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A chunk of the plane blew out then, the lights flickering, and people started screaming.

Doctors and therapists had told me how unlikely it was that I remembered that part. One therapist suggested kindly that I was filling in from seeing movies, that the trauma I’d suffered almost always results in fragmented memories.

But I remembered. I prayed I would pass out; no one could be this afraid and be conscious, but I stayed awake. The roar of the wind, the whine of the engines, the stink of people terrified around me, my mother’s burnt lilac scent heavy in my nose.

And then everything stopped. Everything slammed together and my body felt like it was being ripped apart, piece by piece. I did pass out then, only to wake up in agony, feeling wet and cold and whimpering for my parents.

Everything hurt. The pain swallowed me, took away everything that made me who I was.

Lights flashed. Paramedics. It felt like a nightmare, and I cried out for my mother. My dad. My pops. My aunt and uncle and even my brothers, sister, and cousins.

I jerked myself awake then, my heart racing. I was soaked in sweat and shivering cold. Ben curled behind me, and Alejandro lay on my other side.

For a moment the memory layered itself over reality and the acrid scent of burnt rubber covered the scents of the alphas. I shivered, feeling so hot I could have thrown up. I didn’t want to shift away from either alpha, their scents curling into my brain and soothing my instincts even as I felt like I needed to go, to run, to escape.

My hip and shoulder ached like fire. Everything felt fuzzy. Rational thoughts fragmented away. I burrowed my face into my alpha’s neck, hunting for his scent. Spicy woods and currant. A fragment of a song played in my mind but I couldn’t name it. My skin itched and ached, like I needed to crawl out of it.

In his sleep, my alpha muttered and squeezed his arm around me.

I sucked in a deep breath, trying to soothe the fears, but when I closed my eyes, all I could see was the chunk of the plane tearing away, the shock of the black night suddenly exposed.

I let out a loud whine. Both alphas jerked awake, the omegas right behind them.

Even my fragmented thoughts abandoned me, and I sank into a dull gray haze.

Chapter 36

Ben

Ijerked awake to find Ember doing her level best to burrow into me. She was shaking like a leaf and burning up. I had already wrapped my arms around her while we slept, my hands brushing Alejandro’s shoulders, judging from the scent.

Ember whined again, and I purred loudly, desperately looking around to see the threat.

The nest didn’t seem any different. The light quality hadn’t changed. I didn’t smell anyone else. I’d have known if there was, despite the sharp burnt tang of lemon and sour milk overriding everything.

Ember’s scent was worse now than it was this evening, and it had been pretty bad. I immediately started purring and Alejandro followed suit.

“What’s wrong, my love?” I put my hand at the base of her neck and rubbed. She was a ball of tension.

“Mom,” she whimpered. “Where’s my mom?”

“Shit.” West’s voice was hoarse. Movement near Ember. The only thing keeping my alpha instincts from growling was I smelled West’s soured milk and honey scent. I felt his hand on her forehead.

“She’s burning up.” I pushed the blanket down, but she immediately started shivering.

“Ember?” West shook her shoulder softly.

She ignored him, keeping her sweaty face pressed against my neck, her nose firmly pressed into my scent gland. She had Alejandro’s hand in the same spot, like she wanted to huff us both at the same time.

“Ember, wake up.” West’s voice was commanding.

Ember whined again, pressing herself against me.

“What do we do?” I sounded sharper than I meant to, but my alpha instincts were screaming. She was hurt; she was sick. I had to do something. “Call a doctor?”

“Rian, go get some washcloths and run them under room-temperature water. Ring them out so they’re damp, not soaking.” West’s voice was still right next to me. He must have been leaning over Alejandro.

I bitterly wished I knew what to do. I was inadequate. West was hurting too but instead he had to make sure Ember was taken care of.Next time I’ll know, I told my alpha instincts.