Page 221 of Awakened

When I mentioned we could try and do something to warn those about to be affected, she gave me a look of exasperated fondness and said, “Darling, what would you have me do? Start a Facebook group? They’d call me a nutter and lock me away even if they believed me.”

I couldn’t even argue. Especially when I just spent weeks with males who refused to believe the truth no matter how often I tried telling it to them.

The bathroom door opens, and a billow of steam appears, followed by my Mate. Caelan pads into the room, naked except for a towel slung low on his waist. Droplets of water run in rivulets down his chest before disappearing into the cotton.

My mouth goes dry. It’s impossible not to be affected by him, especially now, when all I can see are miles of toned muscles and smooth, tan, tattooed skin.

My fingers tighten around the remote, and I have to bite down on my lower lip to keep a moan from escaping.

Caelan sees my reaction and grins, shooting me a cocky wink that has heat rushing to my cheeks.

Despite that, I’m not nearly as embarrassed by my responses as I was a few days ago. Everything with Caelan is just so… easy. He was my first kiss. The first male to ever touch me. The first Alpha to make me feel alive. Wanted.

My Bonds with each male are different, but no less intense. I’m sure they’ll grow and change, just as our relationships will grow and change, but my Bond with Caelan will always be unique.

He was the first male to give me the love and safety I’ve spent my whole life yearning for, and to do so without reservation. Without even having to ask.

A sharp knock at the door has Caelan frowning as he runs a hand over his shorn hair. I stay where I am, readjusting my blanket nervously. My Omega is not happy about someone randomly showing up in the room that belongs to her, and I can’t help but also feel a little on edge.

This is where we sleep, where we relax, where we’ve been safe for the first time in two decades.

Caelan clocks my movements and his frown deepens. At the sound of another knock, he mouths, ‘Stay here,’ and marches to the door.

How have I never noticed the way he moves before? The way his muscles tense and roll beneath his skin, and how his chest and thighs flex as he reaches for the doorknob, lower body coiling tight. His every sense is on high alert, prepared to spring into motion to protect me from any potential threat.

Fates, even his scent is extra strong. The aroma of a hearth fire wafts through the air. Each note of smoked cedar, ash, and honeyed whiskey intensifies, filling the room and infusing my lungs until I swear I can taste him on my tongue.

I shake myself out of my scent-induced haze as Caelan squares his shoulders and yanks open the door.

Daxen.

Of course.

His scent hits me—Cedar, smoke, and cold stone—and my Omega relaxes. It blends with Caelan’s, creating a mouth-watering cocktail that makes my Omega purr.

Their scents are similar, but Daxen’s is sharper; his cold stone overpowers the cedar and smoke. Caelan’s is much warmer—it’s what I’ve always imagined home is meant to smell like. Like whiskey on my lips and fire in my soul, wrapping me in a downy cocoon of safety.

My hands shake as I reach for my blanket, pulling it closer to my chest.

It’s not like this is the first time I’ve scented them together. Now that I’m staying in Caelan’s room—in the same wing as Vae and Dax—I smell them everywhere. They’re always here, blending perfectly along with Soren’s Pine and Chestnut.

I’ve just never felt it so intensely.

Daxen pushes into the room, eyes fixated on the television as he makes a beeline for the lounge where I’ve been holed up all evening.

“Good, you’re already watching.” He plops down on the opposite end of the couch from me and points to the screen. “They’re bringing a guest on in a second. It’s someone I want you both to see.”

Both of us?

Caelan sighs and shuts the door with a bit more force than necessary. “You couldn’t have, oh, I dunno… fucking not?”

Dax tosses a frown over his shoulder. “Uh, no? I need you to see this. And I can’t find Vae, so I’ll have to fill him in later.”

Caelan’s jaw flexes as he disappears into his closet, reappearing a few minutes later in a pair of grey joggers. Daxen hasn’t said a word to me. I’m not sure if he’s ignoring me, or if he’s just so excited that he’s simply oblivious to everything else.

Caelan sits next to me and leans forward. “What’s this about?”

Dax waits until the news cuts to a commercial, then twists to face us. “Alright, so, Riven and I have been tracking all of the disturbances since the night we brought you back to HQ. Recently, we sat down and spent an entire afternoon mapping the location of each event.”