Page 65

Blaise and Dane.

I don’t know how, but I can feel them coming before they’re even in the room, their presence so palpable I can almost taste it. My whole body tenses, the panic twisting my insides.

And suddenly, they’re there, filling the doorway – Dane with his usual cool composure, Blaise looking like he’s just had his own morning wake-up call. They freeze for a split second when they see Xar and me.

The tension in the room becomes a physical thing, thick and suffocating, but it only heightens the racing in my chest. My heart pounds so loudly I swear they can hear it. Darkness blurs the edges of my vision.

What the hell is happening?

My mind is spinning, a whirlwind of confusion, fear, and something else – something that I can’t quite name. My body is reacting in ways that make me feel both out of control and desperate torunat the same time.

But runtothem, notaway.

Xar’s presence feels like a pull on my very soul, his warmth, his scent, his touch – everything about him is overwhelming.

“Eviana?” Xar says again, this time his voice is firmer, more concerned. He’s not letting go. His arm tightens around me slightly, pulling me closer to him, as if to anchor me to him. “Are you okay, little one?”

Don’t touch me,I want to scream. But the words are stuck, lodged in my throat. My omega wants to curl into him, while I want to run for the hills.What should I do?

I try to shove away, but it’s useless. I can’t push against him, not with the weight of his body pressing into mine, not with the overwhelming scent of him clouding my thoughts.

Dane and Blaise step into the room now, both looking at me, then at Xar, then back at me, confusion in their eyes.

“Eviana, you with us, honeybee?” Blaise asks, his voice low, his eyes darting from me to Xar. He’s clearly just as confused as I am, but the worry in his gaze makes the panic in me flare higher.

“I–I didn’t mean to…I just—” My words falter as I try to gather myself. My hands shake, and my chest aches with the tension. I can’t make sense of any of it. It’s so hard to breathe, to think, to form a sentence. I feel like I’m in free fall, splintering pieces of myself off as I descend, knowing that when I hit the ground I’ll shatter and be irreparable.

That’s what these alphas have done: they’ve irrefutably changed me.

“I’ll take care of you,” Xar says, his voice steady now, his hand gently brushing down my arm in what I can only call a soothing motion. I want to pull away, but the sensation of his touch is calming in ways that confuse the hell out of me. Unconsciously, I lean into him.

Dane steps forward, his eyes narrowing as he watches me closely, clearly assessing the situation. “Is there anything we can do to help? You okay, wildflower?” he asks softly.

But the question feels distant. The world feels distant. The only thing real right now is Xar, his scent, his warmth.

This isn’t real, I think.This can’t be real.

But I’m still here, trapped between my instincts and my mind, unable to escape the sensation of beingtoo close, and yet, somehow, never wanting him to leave.

I’m still reeling, my breath shallow, my heart erratic. But then, as if in response to my rising panic, I feel the presence of Blaise and Dane coming closer. The air around me shifts, and I can’t ignore the subtle change.

Their scents mingle in the air like some kind of symphony that both soothes and unhinges me all at once.

I inhale deeply, involuntarily, and the first thing that hits me is Blaise’s scent – crisp green apple and bergamot, sharp andfresh, mixed with the unmistakable undertone of leather. It’s a clean, energising scent that sharpens the air, making everything feel clearer. It’s like the very breath of a storm, fresh and bracing, with that undeniablyalphabad boy edge. It’s a punch of energy, an invitation towake up– and I feel it all the way to my core.

I shift, uncomfortable, trying to pull away from the flood of emotions and sensations. It’s like his scent wraps around my lungs, making it harder to breathe, and yet at the same time, the air I draw into my lungs makes me feel like I’m alive. The raw energy that Blaise exudes makes my pulse quicken, and my body tenses, wanting to push back, to put space between me and him. But there’s nowhere to go.

Then I feel Dane.

His scent is different – darker, richer, more sumptuous. Deep cherrywood and amber, with that undercurrent of musk that clings to the air like a shadow. It’s heavier, more intimate than Blaise’s brightness. It wraps around me like a velvet cloak, enveloping me in something that feels both luxurious and suffocating. It’s the kind of scent that digs beneath my skin, wrapping its fingers around my heart and making it pound harder in my chest.

Dane’s presence is a weight, a grounding force that somehow makes everything feel both too much and too little at the same time. The smell of amber lingers in my nostrils, heavy and deep, and with it comes the undeniable pull of his alpha energy. It’s not as sharp as Blaise’s, but it’s thick, slow-moving, like the tide rolling in, inevitable. His scent clings to me, snakes around my thoughts, pulling me deeper into a place where I can’t escape my own reactions.

I don’t know if it’s the combination of their scents or the proximity of their bodies, but everything inside me feelsalive. Overwhelmingly so. It’s like my body is on high alert, caughtbetween the calm of Xar’s soothing warmth and the ferocity of Blaise’s playful power and Dane’s steady, grounding presence.

Their scents –together– form something I can’t describe, a heady, intoxicating mixture that’s neither overwhelming nor comforting, but a dangerous blend of both. Xar’s scent anchors me, calming, grounding me amidst the chaos. Blaise’s presence crackles in the air like a sudden burst of lightning. Dane’s aroma presses on me like the weight of the earth, constant, heavy, and undeniable.

And as all three scents merge, swirling around me in the quiet, I can feel them – feelthem– in my blood, in my skin, under my breath. A symphony of alpha energy, woven together, pulling at my instincts, at the very core of me.