Chapter 30 #2
"Your family has a strong intuition when it comes to sensing things, so I don’t think it’s unreasonable to assume there’s still a chance to find them alive," he says in that same matter-of-fact tone he uses when he keeps his emotions in check, but for the rest of the elevator ride he lets me hold his hand, and I gently squeeze it, brushing my fingers over the back of it.
Even though he’s trying to hide it, his expression tells me he doesn’t mind that form of closeness at all.
◆◆◆
Two days later, the rescue operation begins, with a specialized vessel hired by Blue and Jacob, equipped to handle helicopter landings, setting out toward the Kuril Islands.
Blue and I wait for updates, and the tension eats at me all day, I can’t settle, my thoughts drifting again and again to childhood memories, to summers spent at Uncle Lake and Aiden’s house, and I find myself hoping with everything I have that they’ll get their son back.
That evening, when Blue and I end up in bed, we only make love once, slow and careful, without the usual urgency that builds between us during the day, the weight of everything hanging over us, making it hard to fully let go.
But limiting our closeness leaves me with this restless edge, so I keep telling myself we’ll hear good news.
The next morning starts normally.
Blue is in his office with Simon, going over the day’s schedule, shifting meetings around, when suddenly his phone goes off.
I’m trying to focus on my assembler programming assignment, but it’s not going well, my thoughts keep drifting back to Blue, that constant hunger for my fated mate sitting under my skin, my attention pulled again and again to him, to the way he moves, his scent, his lips, his hole, my mind generating images of us tangled together, rolling across the bed, his hands on me, touching my face, his breath hot, his soft moans…
Yup, as I said, I’m completely gone for him.
Then Blue looks at his screen and freezes, and I immediately lock onto him, and a second later he lifts his gaze to me, eyes wide.
"Gabriel! They’re alive! Both of them, Winter and Sariel!"
I’m on my feet instantly.
"What? Holy shit!"
He stands too, and for a moment we just look at each other, both of us breaking into the same stunned grin.
Then, without thinking, even with Simon right there, he steps forward and pulls me into a tight embrace.
I can feel how much it means to him that his nephew made it, and I feel it too, the relief that Winter gets another chance.
Simon watches us with a raised brow, and Blue clears his throat and steps back.
"Excellent. That’s very good news," he says, slipping back into the usual formal tone as he turns toward the table, but before he can walk away I grab his hand and stop him.
He turns back to me, those bright sapphire eyes fixed on my face through his glasses.
"Blue, I mean, Mr. Lowen… you are amazing. You saved them. You. No one else would have gone out there to look for them. Everyone else gave up."
"And it cost a fortune… hiring a military-grade vessel isn’t exactly cheap," Simon adds, sounding amused.
Blue shrugs.
"If I can’t use it for family, then what’s the point of having it? Money is only useful when it actually does something that matters."
Silence falls, because neither Simon nor I even tries to comment on it, it’s such an abstract act of generosity for people who don’t have that kind of money and never have to face choices like that, but it only makes me fall for Blue even harder.
That night the energy comes back to our bed, the passion with it, and we spend hours lost in each other, one ecstatic wave after another, until everything else fades out.
Yeah, I could even live like this forever, being his secret. Being HIS is the key emphasis here.
◆◆◆
The reunion happens less than a day later at the airport.
Both the Lowen family and the Nolans are there, gathered, emotional, waiting.
I stand a bit farther away, playing my role as his bodyguard without a slip-up, keeping a respectful distance.
There’s only one brief moment when I manage to step away and head over to Snow, who came to greet his brother too.
"Hey, man, thanks for that warning text. You saved my life, obviously!" I say, fully aware how awkward it sounds.
So casually thanking someone for saving your life is almost funny, but well, the opportunity came up, so I’m taking it.
Snow’s strange pale-violet eyes narrow slightly.
"No problem, Gabriel. Just stay sharp, because that’s not the only thing waiting for you."
"Really?" My smile instantly drops. "More attempts?"
Snow nods, then gives me a light pat on the back.
"I’ve got one piece of advice. Break the one rule you don't want to break, even when everything in you resists. That’s what’s going to solve the puzzle."
I give him a crooked smile.
"That sounds very enigmatic."
A faint smirk touches his mouth in response.
"Then maybe this way of putting it will work for you better: Sometimes you need to break something to come back stronger."
