Page 30 of The Omega Trials: Part Two

“Wait, actually, can you hold this?” She pushes the wine back into Twelve’s hands then throws her head over to gather her long, shiny black hair. She twists it up in a loose bun on top of her head and exhales. “Man, wine always makes me overheat. Okay.” She grabs the bottle again and gives me a mock serious face. “Now, tell me everything. What’s it like to be with the bad boys of the Echelon?”

Twelve scuttles out of the room as I laugh at her description. “The bad boys?”

“Yeah! Exiled underdogs clawing their way back.” She says it like it’s a line from a movie poster.

“Well, I don’t know anything different.” I shrug.

“Oh, c’mon.” She claps her hand on my knee and wiggles her brows. “I want all the juicy details.”

“Okay, okay.” I laugh. I’m rusty at this kind of girl talk. “Bishop is like a white knight—he’s thoughtful, protective, respectful . . .” I blush and debate whether or not to say what I’m thinking. The wine must be making me loose-lipped because I add with a giggle, “Except for when I don’t want him to be so respectful.”

She leans forward with drunken curiosity and a prying smile. “And Ecker? You two are bonded now, right?”

“We are—or we were? Will the bond return once the suppressant is out of my system?” The thought of coming back to no bond hurts more than I expect it to.

“Oh, definitely.” She waves her hand. “It will be like nothing happened. And what about their parents? Do they ever talk about them?”

“Um . . .” I’m a bit taken aback by her abrupt change of subject, then feel sort of guilty when I realize I have no clue what happened to their parents.

Paisley begins to ask another question then groans. “I can’t do this.” She covers her face with her hand like she’s ashamed.

“Can’t do what?” I feel like I missed part of the conversation.

“I really shouldn’t be telling you this, but I justcan’t.” She leans forward over her crossed legs and continues in a whisper, “I’m supposed to be getting dirt on your pack. For the Intelligence Trial.”

“What?” I rear back.

She sits back and hangs her head. “I know, I’m so sorry. I didn’t want to but—”

“No, I’m not mad at you,” I quickly clarify, and she looks at me with confusion. I point to myself then her. “Weare supposed to be getting dirt onyou.But they said—”

“That they never assign other packs as targets for the Intelligence Trial.” She finishes my sentence, sobering.

“Which is apparently bullshit.” I can’t say I’m surprised. It wouldn’t be the first time the Echelon lied.

My stomach sinks as a thought occurs to me. “Wait, did you guys set this all up with the Cyans? The suppressants, the attack.”

She clutches her hand to her heart. “God, no! I swear.” I believe her. She’s already been honest when she shouldn’t have.

She continues guiltily, “But after we found you, we did think it would be a good opportunity to get you away from your alphas and hopefully spill something you shouldn’t.”

This information doesn’t feel like as much of a sucker punch as I’d have thought. We’re all just pawns in the Echelon’s games. I can’t blame Paisley when I might have done the same.

“Noah didn’t tell my alphas I’m here, did he?” Her grimace tells me all I need to know.

My mates must be losing their shit right now.

Chapter 11

Impostor

Bishop

2hours earlier

Once some time passed since we’d bonded, I stopped noticing Sinclair’s feelings. Unless she was experiencing a really strong emotion, it was more of a background noise in the bond that I could tune into when I wanted, but otherwise wasn’t blaringly obvious.

Until it disappears. Then, the sudden silence is deafening.

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