Page 19 of Pack Frenzy
What if I didn’t escape a cage; I just traded it for a prettier one?
I push the panic down where the rest of my inconvenient feelings live. Right now I need to figure out how to survive ninety days with three strangers who are way too attractive for my sanity.
Part of me wonders if this is a mistake. But I can’t go back to Nexus. And if I’m honest—if I let myself think about it for more than five seconds—it’s not just about me.
It’s about Sabrina.
My sister. My best friend.
The person who braided my hair and taught me to be brave, and then disappeared into Nexus seven years ago like she’d never existed at all.
The system says she wasplaced.But placed where? With who?
And why haven’t I heard from her in years?
Eli might be my only link to finding out what happened to her. If he wasn’t there when she was processed, he could still check the records.
I can’t ask him yet. Can’t let them see how desperate I am.
But every time I look at Eli, I see my last chance at finding her.
And I’m terrified of what I’ll learn.
Something tells me not to ask this first day. Bringing it up casually like I’m curious and not desperate for answers, would probably be best.
The house smells like cedar, clean laundry, and a hint of garlic. Underneath, the steady drum of them: Rowan’s rain-and-sandalwood framework, Cassian’s amber and leather with a hint of black pepper, Eli’s bergamot and clean linen. It should be overwhelming, except it isn’t. The scents unspool, less like dominance and more like…space held open.
“Shoes,” Eli says gently, tapping a mat lined in neat pairs. “Floor’s heated. Trust me, your feet will thank you.”
I toe off my scuffed sneakers, the cuff at my ankle catching on the heel. It hasn’t been there long, yet my skin has a half-moon imprint from the ridge. The plastic bites, and I hide the flinch with a smile I don’t quite feel.
Rowan’s gaze drops to my ankle. To the half-moon where the cuff has already left its mark. His jaw tightens, and something dangerous flashes in his eyes, not at me, but for me.
“We’re getting you a soft cover for that.” His voice is rough, barely controlled as he takes out his cell from his jacket pocket.
The fact that they’re unprepared for an Omega from Nexus makes me warm inside for some reason. Like this wasn’t premeditated at all, or that they settled for me because another Omega was outbid.
“Yes. And express, same-day delivery, no matter what time,” he says.
I pretend to study the foyer instead of his mouth. Dark timber beams, polished river stone, a long runner that swallows sound. The place looks like a magazine spread for people with taste and money. Out past the windows: trees. Pines tall enough to make the sky feel smaller.
Standing still, the floor warmer feels like a caress. I bet it’s even more amazing during the winter. Back home is all wood floors, and going to the bathroom in the middle of the night or early morning is torture.
Cassian shrugs off his motorcycle jacket and hangs it up on a hook near the front door. “Tour?”
“Sure.”
The hallway smells like lemon oil and the faint smell of sawdust, as if the beams remember Cassian’s hands. He peels off to tighten a hinge on a hall closet without breaking stride, which would be irritating if it weren’t…weirdly nice. The closet door had been hanging a degree open; now it clicks into place.
“Compulsion?” I ask because I can’t help it.
“Pride,” he says. “Different diagnosis.”
“Pride always looks good on you,” Eli says, brushing past him. The faint lift of bergamot in the air smooths the tension that coils around my shoulders.
Eli leads me into a bright bathroom with Cassian following us, watching my reaction.
“Rain shower. Fresh towels here.” Eli opens a cabinet stacked with fluffy white ones. “If you need specific brands for shampoo or anything, just ask.”
