Omega Manual chapter 61

Walking Forward with You

Shelley only opened his eyes for a moment, overwhelming exhaustion and fatigue causing his consciousness to dissipate once again, sinking into a deep dream.

He had a very warm dream.

In the dream, spring was in full bloom, the sun gently sprinkled on the earth, above his head, the sky was floating with fluffy white clouds like cotton candy, under his feet, was lush green grass dotted with vibrant wildflowers.

He sat in the shade of a sturdy tree, with Irey Halton’s arms around him.

The tall Alpha gently embraced him, his warm body temperature enveloping him, making him drowsily squint his eyes.

A discordant tune sounded in his ears, although not very pleasant, it made him feel calm and relaxed.

He grabbed a corner of Irey’s clothes and tugged lightly.

“What’s wrong?” Irey lowered his head to look at him, “What do you want?”

“A kiss.” he said.

So Irey bent down and gave him a brief kiss.

He tugged at Irey again.

“What’s wrong?” Irey asked.

Shelley pointed to the clouds floating in the sky, and Irey followed his gaze, smiled, reached up to the sky, and caught the clouds, turning them into a string of soft cotton candy.

He handed the cotton candy to Shelley, who took a bite. It was crispy and sweet, just the way he liked it.

“What else do you want?” Irey asked.

Shelley pointed to the sky. The sun had set, and the sky without clouds turned into a deep night. A blue moon hung on the horizon, and stars twinkled dimly in the dark night like ink.

Irey reached out his hand, and the stars fell into his palm, turning into bright, crystalline candies, which he handed to Shelley.

Shelley unwrapped a candy and tasted a star.

Crispy and sweet.

He tugged on Irey’s sleeve again, this time receiving a somewhat helpless look.

“My dear young master, what else do you want?”

Shelley opened his mouth, but his lips felt heavy for some reason, so he reached out and pointed to the distant mountains.

At the end of the visible horizon stood a majestic snowy mountain across the sea, its peak towering into the clouds, obscuring the details.

Irey’s expression suddenly turned cold. He stood up from under the tree, and in an instant, the clouds, stars, cotton candy, and candies all disappeared.

“Shelley Manta, are you fucking out of your mind?”

He saw Irey furrow his handsome eyebrows, his tone no longer gentle.

“What unbearable pain do you have that makes you want to die? Do you know how many people could survive with this money? What could possibly make you so desperate?”

At this point in the dream, Shelley woke up with a start.

His fingers instinctively clenched a piece of cloth beside him. He slowly opened his eyes amidst his erratic breathing.

The first thing he saw was the green tent top. The wind outside was strong, causing the tent to sway slightly. He lowered his gaze and saw himself lying in a sleeping bag, with his outer clothes neatly folded beside him.

The tent door was open, and he could see Irey sitting cross-legged outside, poking at the campfire with a stick.

The fire was burning brightly, its flames dancing in the wind, bringing a touch of warmth to the cold night. Beyond the flames, an old off-road vehicle was parked not far away. Its paint was peeling, revealing no original color, and there were several dents on the body and hood, but its main functions were evidently unaffected as it remained steadily on the rocky road.

Shelley thought he hadn’t made any noise, but Irey still turned his head sharply, “Awake?”

His features were particularly distinct in the firelight, his brown eyes reflecting the leaping flames, clearer and more real than in the dream.

There was a rustling sound as Irey walked into the tent, placing a hand on Shelley’s forehead. After confirming his temperature had returned to normal, he let go and pulled out a sandwich from somewhere, handing it to him, “Want some?”

Shelley pursed his lips and took it.

Perhaps because it had been near the campfire, the usually cold instant food was actually warm.

As the food slid down his throat bit by bit, Shelley’s rationality slowly returned to his body, and his mind gradually cleared, realizing what had happened.

Irey Halton had returned.

Hadn’t he left? Why?

The past few days should have been enough for him to reach the outskirts of Leisau. Why was he here again?

Many words were stuck in his throat, but at this moment, he couldn’t utter a single one. Quiet silence spread in the narrow tent, and Shelley could only mechanically stuff the entire sandwich into his mouth, tasting nothing.

It was still Irey who broke the silence first.

“I went back to Duhaat.” Irey said, “Bought a car, a tent, a sleeping bag, a water bottle, food, and such. Turns out if you’re an Alpha, there’s nothing you can’t buy. But I didn’t have much money, so the car is old, the tent is only of medium quality, can’t block the strong wind, and doesn’t have high-tech features like a top window. We’ll have to make do.”

Shelley’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. He opened his mouth several times but could only squeeze out a few words in a hoarse voice, “Why?”

“What do you mean, why? I told you I didn’t have much money.” Irey picked up the water bottle beside the sleeping bag, unscrewed it, and took a sip, “Even the most broken off-road car costs two hundred thousand. A barrel of gasoline is more expensive than gold. I’ve emptied my savings and still owe a ton of debt. It’s a miracle I could spare money for a tent.”

“Why did you come back?” Shelley interrupted hoarsely, “I gave you money to go home! Not to come back and die with me!”

Irey threw the water bottle heavily on the ground, the metal clashing with the stones making a loud, piercing noise.

“You think I wanted to come back? You think I wanted to watch you die?” Irey raised his voice, “I fucking wish I had never saved you in the first place! The day I met you in Lansai, I should have turned around and left, left you to those Alphas to deal with however they wanted! I should never have taken this job from the start, then I wouldn’t be wasting my efforts and ending up sending you to your death!”

Shelley was stunned, unable to speak.

“My mother is dead, my sister is dead, and now you want to die too. I’m starting to think this damn world is playing a cruel joke on me.” Irey took out a cigarette, lit it with the campfire, and took a deep drag, “I’ve thought about it over and over again, boss. I have a thousand reasons to turn back to Lansai, but only one reason to come back and find you. And no matter what, I couldn’t get over that reason. It’s because if I left, you would die alone, with no one by your side, no one to accompany you.”

Irey exhaled a large puff of smoke, the airflow making the campfire crackle, “My mother, and Caroline, both died that way. When they died, when their blood turned cold from warm, no one was by their side. I couldn’t be there for them in their final moments. I don’t know what they were thinking when they were close to death, whether they were in pain or despair. If I had another chance, I would do anything to hold their hands, stay with them until their last breath. Otherwise, I would be like I am now, dreaming about them every night, regretting every moment.”

Irey closed his eyes, arms resting on his bent knees. His tall frame curled up, looking small and desolate.

“I don’t like that feeling. I don’t want to regret it again,” he said.

Shelley’s eyes reddened suddenly, the moisture making his lashes wet.

“So, if I can’t change your mind no matter what, at least let me walk with you,” Irey looked at Shelley, shaking off the ash from his cigarette. “At least I can make this journey a bit more comfortable so you don’t end up dying in this godforsaken place.”

Shelley tightly gripped the edge of the sleeping bag. At first, he tried hard to hold back the tears filling his eyes, but the tiny bit of rationality was no match for the overwhelming tide of emotions. The tears fell like scattered beans, wetting his clothes, then the sleeping bag, and finally soaking a small patch of earth.

He couldn’t say anything; any words would seem utterly pale at this moment.

His frail body trembled uncontrollably, curling up to avoid Irey’s gaze, not wanting him to see his vulnerable side.

Irey sighed, exhaling the last puff of smoke from his lungs, then tossed the cigarette butt into the campfire. The flames leaped a little higher.

“Come here and give me a hug.”

He stretched out his arms, holding the sobbing Omega, gently patting his back.

【Author’s Note】

It really is a happy ending, I’ve tagged it as such, please believe me!