But I let out a muted cry of desperation as he stretched his neck, arching his back, and his eyes fluttered open as he groaned again.
“Caspian?” I croaked, leaning forward in my chair.
I shuddered at the pure force of him. Even after three days, his rogue state still fought for release. The chains of his handcuffs rattled against the frame as he tested the tautness, but we had done this enough times that he knew the bars wouldn’t break.
His weakness morphed into a growl as he shook them again, his red eyes sparking in the evening light.
“What the fuck did I do?” he snarled, his voice like gritted sandpaper. “Why do I feel like shit? Sin, I swear to fucking God…”
I choked out a laugh, because of course Caspian would return in a blaze of snarls and swears.
My mate’s anger grew, his lips pulling back over his teeth, his gaze snapping to mine, like I could possibly answer him in one sentence.
I couldn’t breathe. Instead of being stuck in the chair, unable to move from my panic, I was rooted, simply watching Caspian scan the room to assess his situation, like a good soldier would. His chest heaved, wheezing as he grabbed the thick chains of his handcuffs and rose as high as he could, certain he was searching for our omegas.
Pain screamed through his body, so much so that it was numb. I didn’t care that even the act of turning his head pierced through mine, blurring my vision, and nearly knocked me backwards.
It dominated him so thoroughly that he had no clue Melanie clung to him.
“Calm yourself,” I said, my throat as dry as his. I couldn’t sense her through the force of Caspian inside me.
Until another groan echoed on his chest, her voice wove through Caspian’s growls. The second he saw her, every tense muscle, every stabbing pain, each second that the rogue stateneeded to flare and dominate him again, it all washed away as she pushed herself up on one hand.
“Caspian?” she said sleepily, never taking her other hand from his stomach. “What happened?”
She winced as a jolt of pain shuddered from her stomach, and Caspian snapped out a growl.
“That’s what I want to fucking know.” His gaze went straight to the source of her pain, hidden underneath loose purple pyjamas Kai had chosen for her.
The second she shivered, he pulled back his rage, and a sigh went through me as he attempted to send her love through his corrupted state.
But I was there with him, instinctively exhaling love to support them even though I shook so hard I could barely stand.
With lungs about to burst, my heart pounding in my ears, my limbs so weak I did not know if I could make the single yard to the bed, I stood.
I tried to contain myself, but it was no use.
My legs gave way, and a gasp ripped from me as I launched myself towards them before I tumbled.
My knees caught the mattress, and I landed beside them, instantly throwing my arms around them.
I bent over, my chest against Caspian’s, half pulling them close, half using them to support me as the first sob racked my body.
“Sin, what the fuck?”
“What’s happening?”
Their shock was nothing compared to the release of days filled with anxiety and fear.
I could hear myself crying, my eyes stinging, clinging to them just to scent them and make sure they were alive. Melanie brought her hand to my neck, trying to send me soothing energy, but I could not stop.
I was supposed to be the one to help them, but in all their confusion, they clung to me. It all poured out of me as the bond opened between us, and I could finally feel their hearts again. Their exhaustion, their pain, their worry bloomed into love as they tried to comfort me with no questions.
They had just opened their eyes, and I had yet to give them an answer, but I couldn’t control my tears. Sobs ricocheted through my chest as emotions I held onto for years escaped.
I knew they didn’t have the strength for it. But I needed to be selfish one last time. I opened myself up, pouring my useless love into them, because I couldn’t say it with my words.
“I love you,” I rasped. There was no possible way it would make it better, but I needed to tell them. Whether they knew it or not. “I love you,” I choked out again. “I love you both,” I kept repeating like a mantra as I collapsed to my knees, rocking back and forth because I had to hold on to something, and it was them.
