Chapter 40
SKYLAR
I fallasleep on top of River, with him and Vincent still inside me.
Both of them thrust against me lazily as I doze, occasionally waking me up to bring me to an orgasm.
Landon watches the whole thing in fascination, his brown eyes locking onto mine as I fall apart over and over.
At one point, I wake up on my side with River facing me and Vincent behind me, both of them asleep while locked inside me.
I lose track of time, but I always sense my Alphas.
At one point, I wake up clean, and the sheets and blankets have been replaced with newer, softer fabrics. I happily bury my face in them and inhale the scent of clean laundry.
And every time I wake up, I’m greeted with the familiar warmth of my mating bond. My pack is never far from me, whether they’re making love to me, feeding me, or simply cuddling me.
I don’t panic if I open my eyes and they’re not in the room, because I know they’re close.
I know they’re mine.
The doctor was right. My Heat is violent, and scratch and bite marks appear on River’s chest more often than I’d like to admit in the next few days.
“Don’t worry about it, baby,” he tells me, his emerald eyes burning as I make a face at them. “I hope they leave scars.”
They feed me. They clothe me.
They treat like a princess, and for once, I don’t feel guilty about it.
I just let myself enjoy the wild days of my Heat.
I allow myself to be taken care of.
It lasts about a week.
I can tell my Heat is ending when I walk into the living room and see Vincent on his laptop, sitting on the couch.
Reality crashes down on me.
“Oh no,” I blurt out, and he frowns.
“What’s wrong?” he demands, closing his laptop and coming towards me. “Are you in pain, is it?—”
“You’ve missed work for days,” I say, horrified. “All those cases?—”
“Skylar. Don’t,” he warns, but I press on, my face hot with shame.
“You dropped everything to come here, right after the press conference, and?—”
He steps forward and kisses me hard, stunning me. He cups my face with his hands as his eyes blaze into mine.
“This needed to happen,” he promises me. “Did you really think we would let you go through this alone?”
Guilt eats at me. “But what about April? I forgot all about her.”
Vincent shakes his head. “No, you didn’t,” he says. “Sit down with me. I want to show you something.”
Vincent’s scent swirls around me, rich and heady, as he leads me to the couch.
“I can sense your anxiety,” he tells me quietly as he opens his laptop. “Hopefully, this will help.”
There’s a video on the screen. It’s from the press conference from the other day, but it’s a clip of my speech.
I frown. “Why are you watching this?”
“Look at the views,” Vincent says.
I pause.
It’s in the millions.
“What is this?” I whisper, unable to believe my eyes.
“Your speech went viral,” Vincent says, a hint of pride in his voice. “People that normally don’t pay attention to press conferences suddenly know all about the missing Omegas, including April.”
I can’t breathe. I stare at the number of views on the screen, flabbergasted.
My own voice echoes from Vincent’s laptop.
“I love you like a sister, and I’ll keep searching for you until the day I die. You’re not alone.”
I don’t remember saying any of that. My speech is still a blur in my mind.
“You did it, Skylar. You brought an awareness to this that no one else could. You’re making people care,” Vincent insists as he looks at me.
Tears prick at the corner of my eyes. All I did was speak to a few reporters and then have a panic attack.
I never dreamed this could happen.
“You know I’m not on social media,” Vincent adds, and I cock an eyebrow, an old age joke already forming in my mind.
But he narrows his eyes.
“Not like that,” he growls. “I just don’t find a need for it.”
I quirk my lip.
“Anyway,” he continues, “Landon told me that the name April Waters is trending. That it’s one of the most used hashtags.”
I let out a sound halfway between a laugh and a sob.
The world knows about my best friend.
I shake my head. “I can’t believe it,” I say, as hope swells in my chest.
“Tips are coming in from everywhere, Skylar. Not just for April, but for other Omegas. Eight more have been rescued since your speech.”
I bury my face in Vincent’s shoulder, so he doesn’t see me cry. He wraps an arm around me, holding me close to him as I freely let tears fall.
“Try to let go of that guilt for just a while,” he murmurs. “It can be our secret.”
But it’s not guilt that makes me weep.
I just miss my friend.