Page 177 of Awakened

Idril's face turns red. “I’m fine. I promise. If I eat a lot, I’ll get sick. It’ll pass eventually.”

“How much is she eating?” I direct my question toward Caelan, but not because I’m trying to be an asshole. Because when I look at Idril, I’m suddenly noticing things. Things I ignored before… and can’t ignore now.

Like how her cheekbones are too sharp. Or how I can visibly trace her collarbones beneath the fabric of her shirt.

Fuck! When did I start looking at her again? Have her fingers always been so fucking delicate?

How did I miss it before? I don’t… I don’t understand.

You’re lying to yourself, my Alpha snaps, finally speaking for the first time in days. You didn’t miss it. You chose not to look.

My heart races. That can’t be fucking true. It can’t.

There's no way she’s been so severely malnourished the entire time she’s been here, right? It’s not possible. This has to be a side effect from whatever she did last night. The same thing that made her pass out.

Yes. That’s it. It has to be.

Because if it isn’t, that means I’ve spent the last fourteen days ignoring the physical deterioration of an Omega. Something I would have clocked instantly in the field.

And that’s just not possible.

Is it?

My Alpha laughs, low and mocking. The sound makes my head spin. I think I’m going to throw up. The sound is damning. More damning than any words could be because I know… deep down… my instincts are right.

I’m lying to myself.

“Dax?”

My vision is blurry when I turn toward the sound of Vae’s voice. He frowns, leans over, and whispers, “What’s going on? You’re sweating. Your lips are pale.”

I wish I could explain, but I can’t find the words. I need to talk to Caelan. Ask him if Idril’s worse now than she was when they met.

I want to ask the Omega a thousand things. My mind is spinning, working faster than I can keep up. Each new question leads to a dozen more until I realize⁠—

I don’t truly know anything about this female.

The door swings open, and Calder saunters in, wearing fitted jeans and an old band tee. He somehow manages to emit an air of professionalism even though he crosses the room without looking up once from his phone.

He sets down his medical bag and a thermos of coffee. The smile on his face falls when he finally turns, acknowledging our existence.

“Oh. You’re all here. That’s… something.”

His gaze lands on me, and his eyes brighten.

“Daxen.” His lips twitch. “You look like shit.”

“Thanks,” I respond dryly, ignoring Vae’s snort of amusement.

He folds his arms across his chest and leans against the table. “Does anyone want to tell me why I’ve been summoned at this ungodsly hour?”

Idril scrunches her nose and leans closer to Caelan and whispers, “It’s like 10 a.m.”

“Calder works night shift. So this is more like 4 a.m. for him.”

“Correct,” Calder says. “Which puts all of you on my shit list.”

He pauses, then clarifies, “Except for the Omega. Pretty sure she gets a free pass for life after her two-week stay at Hotel Horrorshow.”