Chapter 34 #3
Sunny nodded, eyes wide and rimmed with tears. I wiped them away gently and soothed her with a soft coo.
Looking up, the world closed in around me.
Men were staring. A few had lifted their phones while others were looking at me with want in their eyes.
Oh shit! Thanks to the extra burst of adrenaline and fear from being groped by that asshole, my scent had gone full-blown and was currently drawing an unwanted crowd.
Sweat beaded on my forehead and my body felt way too warm.
I swallowed a whine for my Alphas. It wasn’t just the pre-heat, it was the need for comfort, the need to know that Colt was okay and that all my men were walking out of this goddamn arena today.
I was a mess of emotions and burning from the inside out while my scent gave me away. More Alphas gathered, climbing down the steps of the bleachers, drawn to the scent of a distraught Omega.
I was out of time… The layer of neutralizing blockers I’d put on for protection had dissolved, and this wasn’t the time or the place to try and slather on more.
God! I don’t have time for this!
I shoved my hand into my leather purse. I bypassed my keys and scrabbled until I found the small plastic vial.
Popping the cap, I dumped the untested ghost flower lozenge into my palm.
It would dissolve sublingually and take effect in minutes.
I threw it into my mouth and tucked it under my tongue, letting it get to work while I hoisted Sunny onto my hip and pushed forward through the crowd, hoping I wouldn’t run into any more resistance.
I could see August was just up ahead, frantically scanning the crowd.
Relief shot through me, and I waved, racing to his side.
I heaved, trying to breathe, to calm down. Already, the botanical extract was working to subdue the tidal wave of my pheromones.
I stumbled, nearly losing my balance as the ground tilted hard to the right.
“Julia,” August rumbled, his voice sounding as though it were submerged under water. “Your scent…”
“I know,” I said, wondering why the two little words sounded a little… slurred. “I took care of it.”
August wrapped his arm securely around my shoulders as if he realized I needed the support. His touch and his scent helped steady me for exactly one second.
“They’re loading Colt into the ambulance,” he rumbled, his voice rough and tight. “Stetson and the others are with him. We’re gonna grab the truck and follow. Meet ‘em at the ER.”
He guided me forward, hoisting Wyatt up with his other strong arm to make navigating the crowd easier. I stumbled after him, but the ground refused to stay level.
My heart raced like I’d injected pure adrenaline into my bloodstream.
Cold sweat broke out on my forehead, and my hands shook while the rest of me became faint.
The frenzied heat I’d been battling was replaced by ice, adding to the heavy numbness that dragged at my bones.
My limbs turned to lead. Every step felt like I was moving through molasses.
“August,” I slurred, the word feeling thick and clumsy on my tongue. “Can you carry two kids?”
“Of course,” he called over his shoulder, slowing and turning to face me, already opening his arm without asking why.
I shoved Sunny toward the safety of his chest, glad when he quickly scooped her up and settled her on his hip.
I took another step to follow them, the ambulance in sight in the distance, but my legs refused to work right.
My knees simply gave out.
Gravity yanked me downward. The blinding arena lights washed out into a harsh, searing white, erasing the crowded grandstands and the darkness beyond.
“Jules!”
August’s voice broke through the roar in my ears, stripped of every ounce of his usual steady calm.
I couldn’t answer him. Couldn’t even get my hands out to catch myself. I hit the ground hard, the last of my air punching out of me as my heart tried to tear itself free from my chest.
“Oh fuck! Is she okay?” a masculine voice said from somewhere near me, but I couldn’t see who.
Wyatt broke free from August’s grip and planted himself between me and the gathering crowd, his small fists balled at his sides, his jaw set in a perfect mirror of his father’s.
“Jules! Wildflower… Talk to me!” August fell to his knees beside me, his hands hovering, not wanting to make it worse and looking for all the world like he didn’t know what to do.
Sunny was crying into his shoulder, and I wanted to reach out, to soothe her, to tell her I would be alright.
To tell all of them that I would be fine.
But I couldn’t form the words.
The arena blurred. Sound warped. Everything narrowed to one impossible image that would forever be branded in my mind—Colt lying perfectly, horribly still in the sand.
My pack…
I wanted my men, but my mates were scattered around the arena, all of us coming apart at the seams.
A broken whine slipped free as the world went black.
The last thing I heard was Wyatt’s voice, small and fierce despite its shaking, shouting for someone to help his Julia.
The end for now...
Part Two of Julia’s duet is coming soon!