Page 57 of Bliss & Her Idols (Pack Bonds Omegaverse #10)

The twins exchange a glance, before Devin walks protectively to stand by his brother’s shoulder. “Awesome.”

“You were always as bad at lying, as your brother was at…well, everything else.”

Aran’s mouth twists, sullenly. “Why are you taking things out on us?”

Devin forces himself to meet his sister’s eye. “It’s not us who fucked up this time. Tortor broke every rule.”

“And I stripped the skin from his back for that.”

“What about your favorite , Rory?” Aran crosses his arms. “Do we get to play with him? He fucked up just as badly.”

“My favorite?” Philomena looks amused. “You always were a jealous little brat.”

Devin bares his teeth. “That cowardly runt should never have been adopted into this pack.”

“Would you still say that, if it had saved Mom from trying for another kid?”

Devin bristles, deliberately ignoring the question.

I sneak a glance at Torin.

His attention is fixed on the scene in front of him. After all, he is that kid.

I also have a sense that his family never let down their walls and talk like this in front of him.

How must it feel to know that your own siblings are united by the wish that you weren’t born?

Devin looks away. “Are we playing what if now?”

Aran smirks. “I’m good at games.”

“What if Tortor had died, rather than Mom? What if Rory wasn’t only good at looking pretty and having his ass kicked, so Dad hadn’t wanted another kid to start with? What if…?”

“What if I decide that you rather than Torin needs to be sent to the Alpha Center?” Philomena examines her nails.

Devin scowls. “Look, you can have fun pretending that Rory is your bonded bitch. He has to be good for something, right?” A chill runs down my spine.

Is Rory simply being insulted like he always seems to be, or is Devin implying something that I hate to think about?

“But Rory can kiss my ass as much as he likes. I’ll never stop fucking with him. ”

Philomena gives Devin a long look. “Are you going to try to kill him like you tried to kill your baby brother?”

Silence.

Torin becomes ashen.

Philomena knew.

She fucking knew about the twins but she still didn’t protect Torin.

Torin rests his forehead against the glass. His breath ghosts it.

I rest my hand on his shoulder. I need him to know that Jin and I are here with him.

Sometimes, when you investigate, peering beneath the surface into your past and family, you discover shocking things.

Agonizing things.

Because the truth can set you free but it also hurts like a fucking bitch.

The only positive is that the twins are looking just as sick to discover after twenty years that their sister had known about their attempted murder all along.

“Sister,” Devin whispers, pushing Aran more firmly behind him, “we don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Then why are you both shaking?”

“We didn’t do anything,” Aran tries. “It was only a—”

“Prank,” Devin finishes.

Philomena’s backhand is hard enough to knock Devin stumbling back into the arms of his twin.

Aran twists his brother, smoothing his thumb over Devin’s bleeding lip.

The twins twine around each other, before turning to their sister with matching dark expressions.

“Be glad that I need your skills with the Idols, or I truly would be sending you for a thorough reconditioning course at the center.” Philomena stalks to the door, pulling it open.

“Now, help me with the Idol who should have been responsible for keeping Jin a good Beta. He’s failed, and I don’t accept that. ”

“Shit,” Jin cusses.

Alarm rushes through me.

My gaze shoots to the doorway.

Stapleton and Zoe are dragging someone into the room between them.

Jin’s breathing has become erratically fast.

When I wrap my arms around Jin’s waist, he clings to me desperately.

The man’s legs and bare feet scrape along the floor, as he’s hauled into the studio. He appears to be trying to get them underneath himself to walk but he can’t quite manage it.

He’s dressed in the same black t-shirt and joggers that I now realize is the Idols’ uniform. It’s stained with suspicious patches that may be blood.

His shiny black hair, which has sparkling star shaped beads woven into it, hangs over his face.

The twins’ sudden enthusiasm like their favorite toy has just been brought in frightens me.

“Anything for you, sister.” Devin licks over his busted lip, pointing at the floor. “Drop the asshole there.”

Zoe and Stapleton drop the man to the hard floor.

The Beta can’t catch himself with his hands in time. His face cracks against the floor.

Jin winces.

Zoe wipes her hands together, scrunching up her nose in disgust. She nods at Stapleton, and they both move to the edges of the room.

Aran snickers. “Oh no, how clumsy of them. Here, let me help you to your knees. There, is that better? How rude of them to treat a star like you in that way.”

Devin rolls his eyes at his brother’s faked concern, as Aran helps the man shakily to his knees.

Then the Idol raises his head.

Finally, I realize what the men who are standing too still on both sides of me worked out the moment that the Beta was dragged into the studio.

The impossibly beautiful Idol is Immortal.

Zero.

Immortal’s black hair hangs to his ass. His lavender eyes are startlingly large and pretty. His sharp cheekbone is bruised so badly that I fear it may be fractured.

Dried blood drips down from his temple. His right eye is swollen shut.

This is the gorgeous English singer with pale skin and lavender eyes, whose signature look is long white coats and star-shaped diamonds...?

The rock star who Piper has crushed on for as long as I have adored Jin…? Who I’ve watched in vlogs along with Piper, while my brother has sighed over his seductive voice and slinky hips…?

The man whose performance was canceled in the Betas of Rock arena tour as punishment because of Jin’s actions with Cricket and me?

Who has been punished by the twins in this camp ever since…

I draw in a sharp breath.

Torin’s eyes are blazing, when he sees what has been done to his friend.

I release soothing pheromones to comfort myself as much as my men.

Aran straightens, and his brother exchanges a mocking glance with him.

Then they start to circle the swaying Beta like predators around a felled prey.

Philomena watches approvingly.

“Who is responsible for Jin’s good behavior?” Devin barks.

“I am, sir.” Immortal’s voice has a mild London accent and rasps like either he hasn’t had a drink for a long time or has been screaming recently.

“You admit that you deserve to be punished then?” Aran presses. “After all, Jin was bad.”

“Yes, sir.” Immortal’s hands wrinkle his joggers on his lap.

“No matter what that punishment is?” Devin kicks Immortal hard enough to knock him over onto his side.

Jin wraps his arms around himself. He’s shaking apart.

How hard must it be to watch this happen to his friend?

Every instinct is screaming at me to find a way through into that room and wrench those assholes away from Immortal.

Except, that would ruin our plan, when we’re so close to saving everybody.

A longer hesitation this time, while Immortal pushes himself back to his knees with a labored breath. “Yes, sir.”

“Did you get that?” Philomena points at Zoe and then Stapleton. “You’re two witnesses. He willingly accepts responsibility and the consequences.”

“ Willingly .” Aran laughs.

Philomena casts him a quailing look.

Aran edges behind his brother.

Philomena looks pointedly at Immortal. “Idol, push your ridiculous hair out of your face and look at me.”

Slowly, Immortal does.

I startle.

Immortal’s eyes are flat and dead in the same way that Jin’s were on the night of the Pack Bonds opening ceremony.

“Your career is over,” Philomena continues icily.

Once, I thought Torin was only capable of coldness, but there was a fire inside him that rages hotter than any man I know.

This is real coldness. Philomena is destroying a man’s life like it’s nothing.

The hairs rise on the back of my neck. “You’ll be locked in the Re-education House in solitary without food.

Devin and Aran, no more playing. If I see a single extra mark on him, then I’ll make you put the same marks on each other.

And no, that’s not a joke . Then tomorrow night, a music executive from LA, who has been petitioning me to bond with you for years now, will come and pick you up, Idol.

Soon, you’ll be gone and someone else’s toy. ”