Page 44 of Bound By Pain
We’re watching a movie—one Orion chose this time, thank goodness—when someone knocks on the door. The sky outside the windows is dark, and the clock tells me it’s nearly eleven at night. Bea pushes to her feet and wobbles over to answer it, ignoring my growl of protest.
I’m only a few steps behind her when she sucks in a sharp breath, the sound putting my guard up. I wrongly assumed it would be one of her other mates. Wrapping an arm around Bea’s shoulder, I pull her against my side, body angled to shield her.
Looking out the front door, I swear under my breath and throw my hands in the air. “No way! Get back on whatever plane, train, or bus brought you here! Before I get my ass kicked for sheltering you!”
Standing with a bag slung over her shoulder, hair braided off to one side, and a pair of shades on her eyes despite the fact that it’s fucking nighttime, is my youngest sister. The one whoshouldbe at the Omega Academy, not traveling unaccompanied out of state.
“You must be my brother’s Omega,” Sage says, sticking her hand out toward my mate. “I’m his baby sister, Sage.”
“Oh, I can tell. You two look like you could be twins! Come in, come in,” Bea gushes, pushing against my side until I relent and step back to let Sage inside.
“Do the parentals know you’re here?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest. My eyes quickly check her skin for bruises or bite marks, relief flooding me when I don’t find any. Fates, after everything Bea just went through, you would think my sister would know not to travel alone. She’s an unbonded Omega for Fate’s sake!
“Nope!” She pops the ‘p’ and tosses her bag down beside the door.
“What the fuck, Sage!” I growl out her name, trying to rein in the erratic instincts flaring to life in my chest. “There’s a breeding ring kidnapping people off the streets! One I just had to rescue my Omega from! And you thought it was a good idea to sneak out of the Academy and visit me? With no one even knowing you were gone?”
Sage pauses, one shoe half on her foot, and looks at me. “I just couldn’t handle-”
“And risking your life is worth more than dealing with academy drama?!” Anger radiates from me, my body shaking as every dark possibility flickers through my mind on repeat.
Warm hands grip my cheeks, nails digging in and forcing me to look down. Cool, midnight blue eyes capture me, staring so deeply it feels like she can see every terrified atom in my body.
“It’s okay, Alpha,” Bea coos. She draws my head down to press against hers, a soft purr sputtering to life in her chest. “Sage is here. She’s safe. And she’snotgoing to travel alone again.”
We can all hear the bite in my mate’s words, but I cannot see my sister’s reaction to them. I’m too close to falling apart to do more than soak in Bea’s purr and bury my face against her neck.
If only I could smell her.
My breathing eventually settles, heart returning to a normal pace. I grip Bea’s hip and squeeze lightly. A silent thank you for stepping in when I was losing my cool. She backs away, staying close by but allowing me to face my sister.
Sage is staring at her feet, hands wringing together. When I call her name, she looks up at me with watery eyes. Yelling at her makes me feel shitty, but I can’t have her putting herself in danger like this.
“Sorry, Ridley. I didn’t think about what might happen along the way. I was just focused on getting out of there.”
Holding my arms out, I hug her tight against me when she rushes into them. “I know, sis. I’m sorry for raising my voice. This world is a dangerous, disgusting place sometimes, and I see the worst of that every day for my job. I also know it’s hard to think calmly when you’re stressed out.”
After a few minutes, I pull back, placing my hands on her shoulders and giving her a hard look. “Now, you’re going to call Mom and tell her what you did.”
Sage’s bottom lip sticks out in a pout, but she stops fighting when Bea moves to lean against my side. My mate gives her the same narrow-eyed look, and my sister relents, grumbling the entire way to her bag.
“I correct my earlier statement,” Bea says, wrapping one arm around my waist and offering Orion her free hand. “Our makeshift family will be funandchaotic.”
“Oh, sunshine, you don’t know the half of it.”
CHAPTER 21
Something is wrong.Or so my instincts keep demanding. I’m sure it is the separation from my Fate-matched mate that is causing my increased irritation and growing anxiety, but I cannot bring myself to visit her. I’m afraid. Terrified to realize that maybe, just maybe, I belong in her pack after all.
Because what happens when they change their minds? When I am yet again tossed to the curb?
I poured my heart and soul into my career after Cedes and her mates cast me aside, but if Bea were to do the same… What outlet exists to save me from being rejected by the mate Fate chose for me?
My inability to be in Bea’s presence does not mean I am not actively trying to make her life easier. I’ve moved all of her work tasks to other managers and spoken regularly with humanresources to ensure her time off is approved and paid for by the label.
The biggest issue, and the one I am struggling the most to fix, is the lack of space for her mates. I’ve seen Bea’s apartment. It may have two bedrooms, but it is still tiny. Built for Omegas, who prefer compact spaces. Unleashing four Alphas in her space will be stressful for her instincts, even if those Alphas are her Fate-matched mates.
A little digging has shown me that none of her other mates has the space she needs, either. Orion rents a one-bedroom flat. Creed owns his home, but it is only marginally larger than Bea’s apartment, and her other mates share a mid-sized two-bedroom duplex. Which is still not large enough to house all four of them, Bea, and a proper nest.
