Page 26 of Broken Bonds

“What do you mean? How is this happening? How have you been able to do this? Or is this like a deep wish in my subconscious and it’s just making all of this up to appease me?”

He scratches the back of his head and grimaces. “Uh, we’re not exactly allowed to do this, really. I can’t even tell you about anything, which sucks.” His brows furrow. “If we get caught, we’re definitely in trouble, but we couldn’t stand by and watch you break apart without a goodbye. It was only supposed to be the one time that first night, but… this past week has been hard watching you suffer. And now Link has shown up. We can’t do this but maybe one or two more times, Petal. Only if we feel you really need us, understand?”

I nod my head. Why can’t I see them in all my dreams? I could be happy like that. To have them every night, anywhere my mind could take us.

He hesitates before saying, “Give Link a chance. He’s… He’s a really great guy, Rams. My twin. I regret nothing in my life, except that I never got back in contact with him once we got settled. I should have told you, all of you, about him. Van knew because he knew Link, but I just never brought it up to the rest of you. I was trying to leave my past behind me, but Link was my other half. I shouldn’t have abandoned him. He’s been looking for me for over ten years.”

Lake looks so sad when he tells me this. Even I feel sorry for his twin, but how can I look at this man without slowly dying on the inside?

“I’ll… try,” I say hesitantly, and he nods.

“That’s all I ask. Times up now, Petal,” he tells me gently, smiling sadly at me.

I rush into his arms, allowing him to embrace me. Balancing on my toes, I lean up to kiss him, wanting to feel his lips pressed against mine again, even if it’s only in a dream. When I pull back, he starts to fade, and the edges of the little field turn black.

“Take care of yourself and our babies, Petal. And apologize to Jillian,” he says to me sternly, before he fades away completely.

I give a choked laugh as black seeps all around me until I see nothing but an endless void. My vision goes fuzzy before it goes dark, and then everything else ceases to exist for a while.

* * *

I can hear several people talking at once, but the loudest voice I recognize is Jilly’s. She’s so protective of me and fiercely loyal.

“I told you that you shouldn’t be here! For God’s sake, she fainted! She’s already so damn fragile, and now this. What the fuck were Van and Lake thinking, keeping something this big from her?” Jilly fumes quietly on my behalf.

I blink my eyes open. The lighting in the living room has been dimmed to a softer level, so that it isn’t too bright and glaring, which I appreciate.

“Jillian?” I rasp out, not looking away from the ceiling for as long as possible.

She’s at my side in an instant, helping me sit up on the couch. I cup my head in my hands and work to breathe through the vertigo. Scents that I’m unfamiliar with invade my home, wiping out the last traces of my alpha’s scents... if there even were anymore still lingering. I want to hyperventilate at that, but try to calm my racing heart and spinning mind as best I can so I don’t completely freak out.

Whiskey, warm and smooth.

Dark chocolate, sensual and sweet.

And the last one.

Peppermint, cool and refreshing.

The combination of them all has a calming effect on me, which frightens me. Even though I don’t want to, I’m compelled to look up.

The first pair of eyes I meet are a shocking violet and the iris contains little flecks, like stars in the night sky.Fascinatingly beautiful.

The alpha who owns those eyes has white hair that’s long on the top and faded on the sides. His six-foot-plus foot frame towers over me, even when he’s sitting on a chair facing me. His fair skin brings more focus to his eyes, making them really pop. Thick, corded arms that look strong and capable are attached to hands so big they could crush a melon. His arms and hands are adorned with numerous colorful tattoos that make me wonder if there are any others concealed under his clothing. A wide chest tapers down to a toned waist, and then leads down to muscular thighs and calves encased in denim.

To put it bluntly, he’s a godsdamn temptation.

I have never in my life had eyes for anyone but my four alphas. But this one is downright sinful, and he’s completely fried my brain the longer I stare at him. The whiskey scent belongs to him, and I begin to feel dizzy, drunk on the smooth, sharp trace of him as I breathe in. I have to blink a few times before I can finally look away from him.

The alpha next to him has eyes that are the same shade of green as fir trees. His thick, wavy reddish-brown hair falls to his shoulders, slightly unkempt. His robust frame and unruly hair remind me of a lumberjack, and his arms are strong, his hands calloused, telling me he works with them a lot. Shorter than the first alpha by maybe three or four inches, he has veiny arms packed full of muscle, but not muscle like a bodybuilder. Muscle like an outdoorsman, someone who gained it by spending many hours outside working and exploring the land. His shoulders are thick, and he has meaty thighs that could choke a grown alpha out. He’s burly.

There’s a thin scar in the shape of a crescent around his left eye that I find intriguing but manage to keep from asking about . He has a few tattoos on his arms and wrist, though nowhere near as many as the other alpha. Dark chocolate wafts from him and I can practically taste the savory sweetness on my tongue.

This one makes me feel… safe,. Surprisingly. I’ve felt my racing heart slowly calming down the longer I’ve looked over him. There’s something about him that leaves me feeling like a weighted blanket has been pressed around me to hold me tight, like a warm hug.

How strange.

When I finally find the strength, I turn towards the last alpha in the room. Such a familiar face, though I can spot a couple of differences that could be used to tell them apart if someone were truly familiar with one of them.

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