Page 35 of Bound By Song (Evie Quad Omegaverse #1)

EVIANA

I wake slowly, the sound of the storm still howling outside, pressing against the windows like a force I can’t escape. My head throbs, the kind of headache that makes every small movement feel like an assault. I blink a few times, my vision blurry, trying to adjust to the dim light in the room.

There’s a weight across my body, a soft pressure that feels… comfortable . Unfamiliar, but welcome. My limbs feel heavy, like I’ve been wrapped in something warm, something safe. I inhale deeply, seeking the source of the comfort that seems to envelop me.

The scent hits me first – soothing, inviting, intoxicating.

Something sweet like vanilla but not quite, and toasted, along with soft cashmeran, and a touch of cardamom.

It’s like being wrapped in a soft, heavy blanket by a fire, the kind of warmth that seeps into your bones and makes you forget the world outside.

The subtle sweetness settles in my chest, while the rich, musky cashmeran grounds me.

The cardamom adds just enough spice to keep me anchored in this moment. It’s everything I didn’t know I needed.

For a moment, I let myself relax into it, the tension that’s been coiling in my body slowly unwinding. It feels like I’ve never been this comfortable, never been this…at peace. My thoughts are clouded, hazy, like I could just let go and drift back into sleep, let the warmth carry me away.

But then, my body goes rigid.

I freeze.

No.

The scent isn’t just comforting. It’s…wrong. This isn’t the neutral, sterile air I’m used to. The scent is too strong. Too alive. Too personal.

And then, it hits me – the smell is coming from an alpha .

I blink hard, trying to clear the fog in my brain. It takes a moment for the pieces to fall into place, but when they do, it’s like a punch to the gut.

Xar. I smelt him yesterday in the attic.

I’m not alone.

I gasp, my heart suddenly slamming against my ribs, and the room spins. The panic surges up my throat like bile, thick and hot, choking me. I sit up, my body jerking away from the warmth that surrounds me, as though the very idea of being this close to him makes the air too thick to breathe.

I shouldn’t be able to smell this.

I’m not supposed to be able to smell anything at all. The scent neutraliser is supposed to block it, keep everything – everyone – in check. My suppressants are meant to suppress my sense of smell, goddamn it! But there’s no hum. No faint background buzz of the machine running through the house.

I can’t hear the hum.

The silence feels like a weight pressing down on me, heavier than the blankets, heavier than Xar’s arm that was resting around me.

I feel trapped.

I freak out even more, and my breathing becomes shallow, erratic.

The panic is clawing at my chest, and I can’t stop it.

I push at the blankets, trying to stand, to move away from him, but my limbs feel sluggish, like they belong to someone else.

My body betrays me, reluctant to leave the warmth, the comfort that I don’t deserve.

However the reality of the situation is too much to ignore.

I need to get away. I need to be alone. The thought of being so close to Xar, with his alpha scent wrapping around me, sends waves of heat through my skin and my own body’s reaction to him is confusing me as much as being able to smell him is.

But before I can do anything, I feel the shift beside me. His body stirs. His scent floods the air more intensely, like it’s pulling at my every nerve, grounding me in a way that makes my head spin.

“Eviana?”

His voice is low, groggy with sleep, but even that makes my pulse race.

His hand, warm and steady, gently brushes a stray lock of hair from my face, his touch sending a shock of warmth through me.

My body reacts before my mind can, and my skin tingles under his fingers.

I want to pull away, to put distance between us, but I can’t.

My heart is hammering in my chest, my breath coming too fast, too shallow. No, no, no, I think, desperately trying to push down the feeling building in my stomach. I can’t breathe. I feel lightheaded, like I’m going to suffocate in my own skin.

And then I hear the sound of footsteps – quick, urgent.

Blaise and Dane.

I don’t know how, but I can feel them coming before they’re even in the room, their presence so palpable I can almost taste it. My whole body tenses, the panic twisting my insides.

And suddenly, they’re there, filling the doorway – Dane with his usual cool composure, Blaise looking like he’s just had his own morning wake-up call. They freeze for a split second when they see Xar and me.

The tension in the room becomes a physical thing, thick and suffocating, but it only heightens the racing in my chest. My heart pounds so loudly I swear they can hear it. Darkness blurs the edges of my vision.

What the hell is happening?

