Page 57 of Let It Snow (Eden’s Omegaverse #7)

I force my eyes open slowly, as if they’ve been glued shut. Someone is shaking me hard, slapping my cheeks, voices calling out to me, pleading, begging me to wake up from whatever this is. I claw my way through the fog in my head, struggling to reach the surface.

When I finally manage to open my eyes and focus, I see a face above me that looks so much like Summer’s. The same mismatched irises pierce into me. However, the aura is different, tinted silver-blue-green.

Moon.

But why is he here?

His expression is sharp, impatient, and tense.

"Come on, wake up already!" he snaps. "Time’s running out, we need to move!"

"What the hell… what’s going on?" I mumble, the words slurred, my mind refusing to piece anything together. My whole body is vibrating, locked up, like something inside me won’t start properly. I try to sit up. It takes a moment and Moon’s hand pulling me upright before I manage.

That’s when I notice the purple cluster of energy. Behind Moon, a man is kneeling, his aura so powerful it spreads across half the patio. He watches me with narrowed amber eyes. And holy shit, he’s massive, a real giant.

I know instantly what he is, because I have a brother like that. A purple alpha. Less than two percent of the population are like him, though they show up more often in True Mates’ bloodlines. Which means this has to be Luca Ferro, Moon’s fated mate.

I just stare, probably looking like an idiot.

The problem is… I never saw this in any of my visions of the future. None of the waves hinted at this situation.

And just like that, I know I’ve stepped straight into my blind spot.

Uncharted waters ahead.

Now, I’m going to be like a child tossed into the storm winds of the timeline rolling in, vast and heavy as a thunderfront.

I glance around. I’m still on the patio. But… my Twin Soul is nowhere in sight.

"Where’s Su—mmer?!"

My voice cracks halfway through his name. They wouldn’t be here without a reason.

I look again and realize my father is lying on the ground next to me. Alarm shoots through me. I crawl to him, check his pulse.

His aura is dimmed, grayish yellow, but his breathing is steady. His eyelids twitch faintly, like he’s caught in a deep sleep. But yeah, neither my dad nor Summer is here.

I wrestle down my emotions, force myself to focus, and pin my gaze on Moon.

"Where is Summer? And my dad?"

Moon exchanges a look with Luca.

"They were taken. Both of them. By Rocco Ferro. Bad luck that he showed up while you were all unconscious… well, your bad luck, his good fortune, I guess."

An icy shiver rips down my spine. I struggle to get off my knees, clinging to the rattan couch on the patio for balance. My legs are shaking, but I manage to stand.

"I don’t understand… Rocco was here? Why?"

"We don’t know the details. Rocco’s been shutting Luca out for a while now. He stopped sharing any information about his operations, especially the risky ones. Only Ennio and Vincenzo have been getting a few scraps."

I desperately try to piece it all together.

"Was it Rocco who planted the bomb on the plane that Blue Lowen was supposed to board… and my brother Winter actually boarded?"

Moon glances at Luca again.

"We know nothing about it, but it’s possible.

He’s changed a lot these past few weeks, gotten paranoid, secretive.

Vincenzo suspects he’s making deals with NFH, but nothing is certain.

What we do know is the Russians have scored some major hits, taking two casinos from us.

Rocco’s losing his grip and is desperate to claw his way back to district control. "

Frowning, I snort impatiently. Time’s running out. I lock eyes with Luca.

"Summer and Sun's escape has weakened your family's public image. Revenge might be part of his plan to restore his reputation. Do you know where they are?"

Luca’s expression twists a bit; he looks like he wants to explain something, his aura bursting into a sharp blue shade, and I let out an impatient growl.

"I don’t expect you to tell me everything. I get that he’s your family, but maybe at least give me a hint where they might be!" I glance at Moon expectantly. "Summer’s your brother!"

Moon snorts. "Believe me, we want him back and safe just as much as you do!"

"One thing I don’t understand: why my dad? Why the hell was he taken?"

Moon presses his lips together. "Probably as leverage. A way to control Summer."

"Why not me?"

Luca winces and mutters, "Well, seeing how you… glow when unconscious probably made him reconsider."

I curse under my breath and glare at him.

"Please! Tell me something, anything that would help us find them…"

Luca hesitates. "I can tell you the building I suspect he’s being kept in."

