Page 50 of Eclipse Sector

“Don’t think about it too hard, Alpha Cillian,” she murmured. “Alpha Grey’s intentions here are noble. He’s just hunting.”

“Hunting for what?” I asked, frowning.

“What do most good Alphas hunt for?” she asked, a curious note to her voice. “Mates, yes? Although, I suppose they also hunt down villains with penchants for stealing precious relics. Hmm.”

I arched a brow. “Are you purposely being cryptic?”

She shrugged. “I’m pointing out that thinking isn’t needed. Not about this. Besides, you have your own future to consider. One you’re not going to enjoy if you continue on the path you’re on right now.”

I frowned at her back. “That sounds ominous.”

“It should.” She turned down the street that led to our guest igloos, still not looking at me.

I waited for her to elaborate, but she didn’t.

Z-Clan Omegas were known for their unique sensitivities to auras and emotions. However, it seemed this one might also have a proclivity for fortune-telling.

Or perhaps it was all instinct based?

Something told me I wouldn’t find the answer within her mind, but I was suddenly tempted to try. I’d focused my ability on the Alphas in Glacier Sector, not the Betas or Omegas, because I’d been concerned with threats.

My leash around the Omegas was for protection only, my mental connection to their minds scanning for words of fear more than anything else.

However, I hadn’t picked up anything from Ashlyn at all. No fear. Not even a hint of surprise when she’d fallen into the ice pond.

Now I wondered if I hadn’t been in touch with her mind at all.

“Don’t,” she said as we reached her igloo. “If you push, you won’t like what you find. And as I said, you should be more concerned with your own future. Not mine.”

She faced me then, her expression one that seemed underlined with age and experience, like she’d seen millions of timelines that were not just her own.

“I’m fine. I fell because I was startled. Grey and Henrik don’t mean me any harm.” She reached out to grab my hand, her fingers resembling ice against my skin. “I’m not yours to worryabout, Cillian. While I appreciate your protective instincts, they’re unnecessary.”

“Why do I feel as though I’m being scolded for simply walking you back to your igloo?” I asked her, my eyebrow arching at the tiny Omega before me.

“Maybe because you need to be scolded,” she said, squeezing my hand before releasing it. “You do realize that you’re not the only one being punished by your actions, yes?”

Now both my eyebrows inched upward. “Excuse me?”

“Hmm, I see that you don’t realize that at all.” She gave me a thoughtful look. “Choosing to suffer out of some misguided need to repent doesn’t just impact you, Cillian. That choice—the one where you put everyone else first—impacts her, too. If you remember anything I’ve said, please remember that.”

With that profound statement, she let herself into her igloo and shut the door before I could even fathom a reply.

I’d just been thoroughly chastised by yet another Omega, and I wasn’t even sure I understood what she’d just chastised me about.

It felt like it was something I hadn’t even done yet. Something Imightdo.

Unless she’s talking about leaving the ice rink to check on her at the fishing hole?I wondered, staring at her ice-laden door before glancing at the empty street behind me.

With a renewed sense of urgency, I shadowed back to the ice rink and found it mostly empty, the Omegas and Alphas having chosen to retire for dinner.

A quick mental scan told me Ivana was sitting with a silent Ransom, eating a freshly smoked salmon.

Then what the hell was Ashlyn going on about?

I gripped my nape, my head tilting back as I stared up at the moon, Ashlyn’s words repeating through my mind. There’dbeen something prophetic about her statements. Something…threatening.

Pulling up a screen from my watch, I shot a message off to Kieran, asking about Ashlyn’s background and penchant for fortune-telling. Perhaps Quinnlynn could share some of the Z-Clan Omega’s history with him, then he could give me an idea of how seriously I needed to take her warnings.