Page 165 of Bliss & Her Idols

I never saw it coming either.

A musician. A songwriter. A CEO.

The forgotten, invisible brother.

I heard these labels that he put on himself and didn’t realize that he used them to hide his true mission.

Yet Cricket and I had our own mission as well.

The same one.

Cricket throws his arms around Torin’s neck, loudly purring. “I knew that you were amazing. A true Prince Charming.”

Torin looks surprised, before he tucks Cricket underneath his chin, petting him. “I am pretty amazing.”

“But how?” I demand, eagerly. “What’s the plan?”

“First, you need to meet my family,” Torin begins conspiratorially. “Mena is the Head Alpha. You’ll hate her, but I’m not sure whether she’ll acknowledge your existence. Don’t talk to her if you can avoid it. Una is the next sister. She’d become the Head Alpha, if my plan works. She’s the only one with a bonded pack. They live together in the North Wing. Una sent me photos of my nieces and her pack when I was in Ireland. No one else rang, messaged, or wrote to me, when I was exiled abroad. Una barely knows me because she was distracted with her own family but she’s never hurt me. She’s kind. She sometimes bought me new clothes and books and shit, when she noticed how much I needed them as a kid. She’s the softest of my siblings. Rory, you’ve already met. He’s the only member of the family whose ass is kicked more than mine is. I’m mainly ignored.”

He hesitates.

“What about the twins?” I prompt.

The color drains from Torin’s face. “Stay away from the twins. They’re in their late thirties and see themselves as playboys. I was made an outcast for loving a Beta, but the twins use their power to coerce the Betas. Mena doesn’t do a fucking thing to stop it. Aran is the dance coach and Devin teaches singing. They’re also in charge of discipline. They get a kick out of it.”

My expression becomes thunderous. “Then I’ll get a kick out of—”

“Not yet.” Torin’s voice is deep and rumbling. “We need to look nonthreatening and take up the position that I’ve always held, which is almost at the bottom of the pack. I also need to win Una over. We must keep a low profile, until everything is ready. Never before have I had the outside world on my side. It’s the only protection that I have.”

“Not the only protection.” Cricket gives Torin’s neck a quick lick. “You also have two smart Omegas.”

“How could I forget?” Torin kisses his head.

When my phone vibrates in the pocket of my voluminous dress, I struggle to pull it out.

This dress was definitely not designed with functionality in mind.

I waggle the phone. “It’s a text from my bestie, Lion. He said that he’d look into Easter for me. But then, my phone was taken. Jin’s collapse made me forget about it.”

Then I become ashen as I scroll through the texts.

They are increasingly detailed with screenshots and the type of evidence, which Lionzio has the perfect skill set for discovering. They make me wonder just what job he had in his mafia family.

The phone drops from my numb fingers onto the bed.

Cricket’s eyes widen. “What’s Lion say?”

“He says that Easter is Kennedy.”

Cricket yanks away from Torin, stumbling over the bucket and spilling it. “She can’t be. KennedyhatesJin. She’s the ultimate anti-fan. Her messages online are unhinged. How could I miss that? Easter must be obsessed. A stalker. To have worked her way onto that show, simply to p-p-poison him…”

“Kennedy is Easter’s online name, which she hides behind.” I stare at the beautiful sleeping Beta in the bed. Then I shudder. “I don’t think that Easter merely wanted to poison him. She intended to bond with him. Then she’d…”

“Have been able to take him fuck knows where and do fuck knows what to him. Whatever she wanted for the rest of his life.” Torin rips his bow tie off like he won’t be able to breathe otherwise. “Turning Stapleton on her wasn’t enough. I’m going to ruin her personally.”

“I’ll help,” Cricket says, darkly.

Suddenly, Jin groans, raising a shaky hand to his head.

---