Page 75 of Hidden Fates

I chuckle with her, wiping a hand over my face as I stare up at her ceiling. This is a lot. My whole life has been upended and rewritten over the past few weeks. I should slow down, let myself find my gravity before I dive into anything else, but the sense of urgency is hard to ignore.

I wasted eight years away from Skye on a maybe. I don’t want to make the same mistake with Bellamy.

Sliding my hands away from my face, I flip the phone back up to find her smiling knowingly.

“So, if I were to ask him on a date, where should I take him?”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Cold air hardens my nipples and raises goosebumps on my skin, urging me to shift from foot to foot as I wait for Skye to get home.

Emmett text to let us know they were close and she was getting antsy. If I had to leave my smokin’ hot, tattooed Alpha for a week, I’d be a hot mess too.

The car appears in the treeline and rolls to a stop several feet away. Laughter tumbles out of me when the back door slams open and my Omega flies outside.

“Careful, Darling.” Quentin calls after her.

Snow still speckles the yard and the driveway, so I rush to meet her, not wanting to risk her slipping and injuring herself. She tosses herself in my arms, nose immediately burying against my throat. The force nearly knocks me on my ass, but Onyx’s massive hand steadies me.

“Hey there, dandelion.”

Tilting her head back she grins at me with tear-filled eyes. Holding her with one arm, I brush them away before they can fall. My lips press gently to hers, the kiss meant to be reassuring despite how hard I am having her in my arms.

What’s a perpetually horny Beta supposed to do?

“Give her to me,” Onyx grunts, not waiting for my response before he rips her out of my arms.

Pouting, I smack my hand on his ass and dart away. He can have his moment with her since we both know it will be short-lived. She needs a few hours cuddled up to Caleb to help get rid of those dark circles.

Inside the door I find Skye and Emmett’s suitcases, so I grab them and head upstairs. Em isn’t in his room, so I drop his just inside his door and head to Skye’s. I find him fixing the comforter that is half hanging off her bed.

Oops. Probably should have tidied in here after Quentin let us know they were coming home today.

“Here’s the rest of her stuff,” I let him know, sitting the scent container on the floor near her nest. He has the suitcases with her clothes at his feet, so this one must be her on-the-go nesting supplies. “I brought yours up. Sat it inside your door.”

“Thanks. How were things while we were gone?”

He heads into her closet, so I follow. “As good as expected. Had a little scare with Caleb slipping into a rut, but we had blockers on hand.”

Humming, he sorts out her clothes. I step to his side, a handful of hangers ready for the pieces that need hanging up.

“We should keep an eye on him. If he went into one unexpectedly, it could be a side effect of their bond sickness.”

Oh, shit. I didn’t think of that. I know ruts aren’t as common for Alphas as they are Omegas. Usually, they’re brought on by their bonded mate’s heats or points of extreme distress.

Does being away from Skye so soon after bonding count for that? Or is Emmett right?

Shaking my head, I take the sweaters he put on the hangers and add them back to the racks. Determining the cause of his sudden rut is way above my pay grade.

“We should get them both into a specialist, right?”

Emmett pauses to rub a hand along his jaw. “Definitely. We don’t want to have symptoms keep popping up with no understanding of how to alleviate them. I’ll have Quentin find a doctor for them.”

Good plan, boss man, I want to say, but he still seems withdrawn, so I redirect our conversation.

“How’re you doing? What happened to your Omi must have been stressful.”

“I’m worried about her,” he admits. “She’s the only parental figure I have left.”