I won’t let these thoughts poison everything.

I drag a hand over my face, inhale slowly through my nose, and straighten my back.

When I step out of this shower, I’ll smile.

I’ll be fine.

Even if a little piece of me feels like it’s cracking quietly at the edges.

I step out of the shower, wiping my face with the towel like it can erase the stupid burning feeling behind my eyes.

The steam drifts around me, warm and soft — the opposite of my thoughts.

When I enter the bedroom, they’re already curled up on the massive bed.Jack in the center, shirtless, bronzed skin catching the lamplight.Ciel on his right, tucked into Jack’s side like a missing piece sliding perfectly back into place.

Lanny on the left, tiny fists tucked under his chin, breathing softly.

They look like a painting.

Something whole.

Something complete.

And I feel... like I’m standing behind the glass of it.

I force a breath out of my chest and head toward the closet Jack mentioned. I need clothes. Or armor. Something.

I find a pair of Jack’s underwear they are black, soft cotton, and slip them on. They hang a little loose on my hips.

I towel my hair for far too long. Forty seconds. A minute. Two.

It’s pathetic how I’m stalling over nothing.

Eventually, I creep back to the bed and sit on the very corner, like a guest waiting to be dismissed.

Jack looks up immediately.

"Hey, doggy, what are you doing all the way over there? Come here."

He pats the space beside him, on his left side.

I blink.

Then crawl in carefully, keeping distance so I don’t disturb Lanny.It feels formal. Stiff. Like I’m afraid one wrong move will shatter something.

I look at the distance between Jack and Ciel, the skin-to-skin contact, and I’m envious.

Painfully envious.

I also want...

...that.

I lie back instead, stare up at the ceiling — ridiculously high, ornate, everything you’d expect from a palace. It should impress me, but all it does is make me feel even smaller, even more aware of the space between me and them.

"Get closer," Jack says.

I turn my head toward him slowly.

I don’t respond.

"Please."

Soft. Quiet. Almost vulnerable.

Oh.

Something in me cracks a little at that. I feel shy, embarrassingly shy — like I’m seventeen again and Ciel just kissed my cheek.

Jack shifts, placing Lanny on his chest. Lanny immediately melts into him, fast asleep like he belongs nowhere else. Then Jack opens his arm and pulls me in under it, tucking me against him like he’s been waiting for this.

I blink, startled, then settle against him carefully.

"Won’t your arms be tired?" I ask, voice barely above a whisper.

"Indulge me," he murmurs. "I’ve spent so many nights dreaming of you in my bed."

I scoot closer, close enough to feel the warmth radiating off him. Close enough for his scent to hit me — clean, warm, familiar, Jack. I can’t sense pheromones, but this... this is enough.

More than enough.

I snuggle into him, greedy in a way I’ve never allowed myself to be.

"It’s okay," he says softly, like he can hear every thought I’m trying to bury.

I don’t respond with words. I just hold him tighter. Letting myself believe,just for this moment—that it’s safe to want, safe to stay, safe to be here pressed against the two people I love the most in the world.

Then a warm hand slides over mine.

Ciel.

He doesn’t say anything as he interlocks our fingers, but the gesture alone knocks the breath out of me. His hand covers mine gently, then squeezes — a silent reassurance, a quiet claim.

He interlocks our fingers, gently the action pulling me from my thoughts.

Jack shifts, warm and steady behind me, and pulls me closer until my forehead rests against his shoulder. His scent wraps around me, familiar, grounding, possessive in the soft way he only ever uses with us.

Jack’s thumb brushes over the back of my hand.

Ciel’s fingers stay laced with mine.

My eyes close, drifting toward sleep.

Maybe I’m not an outsider after all.