Page 4 of These Bonds that Unite Us
“Put the phone down Nex,” Nebula growls. He stomps over and tosses the device onto the bed. His fingers grip Nexus’ jaw, digging in hard enough to dent his skin. “I refuse to sit here any longer watching you suffocate beneath the weight of your guilt. What happened to Omen’s safe house isn’t your fault.”
Nexus tries to shake him off but Nebula only holds tighter. Forcing our mate to meet his gaze. “I know it isn’t my fault. That doesn’t change the fact we don’t even know if she managed to escape. I don’t know if my omega is fucking alive or dead, Nebula, so forgive me for not giving a shit about anything else!”
“You can be worried about her and still take care of yourself at the same time.”
Nexus jumps to his feet, his hands slamming against Nebula’s chest and forcing the bigger alpha back several inches. “You don’t get to tell me how to deal with my feelings, especially not when you’re acting like an unsympathetic asshole. Just because you couldn’t give a shit less about our omega’s life, that doesn’t mean the rest of us are as emotionless.”
I can feel both of them growing annoyed with the other in our bonds. They’ve been like this since we got home. Volatile and quick to lash out at each other.
It isn’t healthy.
For them, or for me.
“Nebula, you are being too pushy,” I snap. My own frustration with my alpha makes my tone harsher than I intended. “We are allowed to be afraid for Omen. As much as you want to deny it, she is our Fate matched omega. The pull between us is still there, and our instincts are not taking the news of the attack on her well. If our worry makes you uncomfortable, that is something you have to learn to deal with on your own.”
“I’m not–”
“You are,” Nexus grunts, collapsing back into his chair with an expression that is somehow even more defeated than several moments ago.
Glancing between the two of them, I realize the only thing that will make this better is space. A single text is all it takes to work out a place for us to stay for a few days. Not that I had any doubts Nexus’ parents wouldn’t agree. They will be thrilled to host the two of us for a while. Any chance to spoil their youngest son is enough for them.
Stepping into our shared closet, I grab two duffel bags and start to pack enough clothes to last the rest of the week. Phones, chargers, clothes, necessities, my music folder… I go through the checklist twice. Making sure we aren’t missing anything irreplaceable for the trip.
I sigh in relief when I step back into the bedroom and hear the shower running. I can’t handle the two of them fighting again. It will destroy the already fragile hold I have on my emotions.
Titan wanders in and catches sight of me. He raises an eyebrow my way before helping pile all of Nexus’ clothes into his bag. “Momma Corinne?” he asks, smiling when I confirm that’s where we are going. “Good. Let her take care of him until we figure out where to go next. I’ll stay here with Nebula and make sure he doesn’t do anything too reckless.”
We are all lucky to have Nexus’ family to support us. With Titan and Nebula both having no contact with their parents and my distant relationship with mine, we would be alone without Momma Corinne and her mates. They’re always there to cheer us on, celebrating every little goal we reach, and comforting us when things don’t go the way we’d hoped. Heading to Tennessee to stay with them will be exactly what our sweet alpha mate needs.
Setting the bags aside I slip my arms around my giant mate and bury my face against his chest. His pink pepper and leather scent soaks into me, stealing a tiny bit of my tension. “I love you,” I mumble.
His chin rests on the top of my head and his arms hold me tighter. “I love you too, babyboy.” He presses a soft kiss to my lips before heading to where Nexus still sits in his chair.
Sadness seeps into my heart as I watch him persuade our mate to get up and into clean clothes. The next few days are going to be difficult for all of us. I can only hope we hear news of our omega soon before the cracks in our foundation grow too wide to repair.
Our bags are packed and sitting by the front door when Nebula finishes his shower. He’s towel-drying his hair but freezes when he sees me standing with keys in my hand. “Cal?”
My name holds all of his uncertainty, his hurt. I know leaving will cut him deeply. After his parents abandoned him to their grief, he’s held tightly to everyone he loves, afraid they too would leave him behind.
But right now he can’t be my priority. I’m not saying goodbye forever, just for a few days.
“Nex and I are traveling back to Tennessee to see our parents.”
“Since when?” The hurt is clear to see in my alpha’s eyes, but I don’t back down. Right now my needs come first. I always support the three of them, even to my own detriment. Not today.
“Since now. Nexus needs his family to pull him out of this spiral he’s in. And I need space to deal with things on my own too.” My voice wavers as the misery I’ve been concealing surfaces.
Wave after wave of the skin crawling, heart pounding, headache-inducing emotion pounds into me and down my bonds to reach my mates. Nebula stumbles beneath the weight of it, his tanzanite eyes wide. I’m tired of pretending. Of shoving my feelings aside to try to maintain the peace between them. I’m hurting and scared too. I deserve the same chance to sit in my emotions.
“Cal-”
“I’m sorry Nebula, but you aren’t going to change my mind,” I speak the words with finality. “We’ll be back in a few days. A week maybe.”
He’s resigned as he nods. His shoulders slumping and his heartache evident. “Alright.” Closing the distance between us I press a kiss to his cheek and hug him tight. I don’t linger though, worried his needs will once again overcome my own.
Ushering Nexus out of our apartment door, I leave my other mates to face the fallout of the growing rift between us.
“You look fuckin’ tired, big brother!” Jackon’s voice rings through the park we’re meeting at. He’s always been theoutspoken extrovert to my nervous introvert. Never afraid to set boundaries and bring attention to his own needs or desires.
