“Please, tell me what’s wrong,” he begs. “You know I’m here for you, no matter what it is.”
Is he? After he lied to me for so long?
I feel spite churn in my gut, sharp and unforgiving. “I need my pack right now. Not you.”
He stops abruptly, staring after me as I cross the bridge.
And there are my mate and my love. I don’t know if they’ve heard the news yet, but it doesn’t matter. Cassian senses my sorrow through our bond and immediately pulls me into a tight hug. I breathe in summer breezes and salty sea air, just as Simon encloses me from my other side, gathering me between them as he rests his head on my shoulder.
“We’ve got you,” Cassian murmurs, nuzzling my temple.
I let the tears fall then, and, in their arms, I cry until I have no tears left. When I’ve finally dried my eyes, we load into the back of the SUV, Marcus getting into the driver’s seat. I cuddle in beside Cassian and Simon but can’t help catching Marcus’ river-rock eyes in the rearview mirror. Their depths are pierced with a longing so poignant I turn away, a scowl on my lips.
He doesn’t get to feel that way for me. Not after all his lies.
I should be studyingfor the finals that are coming. Instead, I’ve got my nose in my phone, scanning omega message boards and chats for any sign that an omega’s been caught using a banned spell. Only most of the message boards have gone dark following the latest laws from the Council, too easily tracked to be safe.
We’re being divided from each other, our avenues of support and camaraderie cut off as the message boards slowly die out. More and more, there are no safe spaces for us to gather, especially online.
I sigh and drop my phone onto the mountain of pillows I’m curled up with in my nest, just as Marcus comes up the stairs.
“Care to work on your self-defense training?” he asks, lounging against the door to my nest.
I press my lips together and shake my head. “Not tonight, Marcus. I’m exhausted.”
He eyes me, searching my face for the truth behind the short statement. He knows there’s more to it. I know he does. And there is. I’ll never forget the spike of fury he felt during one of our last training sessions. The way his scent went bitter and dark. I still haven’t puzzled out what it meant. But beyond that, I don’t want to feel his hands on me, adjusting my stances, helping me through the moves I’ve been learning. Not because I think it’ll make my skin crawl. Far from it. I’m afraid he’ll feel sogood, so familiar, that I’ll forget his lies. That everything will go back to the way things were. As though a wedge hasn’t been driven between us.
“You’ve blown off your training for weeks now, Juniper. And you’ve been avoiding me.”
The truth stings. I never wanted this great gulf between us. I never wanted him to lie to me for so long. “Yeah,” I say flatly, “and I spent all day teaching fifty omegas to escape omega traps. I’m still healing. Leave it, Marcus. I’ve had a busy few weeks and, in case you hadn’t noticed, the world is on fire right now.”
“All the more reason you should be training as hard as you can right now. You practice a dozen banned spells every week, but you’ll need more than banned magic to protect yourself.”
My chest tightens with rage, and I surge to my feet, squaring off with him. “Stop telling me what you think I need,” I grit out, my voice rising. “You’re not my mate!”
Downstairs, everything goes quiet, and I feel concern flitter up my bonds with my mates, but I ignore them. I’m incensed, flushed with anger at Marcus’ audacity.
He flinches at my sharp words, a wounded look ghosting across his rugged features. “That’s never stopped you from taking my advice before.”
“That’s before I knew you were lying to me!” The words spew out of me before I think them through, before I can even try to hold them in. I’m indignant, fired up and ready to fight back against Marcus in a way I never have. This all comes out now, all the rankling pain and vitriol I’ve been shoving down since the end of my last heat.
“I’ve never lied to you. What are you talking about?”
His newest lie only serves to fuel my fury. “You’re not immune to me. You’ve been lying to me this whole time!”
He steps back as though I slapped him, though I haven’t moved from my nest. “How long have you known?” he asks quietly.
“It doesn’t matter. I thought I could trust you. Just… just get out!”
Grief overtakes his face, his eyes shadowed and his brow creased, but he snaps to attention and leaves without another word.
I collapse into my nest and punch one of my pillows as I feel my eyes heat with tears. Marcus doesn’t deserve my tears, though I spill them anyway in great, gasping sobs, a void filling me now that the secret that’s been festering inside me is out in the open. I weep, curled up in my nest, every wave of tears punctuated with another punch to my pillows.
I haven’t quieted at all, still sobbing, when there’s a knock at the door to my nest.
I don’t feel one of my mates, so I can only assume Marcus has returned.
“I thought I told you to get out?”
