“Of course,” he swears. He takes a step towards me, but I turn away. “Good.”
I make my way down the steps and across the gravel, ignoring the way it cuts into my feet. A man is standing next to a blacked out, long car, and I walk over to him. “You’re taking me to the Ceremony?”
To his credit, he only nods. “I am. My name’s Mal. I’m Jax’s bandmate.”
I peer at him a little more closely, vaguely recognizing him from the night Jessalyn and I went to see Haven’s End. God, it feels like an eternity ago.
Jessalyn. I get to see Jess today.
Spurred on, I go to pull the door open, but a strong hand beats me to it as I’m engulfed in a misty scent. “Shortcake. Leaving without saying goodbye?”
My heart jumps, but I keep my voice level as I turn to face Jax. “Well, you weren’t downstairs when I arrived. I thought you were busy.”
He’s a dark god in his tuxedo, the pale pink tie on his crisp white shirt a perfect match for my gown. “Never too busy for you.”
When he holds out a hand, I take it hesitantly, allowing him to support me as I get into the backseat of the car. Jax gathers up the trail of my gown, tucking it in next to me, before he ducks down and presses a firm kiss to my forehead.
“One more day, shortcake,” he promises. His voice shakes. “And it’s all over.”
I’m left to wonder what he means when the door shuts, Mal getting into the driver's seat. He asks me if I’m okay before pulling off, my eyes drawn to the four alphas standing on the steps, watching me go. Tristan is the last to turn around, his eyes still following the car as we pull out of the gate.
It’s a good forty minutes to get to the Omega Hub, more than enough time for me to stew over Jax’s words and work myself up into panic before I shove it back down again. By the time we pull up, Ollena is already waiting. And my numb mask is back in place.
“Thank you,” I say quietly to Mal, and he nods at me. “My pleasure.”
He doesn’t wish me a happy mating or reference the pack at all. I wonder what Jax has told him.
Ollena sizes me up, her lips thinning until they’re almost bloodless as I climb out of the car. “Sienna. You look… different.”
“New diet,” I say flatly. “My pack will be here soon.”
She hesitates. “Very well.”
I follow her into the same room I sat in four weeks ago with my dad, that room where the naïve, hopeful Sienna asked innocent questions about the Bonding Trials and waited to meet her alphas. I settle into the armchair without asking, waiting for Ollena to speak.
It takes her a minute.
“I’ll admit,” she confesses, placing her folder on the small table to her left, “that I don’t quite know where to begin with this ceremony, Sienna.”
I smooth down my dress. “I know that it’s all been a little… unorthodox. But I’m here. My pack is on their way. We’re very much ready to continue on with our lives.”
Whatever the hell that looks like.
Ollena purses her lips. “I’m going to be honest. Quite brutally so, but I believe it would serve us best for this discussion.”
She leans forward. “You look terrible, Sienna. You are clearly malnourished, you have lost a significant amount of weight, and there is bruising on your left arm.”
Jerking, I look down. I’d forgotten about the deep purple splotches, now turning a nasty shade of green.
“Leftovers from my heat. It was very… active.”
If you count being thrown onto concrete and dragged down a gravel path active. Good job my dress covers my legs. She’d probably pass out.
The pain in my stomach pulses as she sighs. “I don’t know what’s going on here, but it’s out of my hands, since you refused to withdraw when I offered it. But I hope you know… you can talk to me. I appreciate that I am part of the Council, but my duty will always be first and foremost to the omegas in my care. And that includes you, Sienna. Bonded or not.”
A lump appears in my throat. “Thank you. But that’s not necessary.”
She nods, her eyes dropping to my bruises one more time before she stands. “In that case, let us head out. As you may know, this is a closed ceremony, only open to family and friends.”
