Page 53 of Bliss & Her Idols (Pack Bonds Omegaverse #10)

Jin shrugs with an easy grin. “Still, it’s my choice.

Your family is another kind of fucked up, yeah?

And Rory didn’t have the support of the Idols like you had back then.

He made one screwed up miscalculation. But please don’t throw away your relationship with your brother forever over that… or me. You have me now, and Rory…”

“Enough.” Torin takes a deep swig of wine. “Or we may all start holding hands and singing “Kumbaya”.”

“Ah, can we? Please?” Jin asks with fake enthusiasm.

Cricket laughs.

“I can sing something.” Torin clambers out of the pillow fort.

My brow furrows, as I watch him.

Nerves tremble through the bond, as well as a type of shyness that normally only radiates off Cricket.

Then Torin appears at the entrance to the fort with his battered guitar slung over his shoulder. He settles cross-legged, tuning the guitar.

Jin arches his eyebrow, glancing at me like I know what’s happening.

“Are we really going to sing “Kumbaya”?” Jin blinks.

“Actually, I’m going to give you three my bonding gift.” Torin’s dominant gaze slides across the new bonded members of his pack.

When all three of us simultaneously reach to touch our bond bites, he smirks.

“You don’t have to give us anything,” Jin says, cautiously. “We’re stuck on this fucking estate, and your brothers and sisters have taken all the family bonding heirlooms. It’s okay that you don’t have anything to gift us because you’ve already given yourself.”

Torin’s eyes glitter in the dark. “I always knew that as the youngest son, I wouldn’t have anything meaningful to give my bonded pack as a courting or bonding gift.

I don’t own jewellery from Mom because I don’t have anything that belonged to her.

I don’t even possess a photo. But despite being kept on a tight leash for years in Ireland without an allowance, I still courted Jin through the songs that I wrote.

So, I composed a bonding gift for you all, while you were sleeping. ”

I remember waking up to Torin sitting on the floor, concentrating harder than I’d seen him before with his guitar.

Composing our bonding gift.

“It does mean more to me,” I say, “than anything you could buy.”

Jin and Cricket nod.

The only people who have made me things before are Piper, who is always inventing new coffee drinks for me, and my best friend, Lionzio, with his wolf clip.

This is how I know that my Alpha isn’t cold hearted.

This is how I know that he’s family.

Both Torin’s relief and pride surge through the bond, as he ducks his head and begins to play.

The song is breathtakingly beautiful.

It’s the flickering flame that Torin hides in his heart — his love that warms us — beneath his icy exterior.

Jin’s eyes are as wide as mine are.

I can’t move. Look away. Breathe.

Torin is an incredible musician. It doesn’t matter that he can’t sing as well as Jin can.

Torin’s song weaves a spell around us in the darkness of the room, in the world that we’ve created beneath the sheet and under the light of the stars.

It’s a world that I never want to leave.

Unexpectedly, the spell is broken.

A bubblegum pink nailed hand buries itself in Torin’s hair and yanks him back away from the entrance of the fort.

Taken by surprise, he breaks off playing. He hisses with pain.

I freeze.

We’d all been so lost in the song that we missed the footfalls, as well as the acrid, charred tea stench of angry Alpha.

I gag.

Fighting my Omega instincts to cringe back from the threat or submit, however, I scramble out of the fort at the same time as Jin and Cricket do.

The wine is spilled, staining the pillows blood-red.

I stare up in horror at the small Alpha in her fifties, who is holding the taller man by his hair.

It must be Philomena.

I feel sick.

Torin’s Head Alpha is back.

Philomena looks the most similar to Torin of all his siblings with thick, black hair, which is only just turning to gray, falling to her shoulders.

She’s attractive with sharp cheekbones and cold blue eyes.

She’s dressed in a business suit, which matches her pink nails.

The pink is the only sweet thing about her.

Philomena’s expression is dark with fury. Her dominance radiates from her in waves, which are enough to make my knees buckle, when I try to stand up.

Rory is skulking behind Philomena with his head ducked. But I can still see that his cheek is as bruised as his eye.

He’s avoiding looking at any of us.

“Stay down,” Torin shoots at Cricket and me, when we both try to push ourselves to our feet again. “Kneel.”

I flinch at the harshness of his tone.

Yet I trust Torin.

I promised to follow his lead.

I reluctantly settle myself on my knees, dragging Cricket to kneel next to me.

Cricket glares at Philomena.

Jin ignores Torin, however, standing with a flat expression that I remember from the meet and greet.

“You too, Idol,” Torin says far more sharply than I’ve heard him speak to anyone.

Jin balls his hands into fists, before he too kneels.

I struggle hard to slow my heartbeat, but my pulse is racing in my ears.

Terror floods through me that this woman could destroy us, before we destroy her.

Philomena doesn’t need to be the physically strongest in this room to be the most intimidating.

She’s the one with the power: the Head Alpha, eldest sister, and leader of the music empire.

The Alpha who has known for over twenty years just how much she can make or wreck the lives and careers of not only the Idols trapped in the camp but also her Alpha brothers and sisters.

Philomena finally releases Torin’s hair with a patronizing pat.

“I’m glad to see that you haven’t entirely forgotten how to behave.

Reports from our cousins were that you’d learned your lesson.

Atoned. But now, I’m doubting that. I don’t have time to cut short my business to deal with messes like this. ”

Torin drops his gaze. “I’ll work tirelessly as CEO, sister. I swear that I’ll make it up to you.”