My mind is spinning, a whirlwind of confusion, fear, and something else – something that I can’t quite name. My body is reacting in ways that make me feel both out of control and desperate to run at the same time.

But run to them, not away.

Xar’s presence feels like a pull on my very soul, his warmth, his scent, his touch – everything about him is overwhelming.

“Eviana?” Xar says again, this time his voice is firmer, more concerned. He’s not letting go. His arm tightens around me slightly, pulling me closer to him, as if to anchor me to him. “Are you okay, little one?”

Don’t touch me, I want to scream. But the words are stuck, lodged in my throat. My omega wants to curl into him, while I want to run for the hills. What should I do?

I try to shove away, but it’s useless. I can’t push against him, not with the weight of his body pressing into mine, not with the overwhelming scent of him clouding my thoughts.

Dane and Blaise step into the room now, both looking at me, then at Xar, then back at me, confusion in their eyes.

“Eviana, you with us, honeybee?” Blaise asks, his voice low, his eyes darting from me to Xar. He’s clearly just as confused as I am, but the worry in his gaze makes the panic in me flare higher.

“I–I didn’t mean to…I just—” My words falter as I try to gather myself.

My hands shake, and my chest aches with the tension.

I can’t make sense of any of it. It’s so hard to breathe, to think, to form a sentence.

I feel like I’m in free fall, splintering pieces of myself off as I descend, knowing that when I hit the ground I’ll shatter and be irreparable.

That’s what these alphas have done: they’ve irrefutably changed me.

“I’ll take care of you,” Xar says, his voice steady now, his hand gently brushing down my arm in what I can only call a soothing motion. I want to pull away, but the sensation of his touch is calming in ways that confuse the hell out of me. Unconsciously, I lean into him.

Dane steps forward, his eyes narrowing as he watches me closely, clearly assessing the situation. “Is there anything we can do to help? You okay, wildflower?” he asks softly.

But the question feels distant. The world feels distant. The only thing real right now is Xar, his scent, his warmth.

This isn’t real , I think. This can’t be real .

But I’m still here, trapped between my instincts and my mind, unable to escape the sensation of being too close , and yet, somehow, never wanting him to leave.

I’m still reeling, my breath shallow, my heart erratic. But then, as if in response to my rising panic, I feel the presence of Blaise and Dane coming closer. The air around me shifts, and I can’t ignore the subtle change.

Their scents mingle in the air like some kind of symphony that both soothes and unhinges me all at once.

I inhale deeply, involuntarily, and the first thing that hits me is Blaise’s scent – crisp green apple and bergamot, sharp and fresh, mixed with the unmistakable undertone of leather.

It’s a clean, energising scent that sharpens the air, making everything feel clearer.

It’s like the very breath of a storm, fresh and bracing, with that undeniably alpha bad boy edge.

It’s a punch of energy, an invitation to wake up – and I feel it all the way to my core.

I shift, uncomfortable, trying to pull away from the flood of emotions and sensations.

It’s like his scent wraps around my lungs, making it harder to breathe, and yet at the same time, the air I draw into my lungs makes me feel like I’m alive.

The raw energy that Blaise exudes makes my pulse quicken, and my body tenses, wanting to push back, to put space between me and him. But there’s nowhere to go.

Then I feel Dane.

His scent is different – darker, richer, more sumptuous.

Deep cherrywood and amber, with that undercurrent of musk that clings to the air like a shadow.

It’s heavier, more intimate than Blaise’s brightness.

It wraps around me like a velvet cloak, enveloping me in something that feels both luxurious and suffocating.

It’s the kind of scent that digs beneath my skin, wrapping its fingers around my heart and making it pound harder in my chest.

Dane’s presence is a weight, a grounding force that somehow makes everything feel both too much and too little at the same time.

The smell of amber lingers in my nostrils, heavy and deep, and with it comes the undeniable pull of his alpha energy.

It’s not as sharp as Blaise’s, but it’s thick, slow-moving, like the tide rolling in, inevitable.

His scent clings to me, snakes around my thoughts, pulling me deeper into a place where I can’t escape my own reactions.

I don’t know if it’s the combination of their scents or the proximity of their bodies, but everything inside me feels alive .

Overwhelmingly so. It’s like my body is on high alert, caught between the calm of Xar’s soothing warmth and the ferocity of Blaise’s playful power and Dane’s steady, grounding presence.