Page 23 of Bound By Song (Evie Quad Omegaverse #1)

EVIANA

I can hear them.

I can hear them the moment they step inside the house, their heavy boots making those familiar thuds against the floorboards, the low rumble of their voices in the hallway. But it’s Blaise’s command that hits me hardest.

“Eviana!” he calls, his voice rough and demanding. The growl in it sends a shiver down my spine, and for a split second, I almost freeze, my body betraying me.

I can’t do this. I can’t let them see me like this.

Panic floods my veins. I can’t stay here, can’t let them get any closer. I need to get away. I need to hide.

Without thinking, I spring into motion, my heart racing, my feet scrambling across the floor. I don’t even glance back – I just run.

The sound of my footfalls is drowned out by their voices as they shout for me, but I don’t care.

I’m already past the kitchen, through the hallway, and out the back door before I can stop myself.

The storm outside hits me like a slap, rain whipping across my face, but I don’t slow down.

I just keep running, pushing myself harder, faster.

It’s ridiculous. I know it’s ridiculous. But the fear, the need to get away from them, pushes me harder than I thought I was capable of. And somewhere in the back of my mind, my omega is howling to give in, to let them catch me, to stop running.

But I can’t.

I feel the air shift behind me, and before I can even process it, I hear it – Blaise’s roar, the power in it making the ground beneath me tremble.

“Eviana, stop!” he commands, and that voice – that alpha voice – it pulls at something inside of me, something I’ve spent years locking away.

My feet falter, just for a moment, but that’s enough.

I can hear them closing in, and suddenly, my legs feel weak, my chest tight with the effort of running away from them, away from everything I’ve tried to protect myself from.

But I won’t stop.

I push harder, forcing myself to go against my instincts, against his command, my heart pounding so fast I can’t hear anything but the blood thrumming in my ears. I can’t breathe. I can’t think.

Then – thud.

I don’t see it coming. The ground shifts beneath me, my ankle catching on something, and before I can catch myself, a strong arm wraps around my waist, hauling me against a solid chest.

A chest that feels far too warm, far too right.

“No!” I scream, my hands slapping at the arm that holds me, but it’s too late. I’m caught. I’m trapped.

I twist, desperate to break free, only to meet the steady, amused gaze of Xar. “Gotcha,” he rumbles, and god help me, the sound skates down my spine like a touch.

I glare at him, but there’s something in his eyes – something steady, something anchoring – that makes my pulse spike even harder. Heat flashes through me, my omega instincts stirring restlessly beneath the surface.

“You’re not getting away that easily,” he murmurs, his voice low, teasing and devastatingly fond. His scent, warm and steady like sunbaked stone, curls around me before I can shove it away. My body leans into him without permission, seeking more of it, more of him .

Panic spikes higher. I thrash in his hold, fighting myself as much as him, but the more I struggle, the firmer his grip becomes.

I can feel the air between us thickening, crackling with a tension I can’t deny.

A primal part of me keens at the recognition, clawing against the walls I’ve spent years building.

“Let me go,” I snap, my voice raw and shaking. But there’s no real fight behind it. Only fear of what might happen if I don’t. I know I’m defeated, but I can’t let them know that.

Xar chuckles, low and warm, the sound brushing over my skin like a caress. His hand strokes along my arm as he holds me steady, and every nerve ending lights up at the simple touch.

Then Blaise steps forward, his eyes dark and dangerous, a smirk curving his lips. “What are you going to do now, Eviana?” he growls, his alpha tone sliding beneath my skin, making my knees weak.

I stare at them, struggling to pull myself together. Fighting against the traitorous heat building inside me.

But then the absurdity of it all hits me – the way they’re standing there, towering over me like I’m some prize they’ve finally caught, the flour dusting their hair…

The laugh bursts out of me before I can stop it – shaky, startled, but real.

The sound catches them off guard, their expressions shifting, but I don’t care. It’s like a valve releasing under pressure, a wild, gasping break in the tension.

“You look crazy,” I say between fits of laughter, my voice wobbling with too much feeling. “All of you. Tripping over your own feet, falling into traps, getting tangled in rope and covered in flour.”

