Just that slight attention and direction helped her relax. She's actually eaten a quarter of her panini. I learned a few days ago that they're her favorites. The guys have been giving me pointers here and there to help me get her out of her shell. I'm almost confident I can guide this conversation the way she needs me to.
So after the tenth glance she gives me across the table, I shove my plate to the side. "Alright, Firefly, I think it's time we have a talk," I say, my voice a little deeper than normal.
Her attention shoots up to me, and I almost curse because I made her stop eating. We're supposed to be helping her appetite not hindering it. At least that's what Kade said.
She doesn't say anything, so I just go right for the money shot. The one thing, without a shadow of a doubt, Imustknow.
"Silas said you felt something before we met. What did you feel?"
To my complete andutterfucking surprise, she lights up. Her eyes glow, and she straightens her shoulders. "You!"
"Me? Baby, what do you mean you felt me?"
She sighs and drops a chip back onto her plate. When she speaks this time, her tone is a bit tighter and her hands begin to shake. "Nobody else felt it. But it was you."
I need more information than that. Worried pushing too hard will make her clam up, I reach a hand across the table and grab her hand. "I'm listening."
It's as if those two words unleash a whole new side of Vivian. The shackles on her voice box and the anxiety stuffing her words inside release her from their clutches. "I could see the red tether off in the distance. It was agitated and didn't belong in my pack bond."
"What do you mean you could see it?" I'm already confused and we've barely even scratched the surface. At the same time, I want to shout from the fucking rooftops that she's talking to me!
Unfortunately, my line of questioning was the wrong one. She shuts down and drops her gaze. Her lips press together, and the hand I'm holding becomes sweaty.
Jarek chooses that moment to stride into the kitchen. His face holds empathy and understanding as he goes to stand beside his mate.Did he sense the distress I caused?With his hand on the back of her neck, he bends and murmurs something in her ear. She nods, and Jarek addresses me next.
"Vivian experiences the bond differently. She can close her eyes and literally sink into a subspace or her soul. We each have our own color and ways we present in the pack bond. Does that make sense?"
No. "Sure. So colors?"
Jarek nods and gives me a small smile. "I'm gold. Kade is silver. Silas is blue. The space around her is filled with butterflies and a green/blue hue. That's how she describes it."
What the fuck is he talking about?"I'm sorry. Maybe I’m being completely dense, but I've never known anything aboutbonds. I basically ignored that in college because it was never on my to do list. But what you're saying doesn't make any sense."
Vivian stiffens, but before I can apologize, she sighs. "It's hard to explain. I just—the pack bond is very vivid to me. A whole other world of comfort and reassurance."
Jarek picks up the explanation when her voice drifts off. "We never fully understood it either, but the deeper our bonds have grown, the more we can feel her in there. It's real and something that grounds our omega. Is that enough for you?"
I hear the warning in his voice, but I'm not done. "What color did you say I am, Vivian?"
"What?" Jarek whispers.
"Red," Vivian answers at the same time.
Another piece of the puzzle slips into place. They said something changed, and she was off a few days or so before she was kidnapped. "It sounds like you started feeling me there when I got close to town."
Jarek swallows. "It was proximity for us too. When she started feeling our tethers, I mean. She told us our tethers began by orbiting around her, but we never fully sunk in and touched her until we were fully bonded."
Vivian nods and smiles, her eyes glazing over a bit. "Jay's around my chest. Kade is around my throat and head. Silas flies around, teasing and checking on everything."
Another question pops into my mind. "Before being fully bonded you could feel all that!?"
"We've found some omegas are able to begin forming bonds before an actual mating mark. Our friends who've delved deeper into some of the research think it's due to uncommon life experiences. Trauma and neurodivergence." Jarek's tone is so clinical it almost annoys me.
I take a deep breath so I don't hurt Vivian when I say this next part. Leaning forward, I steeple my fingers and stare thealpha down. "I'm sorry. So, you're telling me Vivian probably bonded me without my knowledge just by beingnearme?"
"I'm telling you it's possible," Jarek says impatiently, like he's not completely exploding my brain.
I try to get a read on his expression. He looks a little sick, as if this conversation has thrown him off kilter. His eyes, though, look like Vivian's: open and warm.
