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I sat at my computer, my eyes straining after being used for hours to scroll the internet. I wore Riley’s hoodie, the one that saidKnotty or Niceon it. I buried my face into the neckline of the material, trying to pull more of her into my lungs. My pointer finger scrolled the wheel on the mouse as I read through online white pages, searching for the name Druman.
A knock came at my door and I bade them to enter without turning to look. All three of my dads and my mom came into the room, taking a seat on the bench at the foot of my bed.
“Storm, darling, we want to ask you something,” Papa Greg said.
“Yeah?”
“Can you look at us please, just for a moment? I know how badly you want to find her.”
With great effort, I pulled my gaze from the screen and turned my wheeled chair so I could face my dads and my mom. All four of them had soft, compassionate looks on their faces and it scared me.
“What’s going on? What happened?”
“Whoa, hey, it’s alright. Nothing happened. We are just really concerned with how little you have been sleeping.” They shared a glance, then Papa Tony continued, “When you and Riley were back at school, did anything, um, physical happen between the two of you?”
My face flamed bright red. “Um . . .”
Papa Corey cleared his throat. “We understand this isn’t something you want to talk to your dads about, but we have to know. We have a theory and need to know if it’s right.”
I licked my lips, and my eyes darted around the room. This was so awkward.
“Yes,” I whispered.
“And, uh, did you happen to, um . . . bite her at all?” my mom asked softly.
“No, I didn—”
My face blanched as my denial died. I hadn’t remembered until just now, but during our three-day sexcapade in our nest, I had bitten her. She had cried out, begging me to claim her, to make her mine. Lost to the haze that was Riley, I had clamped down on her wrist with my teeth while I had been thrusting my inflatable knot dildo into her. At that moment, everything had seemed to narrow and the only thing I could see was her.
My eyes met my parents’ one by one, and they all nodded in understanding.
“We thought so. Storm, sweetheart, you started the bonding process with her. It’s why you are so focused on getting her back. Did she return the bite?” Papa Tony asked me.
“No . . . there was no time. We collapsed into sleep after I bit her and then the next day, the school disturbed us and pulled us from our nest.”
“Fuck,” Papa Corey said.
“What? What does that mean? What’s wrong?!” I demanded, rising to my feet in agitation.
“Sweetheart, if Riley didn’t complete the bond, she is probably suffering a lot more than you are right now,” my mom said.
“What do you mean? What is happening to her?”
My dads exchanged another glance and then Papa Greg took my hands and pulled me into a hug. “Her body knows that it has been claimed. Her omega side is going to want to complete that bond. But with you not being there, well, honestly, sweetheart, it’s going to feel like her bond is snapping. Every moment away from you is going to be torture.”
Tears sprang to my eyes. “No. No, please no. I mean, this sucks being away from her, but I can deal. She’s okay too, right? Tell me she’s okay!” I pleaded.
My dads held me close, and my mom stroked my hair. They whispered words of understanding and compassion at me, but nothing pierced the ringing in my ears. My Riley was suffering and I wasn’t there to help her. What had I done?
Chapter24
Ryan
Icouldn’t take it any longer. I knew Storm had come home unexpectedly in May. She hadn’t returned to school, so something was wrong. Victor and Declan forbade me from going to see her. They said whatever happened, she needed time, and when she was ready to talk to me, she would reach out.
But I knew better. Storm held a grudge like nobody’s business. The last time we spoke, she was furious with my pack and me . . . for good reason. We had judged her harshly and without regard for her feelings. After she had taken off to her room in anger, her fathers had given us all a good dressing down. It had been hard to hear, but it had opened our eyes to what was right in front of us.
If we intended to bring Storm into our pack, that meant we had to bring every part of her in. It wouldn’t be fair to tell her we wanted only her, especially if she was matched to another. Now, this moment of clarity wasn’t instantaneous for any of us by any means. It had taken us all several conversations and a few arguments until we realized what entitled assholes we had been.