I see the humour flicker in their eyes, but then Blaise steps forward, his face darkening with mock annoyance. “You think this is funny?” he growls.

But there’s no real malice behind it. And I know it.

“No,” I say, sitting up and trying to catch my breath. “But you do look ridiculous.”

The moment I finish speaking, I hear it – the low, deep growl that rumbles in their chests, the warning in it, the possessiveness.

But instead of fear, it makes something inside me stir, and I can’t help the small whine that escapes my throat.

I feel it. I can feel their alphas reacting to me, and my omega stirs inside me like a living thing, calling out, needing them.

Their eyes flash with the acknowledgment of it.

Xar helps me to my feet but he doesn’t let me go.

“Eviana,” Blaise says, his voice dark, but there’s something else beneath the growl. Something like desire. “You’re going to pay for that.”

Xar’s hands tighten around my waist as he pulls me closer, his breath warm against my skin. “We’ve been patient, but you need to understand something.” His voice is a low growl, sending heat shooting through me. “You’re ours. You always have been.”

I freeze. The words, the way he says them, send a jolt through me, and my heart pounds in my chest.

“No,” I whisper, my voice shaky. “No, I’m not?—”

“Yes, you are,” Xar interrupts softly, his voice steady, unwavering. “You can fight it all you want, but we know you belong to us.”

The words hit me hard, but the moment they do, I feel the wave of desire wash over me and it’s too much. Too much to handle.

Then my grandmother’s voice echoes in my mind, sharp and certain: Alphas take. They claim. They own. But they don’t love, child – they don’t cherish.

I pull away from them, my heart racing, but this time I don’t back down. I stand tall, glaring at them, feeling the weight of their presence pressing in on me. I’m not backing down – not this time.

“No,” I say firmly, my voice shaky but growing stronger with each breath. “I’m not doing this. I’m not your possession , and I’m not going to just fall into whatever this is.”

There’s a beat of silence, and for a second, I wonder if they’re going to push me, if I’ve just made a huge mistake, but instead, Blaise’s eyes narrow, calculating, like he’s trying to figure out how serious I am.

Xar looks heartbroken. But Dane just watches me, his face unreadable.

The faintest smirk tugs at the corner of his mouth, as though he’s amused by my defiance.

“You think you can just tell us to leave and we’ll walk away?” Blaise’s voice is low, deep, like a growl trapped in his chest, and I feel the force of it reverberate inside me. “You think we’re going to leave you out here, alone, in this storm?”

“I don’t care about the storm!” I scream, fists clenching at my sides. “I’ve been alone before, I can handle it. I don’t need you – any of you – telling me what I need.”

Xar takes a step forward, his dark eyes gleaming with something dangerous. “Eviana,” he says, his tone deceptively calm, “you’ve been running from this for days. You think you’re strong enough to fight it forever? You’re not. You’re ours whether you like it or not. All of us.”

His words hit me like a slap, and my breath catches in my throat. I swallow hard, trying to fight the way my body wants to respond to him, to all of them. But I won’t back down. I can’t. Not now.

“No!” I shout, stepping back as though the very air is suffocating me. “You can’t just decide that for me. You don’t get to decide anything for me.”

Blaise steps forward, his large frame blocking the space between Xar and me, his dark eyes fixed on me with a sharpness that makes my pulse stutter. “We’re not letting you stay out here alone,” he says, his voice cold, calculating. “It’s not safe. You don’t know what’s out there.”

“I don’t care!” My voice cracks, but I force the words out, each one dripping with the defiance I’m trying to hold onto. “I’m not some helpless little omega for you to wrap up and protect. I’m not going to just fall in line because you say I should.”

Their eyes flick to one another, a silent conversation passing between them that I can’t decipher. I see the muscle in Blaise’s jaw tick, his anger simmering just below the surface. Xar’s expression softens slightly.

“You think you’re better off out there, alone, in the middle of nowhere, with a storm ripping through this place?” Xar asks, his tone softer now, but the underlying warning still there. “You’re not. You need us, whether you admit it or not.”

“No,” I say again, a little louder this time, my chest tight with the weight of my words. “I need my space. I need to breathe. I don’t need you – especially not now.”

