Page 186 of Awakened

“Wait, I thought⁠—”

“Shut the fuck up, Daxen.”

I shut the fuck up.

He sighs, pushing off the table and planting his hands on his hips. “The way we handled things with the Omega was, hands down, the biggest fuck up we’ve made as an organization since I took over. I am not blameless. I failed on multiple levels. I failed as your leader, and I failed as an Alpha. I will make amends for both failures.”

His face hardens into granite, and I know this next part is gonna be rough.

“I don’t know how you’re going to fix this, but I can tell you this much—you both need to do some serious self-reflection. Both of you have issues you need to address. Issues I should have pushed you to confront a long, long time ago. And I think if you’re being honest with yourselves, you already know what those issues are.”

I open my mouth to speak, but the look on Gav’s face has me biting back my response.

“You want my advice? Here it is. Grow up. Stop being a coward. When I look back at your actions the last two weeks, you know what I see? Little boys hiding with their heads under the covers. I see children, too stubborn and prideful to admit when they’re wrong.

“That Omega might never forgive you. Caelan might never forgive you. But if you’re half the men I know you are, that won’t stop you from your duty.”

I try not to shrink beneath the heavy stare of his amber eyes. I feel about two inches tall. I feel even shorter when he turns his back on us and leaves without another word.

Neither of us makes a move to follow.

For hours, I sit in silence, contemplating… everything. And despite Vae sitting less than a foot away from me…

I’ve never felt so fucking alone.

Chapter 22

Soren

I’m fairly certain my Omega just almost became a feed bag for her Fated Mates.

I race down the hall of the castle, with Idril in my arms. I’m not sure where I’m going, but I follow my instincts. Eventually, I find my way to the kitchen—and to the door I entered days ago when I first arrived.

The door I know leads outside, where all that separates Idril and me from the forest is the empty training yard.

Once we get to the door, I set Idril next to me in the kitchen and reach for the handle. Before I can turn it, Idril places a hand on my arm, stopping me without saying a word.

“Soren, why are we running?” I steel myself for the fear I know I’m going to see in her eyes. When I look down at her, I have to do a double take.

Because she’s not afraid at all.

“Hold on,” I squint, just to be sure I’m not seeing things. “You’re not… scared?

“No, should I be?” She frowns, tilting her head to the side in confusion. Her long white hair cascades over her shoulder in waves.

Unable to help myself, I reach out and wrap a section of her hair around my fist. Fates, it’s so soft, like silver silk.

My mind jumps to images of Idril’s hair wrapped around my fist just like now, but instead of the kitchen, we’re tangled up in dark satin sheets. With a lot less clothing.

I open my fist, dropping the strands of hair before I do something stupid.

Gods, my hormones have been spiraling since the moment I scented Idril’s arousal yesterday. All I can think about is bringing her the same pleasure she experienced with Caelan.

Completely oblivious to my fantasies, she waits patiently for me to explain what just happened.

“We were running because they were having a hard time with their… uhm… urges, I guess. They scented your blood, and…”

The mere idea of their fangs slicing into my Omega’s flesh sends a surge of fury through me. When I imagine them feeding from her, my hands curl into fists, and I suddenly want to punch something like the wall.