Page 37 of Riley's Storm

I was facing him and shrugged my shoulders listlessly. That was all I could offer him to let him know I was alive. He came around the side of the bed and crouched down so that he could look me in the eyes.

“Riley, we’re so worried about you. Please talk to us. Tell me what happened. Please. We tried calling the academy, but all they said was to ask you. They won’t tell us anything. You’re scaring me.”

I blinked at him. How did I tell him what was wrong? How did I explain to my little brother that it felt like they siphoned the soul from my body and that life wasn’t worth living anymore? There was nothing he could do to help. It would just make him sadder. And it wouldn’t fix anything.

Grabbing Storm’s shirt, I rolled away from him, facing the other direction. His sad puppy eyes were breaking my heart even more, though there wasn’t much left to damage. Unfortunately, rolling away did nothing. My other brother, Drew, was waiting for me on the other side of the bed. He had come home in June, but if anyone asked me, I wouldn’t be able to tell you how long ago that was. He didn’t tell me why, though I hadn’t told him whyIwas home either.

“Little sis, please talk to us. We need to help. Wecanhelp. Please let us.”

Tears sprang to my eyes and I squeezed them shut, feeling them drip down onto the pillow beneath me. I didn’t know how I had any tears left. Shouldn’t I be all cried out by now? How did I have anything left to give? I swiped angrily at my cheeks, streaking wetness along them.

“Dell, can you excuse us for a moment?” Drew murmured.

Dell rumbled a protest, but he listened. At the door, he paused and looked back at me. “Riley, I love you. We all love you. Please, don’t fade away from us.”

The door closed behind him with a quiet click. I sighed and wriggled farther into my blanket, intending to block out the sun and go back to sleep. At least there, I could imagine Storm and I were still together.

Drew’s hand dove into my bedding and snagged mine. He pulled it out, his thumb brushing against it. He stared at it for several moments and then met my depressed gaze.

“Who are you bonded to, Riley?”

His question took me by surprise. Bonded? I wasn’t bonded. Storm and I had the intention of becoming pack, yes, but we had been interrupted and torn apart before we could make anything official.

“I’m not bonded to anyone, Drew,” I whispered.

“Oh yeah? Then what’s this?”

He turned my wrist and held it still so I could look at it. It took several minutes before I was able to see what he was pointing out. I had a bright white mark on my wrist, right over my gland.

“Oh, that’s nothing,” I said, dismissing it.

“Riles,” Drew growled, his eyes flashing. “Did you agree to this, Riley? Did you know what was happening? Or did the alpha take away your choice?”

“What?” I asked.

“That mark. It’s a bond mark. Which alpha did that to you?”

Chills ran down my spine and I snatched my hand back from his hold, sitting up for the first time in weeks. Using my other hand, I held my wrist close to my face and tried to make sense of what I was seeing. My mind raced as I replayed my trip home and if that alpha had claimed me against my knowledge while on the trip here. No, I was sure he hadn’t. That meant the only other person it could have been was . . .

“Storm,” I said, my voice so quiet, it was almost inaudible.

“Some? Some what?” he asked, mishearing me.

“Storm,” I said, louder and more clearly. “Storm bonded me to her.”

Drew looked furious, but I knew it wasn’t at me. He was concerned someone had taken away my choice.

“She’s my omega.”

Drew pulled back, his face a mask of confusion. “Riles, you have got to explain. Now. No more ignoring us.”

I nibbled on my lower lip, absentmindedly stroking the mark on my wrist. Taking a bracing breath, I nodded. “Alright. But please promise you won’t judge me.”

“I won’t judge you. I can’t promise my reaction will be what you want because I don’t know what you are about to tell me, but I can promise I will never think less of you, no matter what it is.”

“That’s all I ask.”

I closed my eyes, finding it easier to speak when I didn’t have to look at him. I inhaled deeply and began my story, telling him everything. About what had happened when I arrived and how Storm had saved me from Hilary. I explained how we had started as friends and how it morphed into something else. I glossed over the physical parts of our relationship, but I explained how we realized we were one another’s scent matches. When I told him we had spent three days in our joint nest, he could connect the dots.

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