Page 83 of The Packaged Deal

Well, this is strange and not very sexy. And, wait, Adrian isn’t even hard? Am I misreading this whole situation?

I look him over, leaning forward to get a taste, only for him to slam his palm against my head and hold me back.

But then I spot a ring of red, swollen flesh. Once I spot it, I can’t unsee it no matter how much I might want to. Jealousy churns through me, making me ill.

Who? I inhale, desperate to catch the scent of the alpha I’m going to murder. I lean against Adrian’s hand, pushing to get closer. I get close enough to catch a whiff of licorice….

Wait.

Is that…mine?

I let Adrian push me back and fall on my ass.

“How?”

He snarls at me, yanks up his pants, then the anger breaks. His shoulders slump, and he crashes to his knees in front of me.

“Sven, it’s okay, breathe.” He shakes his head and grips my shoulders. “Hey, you big jerk of a soldier, breathe. What did I just tell you!”

When did I stop breathing? What is that rasping sound?

“That’s my bond…” my lips are moving, but I don’t feel like I’m talking. I feel like I’m falling backwards off a cliff. A surge of possessive pride floods me, leaving my head whirling and me clutching Addy’s wrist.

Mine.

That one word sinks into me like a tsunami warning blaring into the night sky. Every part of me comes alert, adrenaline and fear flood my system, leaving me cold and feeling like brittle glass.

I can see the way the light from the lamp bounces off his cheekbones. How his long lashes sweep down and up as he blinks. There’s a single tiny freckle to the right of his cupid’s bow. He’s solid, a wall of concrete that I can’t move. My strength meets his over and over, and neither of us breaks. It’s been that way for all these years.

And then I went and did that.

I push his pants open so I can look down at the teeth imprints. I reach out slowly to run my fingers across the healing wounds. Addy flinches when my thumb touches his skin, but I’m lost in the cyclone of feelings that open up in me.

I can feel him inside me. Deep in my chest, like there’s me and there’s a door, and on the other side, inside me all this time, Addy’s been there. I press my free hand to my chest, aching because I can feel him. All of it, the pain, the uncertainty, the fear, the anger. I don’t know why I’d imagined these bonds to be small. Addy is a behemoth, staring through a keyhole of my bond.

I lick my dry lips. “When did I…”

“Four days ago.”

I squeeze my eyes closed. “I stepped away. I tried so hard to do the right thing.”

“You need to tell me what’s going on,” Adrian growls. He stands up and yanks his pants back up and buttons them. “Now. If you’re going to stay here, I need to know you’re safe to be around Jade.”

“I’m as safe as I’ve always been,” I say evasively and try not to show how much that question hurt me.

I snap my head in the direction of the bedroom. What is that? Adrian follows my gaze and frowns. I rub at my chest. There is something calmer, mellow, silky smooth, but pleasant inside me. It rubs up against me like a cat.

It’s not the omega.

I’m halfway to my feet when the answer hits me, and I stagger sideways, falling to my knees a second time.

“What’s wrong now, Sven?” Adrian sounds tired.

“I did it to her as well,” I whisper in horror.

I get to my feet and grab for the door. Adrian gets there first, cutting me off.

“Where are you going?”