Page 4 of A Cobbled Conspiracy
Jake’s head snapped up. “Is that just separation anxiety? I—I mean, it sort of sounds like bond withdrawal. If it gets worse…”
“It won’t get worse,” I said firmly. “Because Dominic’s coming home today.”
The silence that followed felt heavy. Blake cleared his throat carefully. “Leo, we need to prepare for all possibilities. If bail is denied?—”
“It won’t be.” The words came out sharper than I intended, edged with the kind of desperate determination that my grandfather used to call ‘omega stubbornness.’ “The evidence is circumstantial at best. Dominic’s not a flight risk. He has community ties, a business, a mate.”
I gestured at myself. “They have to see that.”
Penny reached across the counter to squeeze my hand. “Of course they will. But Jake’s right about the medical thing. Youhave to check in with Dr. Westfield tomorrow anyway for the federal monitoring requirement. Maybe she can?—”
“I’m fine.” I pulled my hand back, immediately regretting the sharp motion when Penny’s face fell. “Sorry. I’m just… today’s hard enough without adding extra medical discussions to the required ones.”
The truth was, I’d been avoiding thinking too hard about my physical symptoms. Yes, the nausea was getting worse. Yes, I’d been more emotional than usual, crying at insurance commercials and snapping at perfectly reasonable suggestions. But it was stress. My body was simply reacting to the trauma of separation so soon after mating.
I’d be okay. The bond would be okay.
Blake’s phone buzzed again, and he glanced at the screen with a frown. “There’s been a break-in at the Historical Society. It made the morning news,” he said. “Adelaide’s calling for increased security in the district, saying the recent incidents are connected to ‘outside criminal elements.’”
“Outside criminal elements,” Jake repeated flatly. “That’s one way to put it.”
“She’s positioning herself as the crisis manager,” Blake said, scrolling through what looked like a news article. “Federal cooperation, community safety, tough on crime. She’s turning my disaster into her campaign platform.”
The comment carried a note of professional admiration. Blake tapped the screen and Adelaide's crisp, authoritative voice issued from the tablet's speakers. His lips curved into a calculating smile, his eyes gleaming with professional respect ashe watched his opponent’s political maneuvering unfold on the screen.
“Clever old battle axe.” Blake’s smile showed a hint of fang.
My interest was piqued despite the emotional exhaustion. I thought about the threats that had driven us into hiding, the systematic targeting of district businesses, the feeling that we were caught in something much bigger than a simple corporate case. “Any word on what was actually stolen?”
“It’s vague about specifics,” Blake said, scrolling through the article. “My bet’s on property records, architectural plans… things of that nature.”
The conversation continued around me, but my attention drifted back to the mating mark on my neck. It was pulling again, that strange tugging sensation that sometimes felt like Dominic was trying to communicate across the distance. I closed my eyes, concentrating on the feeling.
Anxiety. Frustration. And underneath it all, a steady current of deep affection and determination that made my chest tight with longing.
Hold on,I thought, pressing my fingers to the mark.Just hold on. I’m coming.
“Leo?” Blake’s voice pulled me back to the present. “You okay?”
“Yeah, just…” I gestured vaguely at my neck. “Bond stuff. Sometimes I can feel him, you know? He’s anxious but trying not to show it.”
The three of them exchanged glances that suggested they were worried about my mental state along with my physical symptoms. I couldn’t blame them. Talking about feelingyour mate’s emotions through a psychic connection probably sounded like stress-induced delusion to anyone who hadn’t experienced a claiming bond.
“That’s normal,” Penny said gently. “The bond doesn’t just disappear because of physical distance.”
“But it gets weaker,” Jake added, his voice unusually soft. “In Boston, I knew an omega whose alpha got arrested. By the third month, she said she couldn’t feel him at all anymore. The bond went dormant.”
Three months. Dominic had been gone five days, and I already felt like I was coming apart at the seams. Three months would destroy me.
“That’s not going to happen,” I said firmly. “Because this ends today.”
Blake checked his watch. “We should start getting ready. Court opens at one, but I want to get there by noon to coordinate with Katherine.”
The next few hours passed in a blur of preparation. I changed clothes three times, trying to find something that looked respectable without making me feel like I was playing dress-up. Blake reviewed legal strategy with his lawyer, occasionally fielding calls from his campaign manager about damage control and concession speeches. Penny fussed over details—breath mints, tissues, making sure we had phone chargers—while Jake sat quietly alert, watching the windows and checking his phone for updates on district news.
By ten-thirty, my nerves were stretched so tight I felt like I might snap if anyone spoke too loudly. The mating mark throbbed in time with my heartbeat, and the nausea had settled into aconstant low-level queasiness that made me grateful for a mostly empty stomach.
“Ready?” Blake asked, keys in hand.