Page 204 of Awakened

You will not tell the Omega that the clock is mocking you, Vaelenor. You will not. This is still salvageable, but not if you accidentally convince her inanimate objects are bullying you.

“You know what? It’s actually nothing,” I give her my most charming smile, which I’m pretty sure doesn’t work when her frown deepens.

“It’s just really loud,” I add. “That’s all. Never noticed how freaking loud it is.”

Caelan has clearly reached his limit. He mutters something under his breath that sounds suspiciously like “I can’t watch this anymore,” and takes a seat on the couch. Soren follows, taking a seat next to Caelan, still sporting that damn smirk.

What the hell does this asshole think he knows?

What Soren does or does not know ceases to matter when Idril reaches out and plucks the blanket from the top of the pile. Her movements are hesitant, like she’s already anticipating the moment it’s ripped from her arms.

For a long moment she simply holds the blanket in front of her, a barely-there smile on her lips. Then, in a move I did not see coming, she turns and takes a seat between Caelan and…

Me.

She unfolds the blanket and wraps it around her shoulders like a cape, sighing in contentment. Then she turns toward me, and her mouth curls up into a bright, blinding smile, and all the oxygen gets sucked out of the room.

Fuck… I am seriously screwed.

I’m obsessed with my brother’s Fated Mate. Like… really, seriously, obsessed with her.

The light, airy feeling under my skin intensifies as she leans to the side and whispers, “Thank you, Vaelenor. It’s lovely.”

“It’s no big deal,” I insist. I force myself to look away, but I can still see the smile on her face from the corner of my eye, and suddenly, it doesn’t matter how much I blundered through the whole situation. It’s irrelevant compared to the look of unbridled joy on her face.

That joy is exactly why I spent thousands of dollars on the best blankets for Omegas that money can buy—something I didn’t even know existed a week ago.

Worth every damn penny.

Daxen’s voice cuts through the room, putting an end to murmured side conversations and reminding me why we’re actually here.

“So, Soren—what’s this about? You said you went through Cage’s things?”

The disapproving look he’s aiming at the wolven doesn’t go unnoticed. Soren straightens in his seat, returning Dax’s glare with one of his own.

“We did. It should have happened days ago. I don’t know what kind of half-cocked operation you’re running here, but searching Cage’s room should have been one of the first orders of business—especially after what you found on his cell.”

He stands, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a basic-style cell phone and a folded piece of crumpled paper. He tosses both unceremoniously onto the coffee table.

“We were a little busy trying to find the asshole,” Daxen replies, and I don’t miss the concerned look he flicks toward Caelan, who’s grinding his molars so hard I can hear it from ten feet away.

Idril shifts, snaking one pale, delicate hand out from under her blanket and placing it on top of Caelan’s jean-clad thigh. Without looking, he covers her hand with his and visibly relaxes at the contact.

It’s not a flashy moment. In fact, I’m not sure if anyone but me saw it. And yet, I’m hit with a wave of jealousy so thick it hurts to breathe.

Any chance that Idril might be my Mate has flown out the window because of whatever new Bond she shares with Caelan. As far as I know, she’s Soren’s Scent-Match, but no one’s said fuck all about her and Caelan being Scent-Matched, so it’s safe to assume they’re not.

I mean, I can’t imagine Caelan would keep that to himself. And even though he hasn’t scented her Omega perfume himself, she’s scented him. They’d know if that Bond existed.

Whatever this silver-threaded Bond is, there’s one thing we know for sure. It apparently snapped into place so fast and seamlessly that not even Caelan was completely sure what actually happened until he saw her for the second time, days later.

That’s fast. Whatever triggered it, it didn’t take much, so the chances I might share the same kind of Bond with Idril are practically non-existent at this point.

I mean, Caelan knew before he even heard her voice. If the Bond hasn’t appeared for me by now, then it’s not going to.

Right?

I mean, Fates, there’s no reason even to think I might share a Bond with her. After the way Dax and I treated her… Fate wouldn’t dare bless me with such a gift.