We agreed to maintain as much silence as possible, given that Christian is currently a wanted man. The government haven’t come out and said it, but there have been whispers.
And my father is now in command of the Omega Compound and the heat nests. My throat closes up as I think of all the omegas now under his control, and my hands start to shake.
“Hey,” Luc turns my face to his, his thumbs stroking my cheekbones. “We’ll get this done, and then we’ll go home, okay?”
“Are you sure it’s safe?” I ask, and he presses his lips together. “I trust Bastien,” he offers. “And he’s certain that nobody can track us to the house. It’s different for the Winter pack. We’ve never shared our location with anyone.”
We’re interrupted by the sound of vehicles crunching over gravel, and everyone stops. Nik strides to the doorway of the warehouse and pokes his head outside.
“It’s them,” he calls back, raising a hand in welcome.
The tension in the room releases, everyone letting out a breath of relief as doors slam. Slowly, I lumber over to the doorway. Since I can’t see my feet anymore, walking has become a high-intensity exercise. Luc stays close to me, clearly remembering my stumble down the last stair yesterday. I roll my eyes.
“I’m not going to fall on my ass just walking across a floor,” I snipe, and he pinches my ass lightly. “If you think I’m letting you out of my sight today, brat, you’re gravely mistaken.”
When I stop and face him, he gives me a tiny smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. Sighing, I take a step forward, and his arms fold around me as I lay my head on his chest, listening to his pounding heartbeat.
“Sorry,” I mumble into his shirt. “I know this is hard for you. I shouldn’t be making it worse.”
Gathering my hair into his fist, he gently tugs my head back. “I love you,” he tells me, and I immediately soften. “I love you, too.”
He kisses me deeply, cradling my face in his hands and I soften into him until he’s holding me up. A whistle sounds in the background and we break apart, my cheeks a furious shade of scarlet as I spot Ace Winter grinning in the doorway.
He waves at me cheerfully, and Devlin elbows him as he walks past, nodding to me and Luc as he heads over to Bastien. Harper appears, tucking herself under Ace’s arm as they move towards us.
“How are you feeling?” are the first words out of Harper’s mouth as she pulls away from Ace and steps forward. Her eyes drop to my belly and widen.
“I know,” I say ruefully. “It’s got to be quads. Max clearly made a mistake.”
Harper laughs and encloses me into a gentle hug. “How are you really feeling?” she whispers.
How am I really feeling?
“Petrified,” I admit. The bags under my eyes show just how little sleep I’ve been getting the last few nights.
She squeezes me in unspoken agreement.
“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” she says as we turn to watch the preparations. “Have you decided what you’re going to say?”
The butterflies in my stomach explode into full-blown anxiety. I don’t know what to say. I don’t even know where to begin. The attempts I’ve made to scribble down some sort of script are currently littering the floor of Bastien’s office, scrunched up into little balls of failure.
Clearing my throat, I mutter, “I’m going to wing it.”
Harper nods, and I follow her gaze to where Rogue and Christian stand to the side in deep conversation. Harper smiles sadly. “They’ve had a lot of time to talk through things, the last few weeks. It’s good to see them getting closer.”
“They weren’t close before?” I ask.
Harper shakes her head. “Christian never told Rogue anything when he was growing up,” she says quietly. “It was only after they saved me from Jason that he finally told him what happened to his mother.”
My eyebrows raise as I look at the ex-Director. Sharply dressed in a crisp grey suit with a white shirt, he looks perfectly at ease as he talks to Rogue. To keep that kind of secret to yourself for so many years… what would that do to someone?
The hairs on the back of my neck raise, and I turn to the doorway behind us. My stomach squeezes as I glance around, but I can’t put my finger on what drew my attention.
“What is it?” Harper turns with me and scans the same area, her brows drawn. “Did you hear something?”
“No.” Pausing, I take a final look around. “I’m a little on edge, I think.”
I shrug, but the prickling sensation doesn’t go away. Instinctively, I move closer to Nikolai, and he glances up at me, his blond hair ruffled. “What’s wrong, little bird?”
