Page 45 of Bliss & Her Idols (Pack Bonds Omegaverse #10)

“So am I. Here’s the plan. You’re going to meet my family in order to avoid me being sent to the Alpha Center.

” Torin grimaces. “Mena is a business woman before anything else. Jin’s music downloads are higher than they’ve ever been.

If we’re not seen again in public because they’ve tried to lock us up, then the company’s profits will suffer.

There will probably be a round of interviews, where they’ll want us to smile and hopefully, be bonded. That buys us time.”

“What for?” My heart is beating fast.

Torin looks cool and commanding.

He’s stroking his thumb in circles across the back of both Cricket and my hands in a hypnotic way.

“For me to stage a coup of course.” Torin’s icy gaze meets mine. “I’m staging a revolution to overthrow my Head Alpha and set the Idols free. My strength is my invisibility because no one will see it coming.”

My heart is beating wildly.

I never saw it coming either.

A musician. A songwriter. A CEO.

The forgotten, invisible brother.

I heard these labels that he put on himself and didn’t realize that he used them to hide his true mission.

Yet Cricket and I had our own mission as well.

The same one .

Cricket throws his arms around Torin’s neck, loudly purring. “I knew that you were amazing. A true Prince Charming.”

Torin looks surprised, before he tucks Cricket underneath his chin, petting him. “I am pretty amazing.”

“But how?” I demand, eagerly. “What’s the plan?”

“First, you need to meet my family,” Torin begins conspiratorially.

“Mena is the Head Alpha. You’ll hate her, but I’m not sure whether she’ll acknowledge your existence.

Don’t talk to her if you can avoid it. Una is the next sister.

She’d become the Head Alpha, if my plan works.

She’s the only one with a bonded pack. They live together in the North Wing.

Una sent me photos of my nieces and her pack when I was in Ireland.

No one else rang, messaged, or wrote to me, when I was exiled abroad.

Una barely knows me because she was distracted with her own family but she’s never hurt me.

She’s kind. She sometimes bought me new clothes and books and shit, when she noticed how much I needed them as a kid.

She’s the softest of my siblings. Rory, you’ve already met.

He’s the only member of the family whose ass is kicked more than mine is. I’m mainly ignored.”

He hesitates.

“What about the twins?” I prompt.

The color drains from Torin’s face. “Stay away from the twins. They’re in their late thirties and see themselves as playboys.

I was made an outcast for loving a Beta, but the twins use their power to coerce the Betas.

Mena doesn’t do a fucking thing to stop it.

Aran is the dance coach and Devin teaches singing.

They’re also in charge of discipline. They get a kick out of it. ”

My expression becomes thunderous. “Then I’ll get a kick out of—”

“Not yet.” Torin’s voice is deep and rumbling.

“We need to look nonthreatening and take up the position that I’ve always held, which is almost at the bottom of the pack.

I also need to win Una over. We must keep a low profile, until everything is ready.

Never before have I had the outside world on my side. It’s the only protection that I have.”

“Not the only protection.” Cricket gives Torin’s neck a quick lick. “You also have two smart Omegas.”

“How could I forget?” Torin kisses his head.

When my phone vibrates in the pocket of my voluminous dress, I struggle to pull it out.

This dress was definitely not designed with functionality in mind.

I waggle the phone. “It’s a text from my bestie, Lion. He said that he’d look into Easter for me. But then, my phone was taken. Jin’s collapse made me forget about it.”

Then I become ashen as I scroll through the texts.

They are increasingly detailed with screenshots and the type of evidence, which Lionzio has the perfect skill set for discovering. They make me wonder just what job he had in his mafia family.

The phone drops from my numb fingers onto the bed.

Cricket’s eyes widen. “What’s Lion say?”

“He says that Easter is Kennedy.”

Cricket yanks away from Torin, stumbling over the bucket and spilling it. “She can’t be. Kennedy hates Jin. She’s the ultimate anti-fan. Her messages online are unhinged. How could I miss that? Easter must be obsessed. A stalker. To have worked her way onto that show, simply to p-p-poison him…”

“Kennedy is Easter’s online name, which she hides behind.” I stare at the beautiful sleeping Beta in the bed. Then I shudder. “I don’t think that Easter merely wanted to poison him. She intended to bond with him. Then she’d…”

“Have been able to take him fuck knows where and do fuck knows what to him. Whatever she wanted for the rest of his life.” Torin rips his bow tie off like he won’t be able to breathe otherwise. “Turning Stapleton on her wasn’t enough. I’m going to ruin her personally.”

“I’ll help,” Cricket says, darkly.

Suddenly, Jin groans, raising a shaky hand to his head.

“He’s waking up.” My pulse races. I scramble around on my knees to peer down at Jin. “He’s in pain. He still has a fever. What should I do?”

