________
DYLAN
Ipaced in front of the elevator, waiting for Eva to arrive. Feeling her bond go through fifteen stages of joy, fear, and now sorrow and guilt had me on edge. We tried not to bother her when she was at work events. She was growing closer, which was the only reason I wasn’t breaking the rule.
Her location was almost at our building. My Alpha calmed knowing my Omega was close. And as soon as the elevator doors opened, I pulled her to me and enveloped her completely.
Neil laughed and waved from the elevator.
“Have a good night, Neil.”
“Night.”
The elevator closed, and I pinned Eva back up against the door. Her eyes were wide. “Hi.”
“Why are you sad?”
She smiled. “I’m not sad. I mean, I am. But it’s not for me.”
Dropping my face into her neck, I breathed her in. There would never be a time when her scent didn’t feel like the single thing I’d been missing my entire life. “What happened?”
“Come on.” She grabbed my hand and pulled me into the apartment. “If I’m going to tell you all, I might as well tell you together.”
Eva headed straight for her bedroom. I grabbed her and hauled her over my shoulder instead and took her toward the nest.
“Dylan.”
Her bond, though better, still felt tinged with a mix of sadness, regret, and unacceptable guilt. She could tell us everything in the nest just as easily as the bedroom.
“Come to the nest,” I called, feeling the others’ attention turn towards us.
“I want to get undressed.”
I scoffed. “As if that’s not what’s about to happen.”
“Dylan.”
Pulling her off my shoulder, I let her slide down the front of my body and placed a hand over her heart. “Eva. I feel you here. You’re not okay. And that’s fine. Just… let us help.”
It was sometimes hard to forget that we’d only been together for a year. We’d learned so much about each other, but most of our history was separate. Because of that, it was easy to fall back into old habits. One of Eva’s was hiding what she felt. She took on things that weren’t her responsibility or felt guilt that she didn’t need to. It seeped into her head and heart and she ended up sad.
But she wasn’t alone anymore. Even if she couldn’t talk about it now, I wasn’t going to let her think she couldn’t talk about it. There was no hiding in the Feroce pack.
“Okay.” She tilted her face up, wordlessly asking to be kissed, and I obliged.
The white dress she wore hit the floor. I lifted her out of her high heels and carried her into the nest to lay her out on the cushions. Lacy white lingerie was a temptation. Eva looked like sin. But I would let that lingerie stay in place while we talked. Because once it came off?
Yeah, there wouldn’t be much talking.
Jack came into the nest and saw the way I had Eva laid out. “This is a nice surprise.”
“For after we get it out of her,” I clarified.
Eva smacked one of the pillows. “I’m not resisting. There’s nothing you’ll need to pry out of me.”
“Don’t say that.” Tyler stripped off his shirt as he entered. “Getting things out of you is fun.”
Eva didn’t smile. If anything, she turned further inward. I pulled her across the cushions and made her my little spoon. As soon as Liam reached the doorway, I squeezed her hip. “Okay.”
