‘Pretty girl? What’s going on?’Viper’s voice threads through the bond, low and grounding.
I grab onto it like a lifeline.
My eyes spring open.
The Pack is surrounding us. Knox has placed me back on the ground, but is still clutching me tightly, and my body is shuddering through the pain and effort.
Viper shifts into my line of sight, and I lock onto him. He holds my gaze, steady and sure.
‘Give me strength.’
Our bond flares.
I don’t know how he does it, but the stabbing pain behind my eyes eases. It doesn't disappear, but it’s manageable now.
I draw in a shaking inhale and hold Viper’s gaze like a lifeline. He’s with me. He’s in this. Not guiding, just…there.
Power gathers under my skin. It feels like water boiling in a pan, spitting and jumping.
I let it spill over.
I say it, clear and sharp, the word slicing through all other intentions.
“Drop.”
Viper drops to the floor.
The power drains out of me in a rush, and I gasp, staggering. I reel, terrified of what I’ve done, of what’s coming next. I brace for the backlash, for the biting pain that will wrack my frame, and the overwhelming seduction that will urge me to take more. Force my will on others.
But it doesn’t come.
Instead, Shade is suddenly in front of me, his hands bracketing my face, his thumbs brushing away tears I hadn’t realized were falling.
“You did it,” he whispers, and kisses my forehead. “Well done, Halley.”
“Good girl. Such a clever Omega.” Knox’s voice rumbles, and I realize I’m sagging in his arms, chest to chest.
The praise hits me like sunlight, and I let it wash over me, soothing the panic that still lingers.
I did it!
And then a sob rips from me.
"She's crying," Knox clips in alarm. He looks to Viper who is sitting on the ground. "Why is she crying? Do we need the doctor?"
But I’m not hurt.
I’mcoming down.
Sinking. Drifting from the sharp edge of command into something quieter and softer.
The tension in my shoulders melts away, and the physical ache from the sparring dulls. I’m floating down from that terrible, powerful place into somewhere safe.
The strength leaves my limbs. My body feels loose and heavy, like I could curl up in Knox’s arms forever.
It took everything I had to use that Command.Everything.
My tears continue to stream. I did it, but now all I want is to retreat. To stop thinking and simply be held.
