Page 14 of Hidden Fates

Shit.

As gently as I can, I push her foot away and lace my hands behind my head, showing them I won’t touch her again.

“Damn, dandelion, he turned you into Omega putty,” Bellamy snickers, handing her a tray of fries.

The awkward moment passes, but the sense of ease between us doesn’t return. There’s a wall there now, one I put into place the moment I realized I was overstepping her pack’s boundaries.

I listen as she shares stories of their lives together, silently drowning in raspberry gin. It’s nearly three in the morning when Joey and Matt throw their arms around my shoulders and carry me to our car.

“You are going to hate yourself in the morning,” they warn, sliding my drunk ass across the seat.

Why’s that matter when I already hate myself right now?

Chapter Five

From the playful tunes Mama belted in our kitchen to the heavy breakdowns Onyx and I discovered at our first metal concert, music has always been my guide.

It led me to Onyx when he snuck out to the barn and played his grandad’s old acoustic guitar.

It led us to Bellamy when we attended the Alpha Academy, and then to Shattered Horizons where we met Emmett, adding to our growing pack.

And now it’s led me here.

To a stale-smelling hotel gym.

Not a road I anticipated I would follow, but life is full of the unexpected.

Caleb sets a punishing pace on the treadmills across the room. Pushing himself and venting his frustration over the path his decisions have led him down.

Onyx stretches beside me, eyes focused on the other man. His lips curve into the tiniest frown, one that wouldn’t be noticeable if I hadn’t spent a lifetime memorizing his expressions.

“He wants her,” he grunts, arms crossing over his chest as he stands to his full height. The move widens his frame, adding bulk to his imposing height.

Watching the way Caleb reacted to our mate last night solidified what we already knew: he’s hers.

But X is still in denial about their connection. Not because he doesn’t want to accept the other Alpha into our pack, but because he knows Caleb hurt Skye by leaving.

Forgiving him won’t happen easily.

“Come on.” I jump to my feet and head over to the free treadmill beside Caleb, greeting him with a quick, “Hey.”

He stumbles, but quickly rights himself and focuses on the television playing in front of us.

I get it. Who wouldn’t freak out when the mates of the woman you’re secretly in love with suddenly join your morning work out?

When Skye told us about her childhood best friend and former lover, it was impossible to miss the longing in her voice. She tries to hide it, but we’re all aware that she sometimes hides in her nesting nook to watch the clips she’s saved from his performances.

Caleb left her and their band when they turned twenty-one, using the differences in their music as an excuse.

The timing didn’t match up, though.

Twenty-one is when we discover our Fated connections. Mystical sources that lead us to our Fate-matched mates. They come in many forms, and some are easier to notice, like a birthmark suddenly appearing on your body, or being able to hear someone else’s voice in your mind. Others take time or the right circumstances to appear, like writing on your skin or a soul glow that only appears when you meet your mate.

I think Caleb assumed the connection he shared with Skye wasn’t Fated when no obvious sign appeared.

I also think he’s a dumbass who left behind an amazing woman because he was too chickenshit to stick around and find out for sure.

Skye’s Fated connection is a type that is harder to see—shared emotions. Unless you’re feeling the other person’s emotions at just the right time, it’s easy to explain it away as hormones.