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Between her scent and that heart-shattering sound, her pain and agony wash over me like they’re mine.
Fuck, I wish they were mine.
I wish I could take this from her, rewind time, cradle her in my arms, and hold her close until the alphas rocked up and found us both in that nest, both in heat.
I’ll die with this regret.
ATLAS
The scent of fresh-torched crème brûlée rewrites my fucking DNA.
It’s not just the scent.
It’s the sight of her.
Lilah.
My mate.
She pulls in herself, shaking and pained, and her soundless scream is the worst sound I’ve ever heard. Second worst is Orion’s panicked breathing as he crumbles.
The pack’s a fucking wreck, and I have to shut down the bond to cut off all four flavors of despair.
Hunter freezes like his hard drive’s being rebooted, Jett’s grip on the doorframe is the only thing keeping him upright, and Finn is on his knees staring Lilah down with yandere-level obsession like if he submits hard enough, it’ll fix this clusterfuck.
I don’t blame him.
If she responds, I’ll crawl like a worm.
She’s our mate.
It seems so simple now that I see what she means to Orion. There’s no fight. No fissure.
She’s our missing piece.
Only, instead of welcoming her like a treasure, we bent her all the fuck out of shape.
“How long was my heat?” Orion asks, dazed.
“Three days,” Hunter mutters.
“Three—” I choke. She can’t have been in this goddamned barrel that whole time.
Please say she hasn’t.
My instincts ride me, screaming to scoop her into my arms and offer the shelter she so obviously, so desperately needs, but the reality is my touch will only make this worse.
Before any of us can restart our pulverized brains, the whine cuts and Lilah collapses.
Finn darts in, catching her before her head hits concrete.
“Call an ambulance,” Orion whispers, sounding broken, and I don’t even dare touch him. He’ll hate me more now, knowing I’m the one who drove Lilah away.
I couldn’t protect her.
Jett’s already dialing, but that’s not good enough.
“Chopper,” I bark. “We’re taking her to Wyvern Clinic. Now.”