Cricket launches himself onto the bottom of the bed. He rests his arms on Jin’s calves, massaging gently.

Torin marches to the thin drapes at the windows, yanking them shut. “He may have a headache. The light will hurt his eyes.”

Slowly, Jin’s eyes open. I’m distressed at how unfocused they are. He darts his gaze around the room not seeming to recognize any of us.

“S-s-sorry, yeah?” Jin rasps. He sounds scared. His cheeks are flushed with heat. “Am I late? I’m getting up. I’m not ill. I can s-s-still practice. Please don’t p-punish Zero.”

My chest is tight.

I try to keep my voice level. “You’re not late. You’re unwell. So, no practice for you today.”

Jin appears confused, scrunching his brows. “The twins say Idols use illness as an excuse for laziness.”

Those twins have a knot crushing coming their way.

“The twins also say that they’re the best looking Alphas in our family.” Torin strolls to the bed. “So, let’s take their opinions with a grain of salt.”

Torin looks startled, when Jin cowers away from him.

“I’m up,” Jin pleads, throwing the blanket off himself, before I can stop him.

Then he tries to struggle out of the bed, despite the fact that he can hardly hold himself upright and is delirious.

I glance at Torin for help.

Torin gently grips Jin by the shoulder and guides him back under the covers.

Jin goes placidly, as if he’s forgotten why he got up in the first place.

Just for a moment, his gaze sharpens.

He sniffs. “Charming?”

Torin smiles more softly than he normally does. “The one and only, anamchara. Now, rest.”

“Work?”

Torin fusses with the cover, tucking it around Jin. “You’re taking the day off.”

“I’ve never had a day off. Betas can’t be lazy.”

I push my nails into my palms not to say what I want to.

Jin is barely conscious or aware of what’s going on. It wouldn’t help for me to show anger at his mistreatment.

But inside, I am angry.

I’m raging.

When I think of how many years Jin has trained in this camp and how many times he must have had flu, injured himself, or been overworked to the point of exhaustion and needed only a single day to sleep, take medicine, and get better but has been denied it, I know that I’m going to destroy this elite family of Alphas.

A family who have become billionaires off the hard work of Betas who they call lazy .

“Well, you’re taking one now.” Torin keeps his hand pressed to Jin’s chest. “I’m the boss. What I say goes.”

I have a sense that Torin is at least enjoying the fact that he gets to say that without being challenged.

Jin snuggles back into the pile of pillows with a sigh. “This is a nice dream. I hope that I don’t wake up back in the dorms soon.”

Torin’s lips are pinched. “You’ll never wake up there again.”

When the door to the bedroom slams open, I jump.

Fear rushes through me.

Torin immediately pushes himself to his feet, standing in front of the bed protectively.

Rory storms into the room like it’s his and not his brother’s.

His green, cat-like eyes flash with tightly controlled rage. He’s dressed in a designer charcoal gray suit with a silk emerald handkerchief tucked into his suit pocket.

“You’re a fucking asshole, brother,” Rory declares.

“Do you have any idea how much trouble your latest stunt has dropped all of us in? I’m this Beta’s manager and I’ve been doing everything that I can to rescue his career and save Zero and him too, even if you don’t believe me.

I have been, ever since the concert. In fact, since he became obsessed with you three. ”

Cricket and I crouch on the bed, attempting to block Rory’s view of Jin.

Torin casually does up his bow tie. “You’ve obviously missed how obsessed I am with him . Watch your tone. Or do I need to remind you…?”

“I won’t let you blackmail or bully me anymore,” Rory blurts.

“I’m dead now anyway after I allowed that fiasco on Pack Bonds to happen.

You know what Mena will do to me. Don’t pretend that you were clueless about exactly what would happen the moment you chose to force me into allowing you to play, baby brother.

You chose an Idol and strangers over me, your own brother.

It’s only lucky for both of us that Mena hasn’t returned from her businesstrip yet.

Our execution has been reprieved.” Rory’s hands are shaking, as he raises them to run his fingers through his dirty blond curls.

“Do you really hate me that much now? If I say that I’m sorry, will it count for anything? Because I am. I really fucking am .”

“Rory,” Torin’s expression gentles with surprise, “I was the only one in this family who cared about you. But you betrayed me. Interesting that you haven’t asked me what it was like to live as an outcast Alpha. Maybe I should be asking how much you must have hated me .”

Rory’s expression becomes shuttered, as his shoulders slump.

“I was sent to invite your pack to breakfast. We mustn’t be late.

Una is hosting. The twins have even turned up, which you know normally means that someone is having their ass handed to them.

It’s a toss up right now, whether it’s you or me. ”

Startled, my gaze darts between the two brothers.

I’ve often wondered what the beautiful, billionaire Idol siblings were like.

I’m about to find out.

Except, now they’re my new pack.

Why does this breakfast feel like the most dangerous part of my mission?