“What do I care about?”
Both Tristan and I startle, turning to Gray where he leans against the doorway. He looks as tired as the rest of us, this farcical charade leaving light grooves in his forehead that weren’t there before.
“Nothing,” I say quickly. “We need your help, though.”
He straightens, looking at me properly for the first time in days. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s Sienna.” Briefly, I explain as Gray frowns.
“She’s hurt?”
“She’s sleeping now. But the Trial is tomorrow, and she’ll fail if Ollena gets a look at that room. There’s no way it’ll pass for a nest.”
Gray hesitates. “Lo… maybe that would be best.”
Tristan growls behind me. “You want her gone?”
Gray shrugs helplessly. “I want her safe. And fuck if we’re not doing an all-around shitty job of that. At this point it would be safer for her to be as far away from us as possible.”
My throat tightens, anxiety crawls at me. “You know what that’ll mean?”
Gray nods, silent.
It means Sienna will fail the Bonding Trials. She’ll have to leave, and she won’t be allowed to come back. Not only that, but she’ll never be able to participate in the Bonding Trials again.
We’ll never be able to be together. She’ll never be able to meet anyone else.
“She won’t be Denied,” Tristan says hoarsely behind me. “It’s not as bad as that. She wouldn’t be banished over the wall.”
“But we’re Soul Bonded. That’s not something we can turn off, Tristan!”
“I know,” he says, leaning back in his seat. “Fuck, Logan, I know. I get it. But we’re no closer to getting Erikkson and Alicia off our backs.”
“I said I don’t care,” I point out. “Let them all know, Tristan. Gray and I can ride this out. Your dad can ride this out.”
Gray freezes. “Tell everyone?” he asks. “About us?”
I nod. “It’s time, Gray. We can’t call ourselves alphas if we keep putting our own needs above our omega. You didn’t see her tonight. It’s gone way beyond far enough. It needs to end.”
Gray opens his mouth, but a voice cuts through.
“Well, this is touching,” Alicia drawls. “Having a little pow-wow, Cohens?”
She saunters into the room. Jax appears behind her, an apology in his eyes.
“Alicia,” Tristan says smoothly. “I thought you were staying at home this evening.”
“But this is my home,” she murmurs. “Isn’t it?”
“No.”
She swivels to face me, her smile not dimming. “No?” she queries, examining her nails.
“You know who I saw today? The most darling little child. So like her sister, it’s uncanny.”
Unease slithers up my spine as the room goes silent.
“Yes,” Alicia murmurs. “Such a lovely shade of blue eyes. Quite unmistakable, really. And to think, she nearly fell into the road.”
