Page 67 of Bound By Song

And that’s when it hits me – I’ve never been alone. Not really. Not when they’ve been here. Not when they’re so close, so in tune with me. The truth is staring me in the face, and I can’t outrun it anymore.

Dane watches me, his amber scent curling through the air, the weight of his presence grounding me even as my heart races. He doesn’t speak, doesn’t need to. The quiet strength in his scent, in his eyes, says everything.

I thought I wanted to run, wanted to push them all away because I didn’t know how to deal with this. I didn’t know how to face them, face this truth.

But I can’t. I can’t push them away.

Because deep down, beneath all the fear and all the confusion, Iknow. They’re mine. I’m theirs. This was meant to be. And I don’t have to be lonely anymore.

The tension in the air shifts as the weight of my realisation presses down on me. They know. They can feel it, too. I can see it in their eyes, the understanding flickering in the way they’re watching me. Xar’s gaze softens, Blaise’s playful grin fades, andDane’s usual stoic expression cracks, just for a moment, with something that looks like reassurance – like hope.

Xar shifts closer, his scent overwhelming in the best and worst way, the inexplicable comfort it offers wrapping even tighter around me. His hand moves to my shoulder, gentle but firm, as if he’s trying to ground me in this moment. “Eviana,” he says softly, his voice steady, but there’s an undercurrent of something I can’t quite place. “It’s okay. You know now. Your omega has known all along, deep down.”

I shake my head, a quiet protest escaping me. “No,” I whisper, the panic still tight in my chest. “I can’t— How is this possible? I’ve never— I didn’t feel this before. I shouldn’t?—”

I can’t get my words out. Can’t explain that I’m not protestingthem,but this situation. My whole life I’ve been ordered to deny my omega, to lock her up, and now suddenly she’s out of her cage and we’re beingclaimedby three alphas who want us, and I have no idea how to be what they expect. What they need.

I can’t do this. Not because I’m scared of them – because I’m not now, there’s something so innately trustworthy about them – but because I’m scared ofme,of failing them.

I don’t know how to be an omega.

“Eviana,” Blaise interrupts, his voice light but laced with understanding. He steps forward, his scent of apple, bergamot and leather surrounding me, giving me that strange sense of both chaos and calm. “It’s not your fault. You didn’t know. But now, now you can finallysmellus, properly. Your omega knows, even if you’re still figuring it out.” He pauses, giving me a small, reassuring smile. “And don’t think for a second that this changes anything. We’re still the same, still here for you.”

His words make sense, but they also don’t. I can’t breathe, can’t think. I want to run again, to hide from what’s crashing into me. But I can’t ignore it. My body betrays me, and my senses are alive in a way I didn’t think was possible. Theconnection to them, to their scents, is undeniable now. It’s like a hum of electricity coursing through my body. Ever present and electrifying.

Dane steps in, his dark, rich, warm scent rolling through the room like a grounding force.

“The power went out,” he says, his voice low and steady, the same calm that I’ve always found reassuring in him. “The neutraliser stopped. It couldn’t keep blocking the scents anymore. That’s why you can smell us now. Your omega’s reacting to it. To us.”

Thatexplanation hits me like a slap, and I feel my knees go weak, but I force myself to stay sitting, to hold myself steady.

“I don’t understand, I’m on suppressants. They mute my sense of smell,” I mumble, shaking my head. The scent of them, their power, it’s overwhelming, swirling through the air, wrapping around me like a storm. I look from one of them to the next, my eyes wide, my chest tight. “Why now? Why didn’t I notice before?”

Xar leans in slightly, his voice calm and soothing, as though he’s walking me through the chaos in my head. “You weren’t ready before. The neutraliser kept you from feeling us fully. The suppressants would never stop you scenting your true mates once they got close enough, but I suspect your accident will have helped speed things up a bit. It left you vulnerable, your defences were down. But now, the scent’s here. And so is your omega. She knows. It’s always been there, Eviana. We’ve always been here.”

I swallow hard, my breath coming faster as the reality of it all sinks in.

They’re my mates. My alphas. I have a pack.

Blaise crouches down in front of me, his gaze warm and steady, a flicker of concern in his eyes. “You’re not alone anymore, Eviana,” he says quietly. “None of us are. We’re here.We’re a pack, and it can be a wonderful thing. We’ll be here for you, no matter what.”

I want to say something, anything, but all I can do is stare at him, at them. I can’t stop the flood of emotions that rush through me. There’s so much to process, too much for my mind to hold on to at once. But their scent is a tether now, a physical pull I can’t break, no matter how much I try to pull away.

Dane comes closer, like the last piece of a puzzle clicking into place. “We’ll give you the time you need to get comfortable with this, with us, Eviana,” he murmurs. “But don’t think this changes anything. You. Are. Ours. Now it’s undeniable.”

The words hit me like a wave crashing against rocks, and all I can do is close my eyes, trying to catch my breath through the chaos. Now I understand why they weren’t backing off. Why they wouldn’t leave me alone. Because I’m theirs. They were just waiting for me to realise it.

For the first time, I’m glad they didn’t give up on me.

I feel the ache in my chest again, this time softer, quieter, but still there. The connection to them is undeniable. My omega knows. It’s been screaming for them, for this, forus. And now, I can’t ignore it anymore. I can’t fight it.

I just need to find a way toembraceit.

“Breakfast?” Blaise suggests with a cheeky wink, and the tension snaps. Nodding, I let out a relieved sigh and open my eyes, looking at them – my mates.

Xar, Blaise, Dane.

They’re mine, and I’m theirs.

---