“You think you can push us away like this?” Blaise challenges, his eyes narrowing, his jaw clenched.

He takes a slow step forward, his presence massive, overwhelming.

“We’ve been patient with you, Eviana. You’ve made us wait.

You’ve tried to run. But we’re not leaving.

Not now. Not when we’ve finally found you. This changes everything.”

I open my mouth to protest, but the words die on my lips as the realisation hits me: they won’t leave. They won’t just walk away. And no matter how much I try to deny it, I know that they think they’re doing what’s best for me, that they think they’re saving me from myself.

I take a shaky breath, trying to steady myself. “I’m not one of your…I’m not your thing ,” I say, the words rough in my throat. “You don’t get to decide my life for me. I’m a person, like I said, not a possession.”

Dane’s eyes soften just a fraction, and for the first time since they arrived, there’s a hint of something else in his expression. “We’re not trying to control you,” he says quietly, his voice much gentler now. “We just...we care about you. We want to protect you.”

“But I don’t need your protection!” I snap, feeling the frustration bubble over. “I’ve been fine on my own for years. I’ve managed just fine. I don’t need anyone’s help, especially not from a bunch of alphas who think they know what’s best for me!”

There’s a long pause. The tension is thick, palpable. For a moment, they don’t say anything. I can feel the battle within them, the struggle to decide whether to push me further or give me space.

Blaise exhales slowly, and for the first time, I see the frustration in his eyes start to fade, replaced by something more akin to understanding.

“We’re not going to leave you alone in this storm, Eviana,” he says, his voice quieter now, but still commanding.

“But...we’ll leave it for today. We’ll go, but we’ll be back before the storm hits fully. You won’t be left here alone.”

I feel a mix of relief and frustration flood through me. At least they’re willing to leave for now. But only to come back later. My mind races as I try to figure out how I can make this work without completely giving in to them.

“You’re going to leave me,” I say, my voice unsteady despite my attempts to remain firm. “And then you’ll come back? It doesn’t make sense. How exactly do you know when this storm is going to hit?”

Blaise steps forward, his gaze unwavering. “We know enough. We have the forecasts and weather alerts. But we’ll make sure we’re back before it gets bad. That’s a promise.”

I draw in a breath, trying to calm the flutter in my chest. The idea of them coming back makes me feel uneasy, but it’s better than them staying here constantly. I have to take control of this moment, somehow.

“I don’t need protection, Blaise. I’m fine by myself.

But I understand you’re concerned.” I pause, and a thought strikes me.

“So here’s a compromise. I’ll give you my number, and you can text me or call if you want to check in.

And if I need you...I’ll reach out. But you don’t need to come back unless it’s absolutely necessary. ”

Xar raises an eyebrow, clearly considering my offer. There’s a hint of a smirk on his face, but he doesn’t dismiss the suggestion outright.

“You’d really be willing to give us your number?” he asks, his tone a mix of curiosity and amusement.

“Yes,” I reply firmly, “But only if you trust me to be able to handle things on my own. I don’t need you hovering over me.”

Blaise exchanges a quick look with Xar, and then nods.

“Alright. We’ll take you up on it. But you call us if anything goes wrong, understood?

We’ll keep our promise and check in on you today via messages, but we will be back before the storm gets bad.

That’s non-negotiable. We looked in your fridge. You need supplies. We’ll bring them.”

I hesitate for a moment, pissed that they’ve been snooping but also knowing that that’s not the main thing to be annoyed about out of everything that’s been said.

So finally I nod, knowing it’s the best deal I’m going to get.

“Fine. I’ll send you my number. And you can message me, but I’ll be fine. I’ll call if I need you.”

“Deal,” Blaise agrees, his voice softer now but still carrying that undeniable authority. “But we’re still coming back at some point.”

I can feel the tension slowly slipping away, though the unease still lingers. They’re going to leave, but they won’t stray far or stay away. I watch as they turn to leave, their footsteps heavy, and part of me wonders how long they’ll actually stay away.

For now, at least, I have my space.

But as a shiver wrecks my frozen, soaked through body, I wonder if that’s what I really want.