CHAPTER 22
Helena
I wakeup alone in a room full of ghosts.
It’s only me in the bed, sheets kicked off and pillow sweat-damp under my cheek. But bright sun shines in through an open window that heralds the first beautiful, sunny day in almost a week. The air is so clean and not-humid, my first thought is:I must have dreamed it all. Both the summer storm and the three alphas, and the way my own body turned traitor and dragged me through a fever-dream of pleasure and clawing desperation.
I lift my head, expecting the world to blur, for reality to reassert itself, but no. I’m still here. I’m still me.
The only difference is that something fundamental is missing from the air. It’s that frantic gnaw of heat. It has drained out of me overnight, leaving only a dull ache under my skin and the absolute certainty that I can’t go back to who I was before I came here.
I sit up and run my hands over my shoulders. The angry, raised bites are days gone. Now, they’re only faint, silvery lines. My whole body vibrates with the memory.
I stand and catch myself in the mirror. My hair’s a wild tangle, my eyes too brightly blue. God, even my lips are still mildly swollen.
This is what it means to be an omega.
The aftermath.
Waking up with three alpha’s scents braided into your hair and knowing you’ll never get them out—not that you’d want to. Knowing your fate is now inextricably tied to theirs.
I am bonded. Not just to Zane, but to Lucas and Cole as well.
Holy shit.
I pull on a loose and floaty dress and will myself to breathe. Down the hall, there’s movement: the low, guttural rumble of a man’s voice and a chair scraping on tile. It’s probably Zane doing security checks. I brush my hair out and try to overall become presentable-looking despite spending the last however long in heat.
Zane is standing at the counter pouring coffee when I pad into the kitchen. He’s so focused on his phone, he doesn’t notice me at first. The blue light reflects off his cheekbones, painting him in shades of cool steel.
I hover in the doorway, watching him. Waiting to see if he’ll look up and catch me. Waiting to see if this, the first morning after my heat, changes anything.
But all I feel is gratitude for them all taking care of me so closely.
He senses me before he sees me. His eyes flick up and go soft. That’s new. But he blinks it away and nods in my direction. “You’re up early. Your heat’s passed?”
“So are you. And yes, it has.” I pour myself a mug of coffee. The room is weirdly silent, like it’s holding its breath. “Where are the others?”
“Cole had to open the bakery. They’ve held it down without him for the last few days, but I know he was excited to get back to it.” Zane offers me some milk for my coffee. “Lucas is probably running on the beach. He’s had an easier time taking off work. But this is good. I wanted to talk before things got busy.” Hepushes a plate of toast across the counter to me, and I stare at it, suspicious.
“Am I in trouble?” I say it like a joke, but it lands flat.
Zane glances out the window at the bright new day, then back at me. “You’re not in trouble, Helena. But things are…complicated.”
There’s a word for it, Zane.
Bonded. Mated. Fucked.
Instead, I ask, “Complicated how?”
He sighs and his jaw coils tight. I know the answer before he says it. “Your father wants you home early. There’s a car coming tonight. He wants to see you and is no longer happy to wait for you to get on a train, as that conversation happened over a week ago now.”
The toast turns to sawdust in my mouth. I had forgotten all about my father’s ultimatum during my heat, but time hasn’t changed my answer. “No. He can’t just—I just got here. And I’m an adult with my own life.”
Zane’s jaw flexes. “He can and he will. That’s how it works when you’re a high society omega and—no offense—on a trust fund.”
“That’s how itusedto work,” I say, voice rising. “And I don’t need my father’s money. I thought the whole point of coming here was?—”
“To give you some freedom before the Omega Selection Day?” Zane’s smile is thin and bitter. “It was a nice idea. And as much as I want that idea to continue, I do have orders.”