I don’t comment, because that still sounds cryptic as hell, and I can’t stand around chatting anyway, I’m here for work, after all.
So I nod once, feeling a bit confused, and mutter, "Thanks, Snow."
Then I head back toward Blue, biting my lip. Now, after how accurate Snow's last prophecy was, I feel an unpleasant shiver run down my spine, but at that exact moment, the doors leading out of the arrivals area open, and the survivors arrive.
It turns into chaos in the best possible way, people rushing forward, and Uncle Lake actually jumps the barrier and runs straight to Winter, pulling him into his arms, and I’ll admit my vision blurs a little watching it.
Sariel and Winter look… surprisingly okay, considering they spent more than two weeks on an uninhabited island. And it was volcanic indeed, which only makes me wonder why my dream about them was so precise.
And maybe it’s just me, but I catch something else between Winter and Sariel, something different in the way they glance at each other, a more intense energy, like whatever happened out there shifted things from employer and employee into something more.
It wouldn’t be that strange, not after something dramatic like that. Going through trauma together can definitely bring people closer.
Sariel embraces Blue tightly, even lifting him off the ground, clearly overwhelmed with joy at seeing him. Throughout all of this, I make a deliberate effort to stay in the background, reminding myself I’m just Blue’s bodyguard, nothing more.
The truth is, it’s easier, safer, but as I watch everyone cheering, united in the moment, the idea of standing beside Blue openly, of claiming that place in front of them, starts to flicker at the edges of my thoughts.
For the first time, seeing the friendly smiles all around and feeling the warmth of a celebration shared by both families, I begin to wonder if maybe one day stepping forward will be possible for me too.
At one point, I catch Blue’s gaze, and he… gives me a small wink. I immediately grin back beneath my mesh mask.
◆◆◆
That evening, after I shower and get into bed, I notice yet another text message from Marlow: "Hi, you’re awfully quiet lately. Is everything okay?"
I intend to reply, but then Blue walks in with his phone in hand.
He looks up at me and says, "It seems the new head of the local mafia is now… Ennio Ferro. I have to admit, that’s unexpected. He’s an omega, and that structure has always been heavily alpha-driven."
I snap my head up in surprise.
"Oh, wow. That might actually be a good change, I know Ennio personally. Back when I was fighting in underground clubs he used to show up all the time, talk to the fighters, and I spoke with him a few times. He’s nothing like Rocco, who was completely unhinged."
"What is he like?"
"Reserved, but stable, and mostly a businessman.
Not that different from you. A strong omega, very smart.
From what I heard he graduated with multiple majors, mostly business-related: investment, development.
He already helped the Ferros gain a strong footing in real estate development investments in the city… "
Blue watches me with slightly narrowed eyes.
"Did you find him attractive? He seems like your type, ‘strong and smart omega’…"
I snort, even though I register the fact that Blue seems to be kinda possessive over me already, which is… a good sign, right?
Then I answer, cocking my head, "Maybe in that regard, but he's not my type physically. Way too strong and tall. Like all Ferros, he once fought in underground cages. He was a champion in the omega division and… for two years straight in the beta division! Which is a rare case."
Blue raises his eyebrows.
"That is indeed uncommon. Well, he’s an interesting choice for a capo. Also… he knows how to invest well. He had enough money to build his own skyscraper…"
"Well, he was the only son of the late Tito Ferro, the heir to the capo throne, so he inherited way more in personal wealth than even Anzo."
"Hm. I didn’t realize you knew him personally, but that’s useful information. We might cross paths someday," Blue says with a slight smirk as he sits down on the bed.
He’s wearing a thin tank top and boxers, and every now and then he scratches absently at the side of his neck.
My gaze drifts there without thinking much about it, to the pale line of his throat, and then something catches my attention.
I shift closer fast enough that he looks up, surprised.
I lean in, staring at his neck.
The place where there used to be that slight hollow, where his glands were removed, looks… different now, leveled with the rest of his skin.
"Blue… I’ve noticed you scratching there a lot. Do you think… the regeneration process might have started?"
I expect him to approach it like something to analyze, but his reaction throws me off.
He swallows and looks away, like the topic is unpleasant or at least highly uncomfortable.
Then he stands up and walks over to the mirror, running his fingers over the spot.