Page 86 of These Bonds that Unite Us
“Knock, knock.” I beam at Bea when she glances up from her desk with a frown. Her lips slowly stretch into a smile when she sees me. “Up for some company, or does this boss bitch have asses to kick?”
“Get in here and sit down,” she tells me with a roll of her eyes. “I have so much paperwork to finish I’ll need to ice my wrists later.”
“So dramatic, Miss Powell.”
I turn when I hear Mr. Acherley’s voice behind me. If anyone we’ve met gives off daddy dom energy, it’s this man. Based on the way Bea’s eyes narrow and her scent intensifies, I have a feeling my bestie knows exactly what he will do if she decides to go into brat mode.
“Good afternoon. Are your mates downstairs?”
“They are. They’re tying up a few loose ends with the record today.”
“I see. Well, please let me know if you need anything. I am also available to discuss reinstating your contract with the label whenever you are interested in doing so.” He places a file folder on top of Bea’s stack, his nostrils flaring when he catches the hints of her scent leaking into the air. Without another word, he turns on his heel and leaves.
Ultimately, rejoining the label would be the best course of action. The guys will eventually have to go back out on tour. At least if I am working as their photographer I won’t be pulled away to my own gigs.
My best friend’s head thuds against her desk, a groan following the sound. “One day I’m going to say something stupid and get fired for mouthing off to that man,” she grouches.
Picking her head up, she returns to the mountain of papers on the edge of her desk. There are probably only twenty or thirty pages there, but I don’t envy her having to go through them all.
“You look better.”
I smile, glancing down at my high-waisted, black and red plaid pants. “I feel better,” I admit. It’s true, over the past week since Nexus and I bonded, my overall health has drastically improved. “It’s… good? Being with the four of them.”
“Oh, I bet it’s better than just good,” she teases. “I’m happy to see you happy again, Oms. Use your superpowers to keep them in line.”
“My superpowers?”
“Uh, what else would I be referring to?” She answers with a glance down at my lap.
Oh, right. It’s been so long since we’ve spent every day together, I somehow managed to forget my bestie thinks with her vagina. What was the phrase she used the other day? Very needy. Very turned on. Very omega. It’s apparently the tagline for her life if it were ever to be made into a movie.
“Shut up,” I chuckle. “They’re putting in the effort all on their own. No mystic feminine wiles necessary.”
“I’m just saying.” She shrugs. “If you’ve got it, use it. What fun is a pack if you can’t torture your mates a little?”
“I bonded Callisto.”
“Lucky omega, you’ve got yourself a fully bonded pack now!”
“Almost. I haven’t fully completed the bond with Nebula yet.”
Bea hums thoughtfully as she switches to a new stack of paperwork. “But you’re going to.”
“Yeah. He’s different now. I think the therapy he started really helped him learn to deal with his past in more productive ways.”
“I’m happy for you, Oms. You deserve a happily ever after. Now if the Feds could catch your brother, that would be great too!”
I study her as she works, noting the darkness beneath her eyes she’s used makeup to hide. Guilt has me shifting in my seat. It is my fault she isn’t allowed back to the apartment, to her nest. And I’ve been so wrapped up in things with my pack, I haven’t called her nearly as often as I should.
“Are you okay?”
She pauses, glancing up at me with wide eyes. Giving me a tight smile, she shrugs. “Yeah. It’s just… Ridley was right. About our Fated connection.”
“Yours is shared pain?” There are a few types of Fated connections that are harder to recognize, like shared emotions and shared pain. Mostly because you only feel the strongest of those, so if your Fate matched mate never breaks a bone or experiences strong pain, you might never know the connection is there.
“It is. I didn’t want to believe him when we were together during the tour. I thought he was just talking out of his ass to try to get into my pants, but now I’m certain he was telling the truth.”
“Are they—“