“Hmm.” Philomena narrows her eyes at the empty bottle of wine. “By stealing my wine and messing around like a Beta with your music…?”

Fuck. Her.

Torin’s eyes flash.

“Music that has made you a billionaire…?” Torin drawls.

Philomena’s calm is gone in an instant.

“Rory, smash his guitar,” she growls.

“No,” I gasp.

Torin wraps his arms around his guitar, taking a step backwards, until his back hits the wall.

A deep sadness sheets through the bond from Torin, which makes my own eyes well with tears.

The guitar is Torin’s only personal possession in his bedroom.

I’m breathing too hard.

His sister can’t take it from him.

But now, it’s Cricket’s turn to grab my elbow and yank me down, when I try to stand up.

Cricket’s amber eyes are molten with rage. He glances at Jin, however, who is kneeling like he’s disassociating.

I can sense that Cricket is reminding me of the mission.

Save the Idols.

We have to trick Philomena and pretend to be subdued long enough to rise up.

Yet I’m less convinced than Torin that his sister, Una, is the answer. Torin has such faith in Una because her bonded pack are the only ones who noticed his neglect and kept him alive as a kid.

But why didn’t Una make sure that he was protected from his family for all those years?

I dread what could happen to Torin, if he pins his hopes on Una standing up for him, but then she leaves him to her sister’s cruelty.

As she always has before.

Rory runs his hands through his curls. “The polls show that this…situation…has boosted the Idol pack’s reputation.

I’ve managed to spin it in a positive direction.

The Pack Bonds show was a huge success. The fans are going wild with excitement to see Torin’s new bonded mates. I have interviews set up for—”

“Rory,” Philomena barks.

Rory jumps, before trudging to stand in front of Torin. “I’m sorry.”

He holds out his hand.

I can’t believe that Philomena is using one brother as a weapon against the other.

Did she always use Rory like this?

Is Rory hated within his own pack because he’s been forced to hurt them?

Torin glares at Rory. “Fuck off.”

Rory’s jaw clenches. “Give me the guitar.”

“Only if you shove it up your ass.”

I hoped that Torin would forgive Rory. Will he ever do that, if Rory takes his music from him?

Philomena tuts, strolling to Rory.

She strokes one of Rory’s curls behind his ear. It should be a tender gesture but it looks more possessive.

It makes my skin crawl.

Rory appears like he wants to pull away but has been trained not to.

“Another failure, Rory?” Philomena pats his cheek. “What did I say about that?”

Rory twirls back to fully face Philomena, vibrating with tension. “I tried. Give me another chance.”

Torin is watching the exchange in alarm.

What’s going to happen to Rory?

“How many chances do you want?” Philomena lays her hand around Rory’s throat in a way that would be calming if he was her Omega.

Only, he’s her Alpha brother, and it can only be a threat.

“Here.” Torin instantly shoves his guitar out toward Rory.

My heart aches.

Cricket whines.

Jin is shivering, and despite not wearing a top, I know that it’s not because of the cold.

Rory slowly turns to take hold of the guitar like it’s been dipped in poison. He wets his lips, before walking over to the wardrobe.

I find that I can’t look away, no matter how much I want to, in the same way that Torin can’t, when Rory raises the cherished guitar above his head and smashes it against the wardrobe once.

Then twice.

The guitar shatters.

The wooden shards spray across the floor.

When Rory hurls the broken neck and body of the guitar down with a clatter and discordant clang of twanging notes, Torin isn’t able to hold back his flinch.

Philomena smiles, smoothing her finger over her smudged lipstick.

“Now that nonsense is out of the way, you can tell me why that Idol is up here and playing at being a bonded member of a pack, rather than sleeping in the dorms and attending his practice? You’re his manager, Rory.

You’re also Torin’s older brother. You should be setting a good example; I’ve always told you that. ”

Rory looks startled. “Mandatory bond leave.”

“Has my brother negotiated for that? Idols don’t get time off. Is this news to you? You’re ultimately responsible for everything that has gone wrong from the concert onward, Rory. The twins are eager that I send you to join Zero in the Re-education House for the next six months.”

Rory blanches, stumbling back over the broken guitar.

His terror is chokingly heavy in the room.

“I…I…s-s-sister, please, p-p-punish me yourself. Why don’t I come to your room after this? Whatever you want. Just d-d-don’t give m-m-me to them . You know what they’ll do. I accept responsibility but—”

“Well, you shouldn’t.” Torin’s frosty gaze is fixed on Mena’s.

His lips are pinched. He swaggers to stand in front of Rory protectively.

Rory stares at him in shock. “I’m a big enough boy now to take the blame for myself.

Rory doesn’t need to go to your room , or anywhere near the sadistic twins.

I’m the one who fell into rut in the arena.

I decided to cement my position in the pack by winning the Pack Bonds contest. I wanted to impress you, sister.

Also, you know that I have a weakness for pretty little darlings. ”

Philomena huffs a laugh. “Well, well, baby Tortor all grown up. You have impressed me. I’ll let you make the decision then, but you may not like the consequences. Who should be punished, Rory or you?”

Dread churns in my guts.

Panicking, I’m trembling.

What will this psycho Head Alpha do to Torin?

Yet I know what Torin is going to say.

Please, don’t say it.

He hates Rory, right?

Rory just smashed his guitar. Plus, Torin won’t choose to sacrifice himself for the brother who betrayed him.

“Torin,” Rory warns. “You don’t know—"

“Punish me,” Torin insists, coolly.