Page 124 of Eclipse Sector

I wasn’t sure.

And I no longer cared.

Because everything had finally gone quiet.

Peace, I marveled, thankful for the mental reprieve.Finally… some peace.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

CILLIAN

A Few Minutes Earlier

I stared at Kieran,both disgusted and shocked by everything he’d just said regarding Alpha Carlos and his infamous estrus parties.

Kieran shared in my disgust, his mind telling me just what he would like to do to Alpha Carlos. Alas, the bastard was already dead.

But there had been plenty of Alphas who had attended the parties, several of whom were still alive. Such as the V-Clan Alpha Quinnlynn had scented on a few occasions.

Unfortunately, none of the Alpha candidates matched the notorious scent. Apparently, Kieran and Quinnlynn had checked this while I’d been busy with Ivana.

“So then it’s none of the candidates,” I said now. “What about the Glacier Sector Alphas?”

“She’s met about twenty of them thus far—all of them brought here by Lykos—and none of them are a match,” Kieran replied, his irritation palpable. “Even Tadhg brought a fewAlphas over. All of them were just as charming as their damn prince.”

His dry sarcasm wasn’t lost on me. Tadhg wasn’t known for his charm, even if he had mustered a little magnetism during his recent visits to Blood Sector. But it was all a façade. A pleasant face for the political arena.

Beneath it all, he was a warrior.

And a powerful one at that.

Fuck.

I could only imagine the restraint it had required of Kieran to just sit back and observe while his pregnant mate sniffed other Alphas. When—orif—one of them ended up emitting a scent she recognized, Kieran would kill the wolf on the spot.

“Lykos intends to bring another five Alphas with him tonight, but I’m beginning to think?—”

Lorcan appeared in the office, effectively cutting off Kieran’s statement. Surprise registered in Lorcan’s features, then a frown etched its way across his face. “You’re unmated,” he said, stating the obvious.

“Yes, I am,” I drawled, doing my best to ignore the sensation clawing at my gut. ‘Thank you for noticing.”

His frown deepened. “Why?”

“Because he’s an idiot who doesn’t know how to properly communicate,” Kieran interjected. “What did you find out about Ashlyn?”

I started, not just at Kieran’s offhanded insult but also at the comment about Ashlyn. “What’s wrong with Ashlyn?”

“She’s gone missing,” Kieran said distractedly. “Lorcan?”

“Missing?” I repeated before Lorcan could reply. “An Omega has gonemissing,and you didn’t feel the need to tell me that?”

“I can only deal with one Omega concern at a time, and Ivana is the one I want you focused on, not Ashlyn.”

“That’s not your call to make.”

His dark eyes flashed as he met my gaze. “Actually, Cillian, as yourKing, it is my decision to make.”

My jaw clenched, the arms of my chair creaking much like Kieran’s desk had moments ago. Only this time, I was squeezing wood encased in leather.