Page 288 of Tormented Omega

Because it's impossible.

Because I belong to another pack.

Because I'm still in pain.

Because everything is already falling apart.

And now there's this—this bond-flare, this instinctual certainty—lighting up inside me like a brand.

I gasp, clawing weakly at Finn's shirt.

"Finn—"

"I've got you," he promises, voice urgent. "You're safe. You're—"

Malcolm and Alex are frozen for a beat, their attention snapping into place with the same recognition.

Alex's eyes lock on mine.

Malcolm's breath catches.

Their nostrils flare again, deeper, like they can scent what just happened inside me.

My bond ignited. Imprinted.

On them.

My stomach churns with terror as another cramp hits and I cry out, body curling inward.

I can't hold it together.

Everything is too much.

The scents are too strong.

The bond is too bright.

The pain is too sharp.

I sob, shaking, as the world tilts and slides, my consciousness flickering.

The realization breaks through the fog of pain: they must have known all along. With me unblocked and them on suppressants, they could scent our compatibility while I remained oblivious. They deliberately masked themselves from me.

Why?

The question forms on my tongue, but dissolves as another wave of agony crashes through me.

The last thing I register before everything goes hazy is Finn's frantic voice—apologizing, soothing, promising—and Malcolm and Alex closing in, not touching yet, but surrounding me with presence like walls. Promising to take the pain away. Promising to take care of me.

And my own body, traitorous and desperate, hearing the screaming in my mind but reaching for them anyway.

To be continued…