Page 148 of Awakened

”Let’s keep this low-key,” Dax continues. “Look for movement, signs of Severed. The area is warded off in the aerial footage. Most military sites are, and the wards don’t just drop when the site is abandoned, unfortunately.”

“How’d you get that footage then?” Branwen asks.

“Hacked into a kid’s drone a few months ago. Got lucky.”

“What, like… for fun?”

Daxen shifts to the side and pins her with an unblinking stare. “Yes. For fun.”

Before she can reply, he turns to Caelan and asks, “Not going to insist on going?”

Caelan shrugs. “I’m good here. With my Omega.”

We can all hear what he’s not saying. My Omega who’s still healing. My Omega who’s traumatized because of you. My Omega Fated Mate who you betrayed.

Dax nods and zips up his laptop bag before hitching it onto his shoulder. “Alright then. I’ll go let Gavran know what the plan is.”

He barely makes it two steps when Caelan’s hand shoots out and his palm slams into the middle of his chest. Dax freezes, every line of his body going rigid. Caelan waits until he has Dax’s full attention.

“This bullshit game you're playing is going to bite you in the ass,” Caelan whispers. “So you better be fucking sure you want to keep playing it.” His fingers flex until he’s squeezing Dax’s shoulder so hard I’m worried something’s about to pop out. Then, like it's a foul curse, and not an endearment we’ve used for five hundred years, he spits, “Brother.”

All the blood drains from Dax’s face and… Fates, are his hands shaking? Wordlessly, he wrenches out of Caelan’s grip and stalks across the room, wrenches open the door, and disappears into the hall as it slams shut behind him.

I just stand there like an idiot, not having a single fucking clue what to say or do. I glance to the side where my brother still stands, and for the first time I really wonder if there’s any way for us to fix this.

Branwen clears her throat awkwardly. “Ah… I’m going to check on Idril. See how she’s feeling.” She reaches out and grabs Silas by the arm. “Let’s go, puppy. Maybe we can find you a bone to play with.”

Silas frowns down at the female—who’s easily half his size—but lets her drag him behind her toward the exit. Right before he gets to the door, he glances at me.

“I’ll meet you in the foyer at two?”

I nod in agreement before he, too, disappears.

Caelan’s still standing where he was when he stopped Dax, staring aimlessly at the empty air in front of him. A glance around the room confirms everyone else really is gone, which means it’s only me left to figure out what to do now.

Guess that’s one way to force myself into action. Just gotta be the only dumbass not to escape when they had the chance.

Oh yeah. Totally nailing this not-being-a-coward thing.

Fucknugget.

“No one fucking asked you. Go back to napping, or whatever it is you’ve been doing the last four hours.”

Making up new names to call you when you’re acting like a Twat-taco.

I snort a silent laugh. That one was actually kinda clever.

Clever?

Yeah, you know… Twattaco? Twat. Taco.

Are you ill?

Fates, forget it.

Ass-tini.

I consider simply not answering my Alpha, assuming a lack of response will shut him up. Unfortunately, my Alpha doesn’t even consider I might be ignoring him. Apparently, he immediately assumes I’m just too stupid to understand his joke. The silence lasts five seconds before⁠—