“Am I a bad person?” I asked my unborn child.
If I’d have justtoldVinny about the marriage, and about the alpha mark that apparently belonged to Logan Stellar, none of this would have happened.
At least, that’s what my brain told me anytime I stopped to think.
If I hadn’t assumed Violet would tell everyone when she was ready, she’d be home and pestering the house in a way only she could get away with.
Over and under. The yarn tightened and I forced my fingers to relax.
I wondered how her babies were doing. For the first few days, I’d felt her hunger and exhaustion through our bond, but after that? Radio silence.
As an omega, it wasn’t my job to protect her, she had Serena, Benji, and Vinny for that. But, at some point, Violet had shifted into more than just a pack-mate, she’d ventured into the lover territory, just as everyone else had. I just didn’t realize it until it was too late.
Over and under.
The house was quiet, too quiet.
The loop slipped too tight again and I swore softly, loosening it with shaking fingers.
“I should’ve said something,” I whispered.
I reached for the next loop, and the world tilted.
It wasn’t gradual. It was like I got hit by a wave and dragged under the surface.
It was warm, and alive, and familiar, and–
I gasped, the yarn dropping from my hands as my missing bond slammed back into place so hard it stole the air from my lungs.
“Violet.”
I shoved the half-knit blanket off my lap and pushed to my feet too fast. The room swayed and I caught myself on the edge of the couch, laughing breathlessly.
“She’s back,” I whispered to my stomach. “She’s back.”
Another pulse.
This one sharper.
From her I felt fear, and confusion, it mixed with a sense of relief, probably from Vinny or Benji.
Serena. I had to get Serena.
I didn’t even make it to the door.
Heavy footsteps pounded down the hall, and as I rounded the corner, I nearly ran face first into Serena.
She towered in front of me, hair mussed with sleep, butt naked from being in the nest, and eyes not just alive, but fully oriented.
She looked down at me, practically vibrating.
“Did you feel that?” She whispered.
I nodded, breathless. “Vinny marked Violet.”
That meant VinnyhadViolet, and we’d see them any minute. But, the relief in my bond quickly changed to something stronger.
Rage flooded through the pack bond like fire catching dry timber. Possessive. Territorial. Protective in a way that made my stomach drop.
