Chapter 15
CHAPTER
FIFTEEN
KEV
I can’t stop rereading the text.
My body’s fighting every second of this. My ears ring, and my vision starts to tunnel. My heart feels seconds away from ripping through my chest, right here in front of the two people I love the most.
But what are my eyes glued to?
My phone screen—while I stand here completely bare, dick still wet.
But I can’t stop myself, I read the texts again.
Ryan
They’ve infiltrated the building
It’s worse than we could’ve imagined
There are at least twenty battered omegas
We’re going to need Heat Wave’s help
That could’ve been August.
Our omega.
“Kev, Baby, I’m going to need you to breathe for me.” Abel is right in front of me, taking my phone from me, but my hands stay frozen where they are, just empty now.
I murmur to myself, “That could’ve been him.”
Abel’s hands find my face, and he lifts my chin to try to get me out of the spiral I’m quickly heading down.
“It wasn’t, though. We made it to him before anything bad could happen.
” My vision continues tunneling. “Breathe in with me.” Abel starts to suck a breath in, and I follow suit as he counts out loud for us.
He murmurs soft words, but all I can focus on are his lips moving.
My body isn’t registering what he’s saying because my ears are still ringing.
Then August steps up to the side of us. “Kev, I’m right here. Both of you saved me almost a year ago now.” I can feel the panic from Abel and August through the bond, and I know it’s their worry of another panic attack from me, but the doom that’s filling my body is almost too much to bear.
Rationally, I know August is right here in front of us, being loved so dearly by Abel and me, but what if I had talked Abel out of going to the warehouse that night…
That’s the thought that always creeps into my mind, no matter how good things are going. And Abel has never once said those words to August, when I know he easily could have.
No matter how happy I know we make August now.
How perfect we are as a pack.
I was iffy on going to what we thought was a date. What if Abel agreed and we stayed home that night?
Abel’s still in my face, trying to get me to follow his breathing.
“Okay, Kev, okay, Baby, breathe, please.” I feel August’s arms wrap around my waist from behind me, and my purr kicks up.
Even as I battle these thoughts, his presence soothes me.
“We don’t have to go over there if it’s going to be too triggering for you,” Abel reassures me.
After a couple of seconds that feel like a lifetime, August whispers, “I know there are omegas that need our help.”
His words sober me, slowly bringing me back to my body. My breathing finally evening out. I can hear Abel murmuring that I’m doing good and to keep regulating my breathing. My eyes focus on Abel’s face in front of me, and I find my words to answer August. “If this isn’t going to trigger you…”
August forces me to turn around to face him. “I’m more worried about it triggering you, Kev.”
“It’s not the other omegas…” I trail off, knowing that what I just said makes me a piece of shit, so I elaborate a little more. “It’s the thought that if we didn’t get to you that night, we would not be here doing any of this.”
“You both got to me. Walked me through my first heat unknowingly and marked me to keep. As bad as it sounds, if these horrible people hadn’t taken me and offered my heat up on that random website, I wouldn’t have met either of you…”
I blurt out, unable to hold it in any longer, “I tried talking Abel out of going!”
“Oh my sweet, Kev…” August whispers, grabbing my face and slowly pressing his lips to mine so gently.
“You’re not mad?”
“Kev, Baby, if you hadn’t been on edge going to a random run-down office building to go on a date with a random omega that Abel found, I would’ve been more worried. ”
“We didn’t even know it was an office until we got to the address those fucks provided…” Abel and August chuckle at my words.
August’s brows pinch together, and sadness takes his features over. “Has this been on your mind since we met?” And I’m now beating myself up over letting these thoughts eat away at me for the past year.
I give him a sheepish nod, and I’m immediately met with their arms wrapping around me, squeezing like they never want to let go—and at this point, I hope they never do.
We stand wrapped up in one another for what feels like an eternity, but then it hits me that we need to get over there and help. I can feel August practically vibrating with anticipation, so I break the silence. “Lets get dressed and get over there.”