I press my forehead against the cool glass, trying to find some anchor in the sensation of the chill biting through my skin. But it's not enough to drown out the chaos in my head.
He looked so fucking sincere when he said it.
Like he actually believed his own bullshit.
Maybe he does.
That might be worse.
I've spent months trying to convince myself I hate him. That whatever we had together died the moment he left me. But seeing him again, hearing his voice, catching that scent of sunlight that used to mean safety...
Fuck.
I'm not over him, am I?
But I don't trust him, either, so where the hell does that leave us? Like my mother used to say, an alpha you can't trust is as useless as tits on a bull. Sounds a bit more elegant in Vrissian, but the gist is the same.
The door opens behind me without warning. I don't turn, too lost in my own head to care who it is. Probably a servant coming to check on the defective omega who's been causing international incidents all afternoon.
"Thought you'd be resting."
Nikolai's voice makes me jump, my hand flying to my chest. I spin around to find him leaning against the doorframe with Raven and Geo flanking him. They look like they've been through a war. Which I guess we all have, if you want to get technical about it.
Nikolai's shirt is torn and bloodstained, his red glasses slightly askew on his scarred face. Raven's golden hair is disheveled, his nose still swollen and bruised. Geo's limping worse than before, his eye patch slightly crooked.
They're a mess.
And they're here.
"I was restless," I say, which is the understatement of the fucking century.
Raven's gaze softens with concern as he moves closer. "Understandable, goddess. It's been quite the day."
"That's one way to put it," I mutter, turning back to the window. The servants have already partially rebuilt the fountain, sealing the new stone with some sort of light on a stick. They're certainly efficient. Just like everything else in this pristine prison of a palace. "Where's Knight?"
"Taking first shift keeping an eye on Azzhole," Geo says, and there's something in his voice. Careful. Like he's weighing every word before it leaves his mouth.
My hackles rise immediately. "First shift?"
"We're rotating," Nikolai explains, pushing off from the doorframe to prowl closer. "Making sure your ex doesn't try anything stupid while we're all sleeping."
The casual way he says "your ex" makes my stomach twist up into knots. Is that what Azarel is now? Myex? The word feels wrong. Too simple for whatever fucked up thing we had. Have. Had?
Fuck, I don't even know anymore.
"That's... thoughtful," I manage, though my mind is churning. They're being weird. All three of them. Too careful, like they're walking on eggshells around a bomb that might detonate at any second.
I guess I can't really blame them after the train incident and then the whole drugging and kidnapping royalty thing, but it's still annoying as shit.
But there's something else. Something they're not saying. I didn't live my entire life before this as a glorified bird in a cage without learning to read when an alpha's keeping something from me. Especiallymyalphas, and if there's one piece of clarity I've gotten from this little pilgrimage, it's thatmy alphasis exactly what these idiots are.
I study them more closely, noting the way Geo won't quite meet my eyes. The way Raven's fingers tap against his thigh in that nervous tell he thinks isn't completely obvious. The way Nikolai's jaw is working like he's chewing on words he can't spit out.
They're keeping something from me.
Of course they are. They're alphas. Keeping shit from omegas is practically hardwired into their DNA, right alongside the urge to piss on things and start brawls over nothing.
And I'm sure Azarel, the crowned king of obfuscation, hassomethingto do with it even if I'm not sure what it is yet.
