Page 68 of Broken Dreams

Wow. I think my lips may even mouth the word as I stare at a candelabra chandelier that’s a black matte color. It reminds me of candlelight sconces on walls and the perfect amount of light.

“It’ll give a small hint of masculinity,” he teases me as I grin. “Should I add it?”

Leaning forward, I kiss his lips in answer before picking up a cracker and loading it up with cheese.

“Perfect,” he says, pulling his bottom lip between his teeth as if tasting me again on himself. “Now, let’s see if this Little Rabbit has anything on scent matches, or any advice. I want to learn more about this.”

Together, we search through her podcasts until we find what we’re looking for. It’s just her voice, no video, but I’m sucked in just the same. She doesn’t hold back from the tough topics, and she seems to hint at an organization that doesn’t have omegas’ best interests at heart.

I’ll need to dig further into that one day.

Tonight, Linus and I are going to mindlessly listen to this podcast to answer the questions that are uncomfortable for us to ask. Alpha Sanchez’ calls are sitting badly in my mind. I need information to help work through the chaos of my mind.

I know I’m a mess. My muscles are tense in the morning, and I’ve noticed Linus rubbing his throat, his voice raw. When we fall asleep that night, it takes me longer due to all the paths my mind takes, so I’m awake when Duncan and Callum crash through the door when Linus screams from his nightmare.

I’m hovering over him, unsure if I should wake him up or not, wishing I could soothe him with my voice. My gaze meets Callum’s as I make a strangled sound of frustration.

“I know, Quinnie,” he murmurs, getting into the bed while Duncan stands next to me with his fists clenched as he watches Linus.

“It’s every night,” Duncan whispers. “We try really hard not to come in here because this is your space, but you’re both typically in your own private hell when he starts to scream. You never wake up. All we can do is help calm you down and hold you through the night. We leave around six in the morning.”

God, these men. Holding our boundaries when we weren't even aware of it. I thought they were giving us space to get acclimated to our nest, I didn’t realize that they were avoiding it completely.

Silly, amazing alphas. Callum is wrapped around Linus, whispering in his ear until he settles with a whimper. This explains why his voice sounds rough every morning.

Grabbing his hand, I slowly spell out a word as I gaze at him.

O-U-R-S.

Duncan looks as if he’s stopped breathing as I tug on his hand, pulling the blanket to the side for him to get in. They’re both shirtless, only wearing sweatpants I’ll probably steal off their bodies at some point because they’ll smell like the alpha they’re wrapped around. His large body curls around me in a way that speaks of routine and ease, his hand on my thigh, and his other wrapped around my chest in a perfect bear hug.

I’m in a very not sexy set of pajamas, but this man couldn’t care less as he shoves his nose against my neck and breathes me in. His chest is plastered to my back, and I’m facing Linus who is being cuddled in a similar fashion.

My lids grow heavy as I’m lulled to sleep while Duncan purrs against my neck. It feels as if we’ve been doing this for our entire lives, instead of a couple of short weeks.

They’re screwed now, I never want to sleep without them again.

CHAPTER 14

CHRISTIAN

“Fuck!” I scream, throwing a glass half filled with amber liquid at the wall. It isn’t at all satisfying to watch it explode, and I blow out a breath in frustration.

Three days.That’s how long it took for this asshole to pick up the phone. I know someone came into the room when he muted me, but the rest is a mystery. I also know Makayla and Linus are with them, and they did the closest thing to rejecting me that they could without saying the words.

Rejection. Fuck. I didn’t think they’d do that. My mind was so consumed with finding them that I didn’t think much further than that. I didn’t think about if my actions would have hurt them outside of abstractly wondering if they would.

Maybe I am the asshole here.

My eyes glance back at my laptop open in front of me, lips pursed. I was trying to track the call, but the signal jumped around a lot. A professional is protecting their location, and Ican feel my lips lift in a snarl in irritation. Fuck, it even jumped to Tokyo! There’s no way they’re there.

Right before the man hung up, the signal stopped in a large area of Minnesota. It’s a place to start, even though it’s covering a lot of miles. I have a place to go at least.

I’ve already called my contacts for work and told them I’m on hiatus. They weren’t happy, but I reminded them I’m an independent contractor. They don’t own me or my time.

Standing, I turn to face the window of my condo in Chicago. I don’t live full time in any one place because of how much I travel, but it got old quickly to sleep on uncomfortable mattresses in hotel rooms. Instead, I bought a few condos in the areas I travel to for work most often.

They’re excellent investments, and it means I sleep like a baby every night.

---