We lay there interlocked, my head on his chest, in peaceful silence. My heart beat erratically, swelling as he brushed hair away from my damp forehead and kissed me gently on the bridge of my nose.
Killian had just crashed through all the defenses I had built. With Cade, Ryker, and Talon, it was easier to pretend that our connection was purely physical, even if it wasn’t entirely true, and that we were using each other for mutual pleasure. With Killian, I knew it was more than sex.
I had now given him a piece of myself that I couldn’t take back.
My growing attachment to him and, if I was being truly honest, all of them, made me realize I needed to escape and soon.
Killian had tossed his pants haphazardly, and they now rested on the edge of the bed. A sliver of his white key card peaked from the pocket, like a divine sign.
I could not fall for him, I could not get complacent, and I certainly could not lose my will to leave.
He was studying me as though I was the only thing in the world worth seeing. I turned his head to distract him and kissed a soft trail from his ear to his neck. While my mouth worshiped him, my hand betrayed him, sliding across the bed and gently plucking his key card from his pant’s pocket. Without clothes toconceal it, I slipped the card under the pillows at the headboard, praying that he didn’t move them.
Guilt coiled in my gut like a snake, tightening with every memory of his kindness. He was the only one of them who saw me, and I was repaying him with deep betrayal.
As I burned the bridge between us to ashes, I said a silent apology that he would never hear.
Chapter 33: Cade
It had been just after Rowan’s tantrum that my phone chimed, alerting me to the email that entered my inbox. I opened it and saw Arca Logistics Command had forwarded the message. The email read,
Captain Cade Green,
Please see the attached documentation for approved science visitation request #2345674. Omega Rowan Mills and chaperone are to attend an appointment with Dr. Anthony Zolkos at the provided date and time. Dr. Anthony Zolkos requested the visit, and General James Green approved it. Attached are other approved request forms (#54323 & #423465) for additional testing.
I scanned through the attachments in search of more information. It seemed Dr. Zolkos had submitted therequest paperwork soon after Rowan’s appointment. The near immediate approval from my father sent alarm bells ringing. Arca was a bureaucratic nightmare, and requests took plenty of time to process. Plus, they rarely tasked someone as high-ranking as a General with processing these types of requests.
I tried to think if my father had ever mentioned Dr. Zolkos prior to this. What connection did they have besides their newly gained mutual interest in our pack’s omega? What was so special about Rowan that had them both biting at the bit to have her undergo more testing?
Her prolonged suppressant use was certainly unusual, but so far there had been no noticeable or lasting effects, other than the mildly abnormal DNA and blood test results, which could have been because of technical error. The feeling that they were colluding to hide something sent a chill through me.
There were very few things that we would struggle to protect Rowan from, my father and Arca being at the top of the list. The email made it clear we needed to get Rowan out of Falcon City, and as far away from my father and Dr. Zolkos as possible.
My brother’s emergence from Rowan’s bedroom distracted me. Disheveled and half-naked, he carried his shirt, and his fatigues were unbuttoned as he walked out grinning from ear to ear. His look of satisfaction, the scent that blanketed him, and the noises that had earlier emanated from her room, told me all I needed to know.
He strode forward, plopping his massive form into the chair across from me at the table. It groaned in protest, trying desperately to hold his weight. His usual brooding demeanor seemed lightened in a way that only Rowan could accomplish.
“Addictive, isn’t it?” I asked out-loud.
Like a drug. She took my knot. So tight.Killian responded, opting to sign instead of speak.
“Good. She needs to be knotted more before she goes into heat again. She’ll have to be prepared to take what we give her. Her body will need it.”
“I volunteer,” Ryker offered as he sauntered into the kitchen in search of a late night snack. He rifled through the cupboards, grabbing a few chocolate chip cookies and seating himself next to Killian. Killian growled territorially at Ryker, who chuckled, “Down, Big Boy,” and patted him on the shoulder.
“I heard you knotting Kitten. Tell me everything. Did her cunt suck you in?!” Ryker said as he adjusted his hard-on and continued, “Fuck, my star player’s been craving her pussy. I’m tired of only getting my dick sucked. I’m one-hundred percent fucking her next. Cade said I’m first in line to take her virgin ass.”
Killian started growling again at his crudeness, shrugging Ryker’s resting hand off of his shoulder. I have never seen him so protective of anyone, besides me of course. Killian and I had always had each other’s backs. He had certainly surprised me earlier when he carried the little brat out of the room, despite my insistence that she needed to be punished immediately for smashing all our mugs.
Not now. She’s crying,he had signed to me, adamant that she needed comfort rather than behavior correction.
Because we rarely disagreed, I conceded and let him take her, considering what he said. Did Rowan need more comfort? Did we need to change our tactics to acclimate her better? Her nightmares grew more frequent, likely stirred by the buried trauma and sudden loss of the life she once knew.
On the other hand, omegas required discipline; without it, they became bratty, defiant, and restless. She was certainly checking the boxes.
With Rowan, it was difficult to tell whether she was genuinely growing more submissive or simply continuing the act, especially after the stunt she pulled. Controlling and manipulating her emotions was far more challenging than I had expected. Given her skill at lying and pretending to be someone she wasn’t, she proved stubborn to bring to heel. I rubbed my temples, frustration mounting.
“Pack meeting?” Talon questioned with a raised eyebrow as he joined us at the table.
