Page 9 of Marked By the Alphas
I was about to respond, but Rowan beat me to it.
“She's been through a lot,” he stated. “Let's give her some time to recover. In the meantime, we need to be vigilant. We should research the prophecy, see if there's anything else we can glean from it.”
“We also need to be on the lookout for her attackers. I got reports from the patrol that there have been several unfamiliar scents lingering at our borders. It doesn’t seem like it’s just a group of rogues seeking to have some fun with a girl if they keep coming back. We have to keep her here until we can figure it out.” Kai let out a heavy sigh.
I slumped deeper into my seat. I felt increasingly isolated since I couldn’t share my suspicions about Elara. It wasn’t only about her now; it was about my own secrets. I couldn’t tell them now. They wouldn’t understand.
It didn’t help that they also seemed to be purposefully ignoring the fact that all three of us were mated to her. It seemed like the most important factor to me. Not only was it the foundation of the prophecy, it was also very rare for an Omega to be mated to more than one Alpha. That wasn’t something that could just be pushed to the side.
“Rowan, you have to tighten security, too. We already have too much going on, and I cannot even begin to imagine how the rest of the pack will take the news of the situation with the Omega. The last thing that we need is a frenzy from the pack members. It doesn’t look like we have a lot of time to put all the pieces together, so we all need to be on the lookout for anything that might help us. It’s been a long day. We should get some rest. We’ll be facing the rest of the officials tomorrow, and I can bet it’s not going to be an easy meeting.”
Kai dismissed us and it caused me to furrow my brow. My frown deepened when they both moved to get out of their seats, and I held out a hand to stop them as I spoke.
“Hold on. I thought we were discussing important matters. Aren’t we going to discuss the topic of the undeniable, impossible mate bond that binds all three of us to her?”
I could see the way Rowan’s jaw stiffened and Kai clenched his fists. If I didn’t know before then, this confirmed that they had both deliberately been ignoring the topic, but I knew I couldn’t let it go. This had been the only thing on my mind from the moment that I saw her.
All my life I had feared that I would never find a mate of my own. I had let go of the belief that would eventually meet the one made to mate with my soul. I had even managed to convince myself that it was my punishment from the Moon Goddess for all the terrible things I had done once upon a time.
But here she was.
And the strangest part of it was that she was also mated to Kai and Rowan for some reason.
“Things are complicated as it is right now, Rhys. Let’s not compound it even more. We’ll take this one mystery at a time,” Kai said.
“Then why isn’t this at the top of the list?” I asked.
“It’s been a long day, Rhys. We can’t figure everything out at once,” Rowan concluded before getting out of his seat and exiting the office, muttering under his breath.
Kai remained in the office with me, but he had his attention focused on the space in front of him like it was the most interesting thing he had ever encountered.
“The longer we ignore it, the more awkward and painful it’ll be,” I said softly, and he nodded his head in understanding.
“I know. Let’s hope we don’t have to ignore it for long then,” he responded. He patted my shoulder before exiting the room.
It felt like this day had gone on forever. I let out a breath in the silence of the room. I felt exhausted, but I knew sleep would be very far from me tonight. Sighing heavily, I made my way out of the office. I needed some fresh air. Maybe a run would help calm my mind.
The crisp evening air washed over me the moment I stepped outside, and with it came the scent of wild roses and cinnamon. I stopped in my tracks immediately, turning my head toward the source. My heart pushed dangerously against my ribs. She sat perched on the edge of the fountain in the herb garden, her back turned to me.
Danger and desire warred within me, and although a part of me knew I wasn’t ready to face her yet, I couldn’t bring myself to go back inside. So with a small sigh, I approached her.
Chapter 6
Elara
The dank, oppressive darkness of the space pressed in on me. The air was thick with a metallic tang and the scent of something decaying, which filled my nostrils and made my stomach lurch. The only light that filtered into the room was through a barred opening. It cast long, skeletal shadows across the room. The shadows only worsened my fear.
The rough, damp stone beneath me pressed against my back, and I huddled on the cold floor, desperate to get some warmth back into my freezing skin. Tears fell freely down from my eyes, and I struggled to control my shaky breath, hoping to stay awake longer and not give in to the exhaustion.
I knew this place all too well. It was the cramped, windowless cell that Silas had carved into the cold stone beneath his mansion. This room was every Siren’s biggest fear. Every punishment was different, and sometimes one could never know for sure when it would end. He pushed us to the very limits and each scream, each tortured plea, only ever worked to fuel him.
Why was I back here?
Did Silas’ hunters find me within Kai’s pack, or did he give me up to them himself?
“How did you think you could escape from me, little dove?” Silas’ menacing voice filled the room, and I gasped, forcing myself into a sitting position. I scanned the room, but thedarkness and the shadows dancing within it made it difficult to find Silas’ sinister face.
“You’ll never be able to escape from me, Elara! You’ll always be mine!” The words echoed through the room on repeat, bouncing off the stone walls, causing me to fold even more into myself as I sobbed heavily.