I raise an eyebrow. "You suspect? You just said Rocco shut you out."

"And I didn’t hear it from Rocco, but from Ennio."

The name means nothing to me. Moon explains briefly.

"Ennio’s Rocco’s advisor. Consigliere. He used to work for Anzo."

"His advisor is a credible source? This could be a trap."

"Since Rocco took over, things between them have been tense. Ennio can’t stand that Rocco’s been using rape as an intimidation tactic."

"Still… can he be trusted? You sure he didn’t send you on a fake lead?"

"Well, fairly sure. They had a huge fight two days ago. Rocco kidnapped the youngest son of a Russian boss, an alpha. Rocco wanted to rape him to humiliate the family, but Ennio stopped him."

"Okay, I’ll take ‘fairly sure’. Just tell me where Summer is—"

Luca cuts in. "Our main warehouse at the docks. I believe he gave me a good lead. Ennio’s really fed up with Rocco.

He would’ve never told me anything before, but this was a tipping point.

He’s way too worried Rocco may push us into a full-scale war with the Russians.

When I asked, he just growled in anger and gave me the address right away. "

Moon mutters under his breath, "I think he expects us to deal with Rocco in a way that does not include him. Rocco’s lost it, seriously. He’s a liability, not a leader the Ferros need in such unstable times."

I curse under my breath, feeling frustrated. "I really didn’t need a fucking background mafia story, just the info on where Summer is."

"So you have it," Luca snorts.

"Great."

My head is pounding, and I’m still a bit dizzy, but I also know we don’t have much time, and we’ve already lost too much talking about mafia skirmishes.

A bit wobbly, I kneel beside my father again and recheck his pulse; it’s shallow but stable.

Now I lean down to lift him. Not easy. He’s an inch taller than me and broad as hell.

Suddenly Luca bends down and lifts him with ease. Of course, a purple alpha.

"Let’s get him to my parents’ room. Then we move. I’ll leave a message on his phone, just in case he wakes up," I grit out.

We do just that. And the whole time, this crushing guilt is eating me alive. I failed Summer. With all my abilities, I had to have this damn blind spot.

Burning with impatience, I type a quick note into my father’s phone, and we head out.

Only then do I notice that the guard booth is empty.

"Where are the guards?" I ask, a bit stunned.

"No idea," Moon throws over his shoulder. "When we got here, nobody was inside."

When we climb into Luca’s SUV and pull away, I try to focus on what I need to do, but it's as if my mind is a beehive.

"How far?" My voice is tight with urgency.

Moon studies me, then says, "About an hour. Snow, listen carefully. Luca can’t help you once we get there. You’ll have to do this on your own, completely in the dark. Like I told you on the phone a few days ago, none of my visions cover this period."

"Wait. Then why did you even come here?"

"Simple. I couldn’t reach Summer all morning. I had a bad feeling."

"All morning?! How long have we been out? What day is it?"

I glance at my phone and freeze.

I’ve been unconscious for twenty-four hours!

What about Summer and my dad? Are they still unconscious too? Or awake—and in what state?

"How the hell did you wake me up?" I ask, suspicion prickling as my head buzzes strangely.

Moon jerks his chin toward Luca.

"We tried a few things, actually. We even tried using Luca’s talent!

" He chuckles. "He can reset short-term memory or do a few other tricks, let’s call them that. One of the side effects is that it helps wake people after they’ve been knocked out.

But it was a mix of several things that finally restarted you. "

I take a deeper breath, trying to steady myself. In truth, I’m beyond grateful that Moon came, because I can’t sense Summer’s location at all, not after what happened to our souls when we saved Winter.

My nerves are shredded just imagining what Summer might be facing now, what Rocco could do.

Luca seems to read my thoughts. Suddenly he says,

"Rocco’s been obsessed with Summer from the start. Not just for his power. You should prepare yourself for the worst." He meets my eyes in the rearview mirror.

The look says it all. I don’t answer. I know exactly what he’s warning me about.

Rocco’s favorite ‘tactic’.

And I know one thing: Although I’ve rarely harbored violent thoughts and have never wanted to cause anyone pain, for the first time I’m ready to do so.

Moon turns toward me, studying my face before he finally speaks.

"I wish I could help you. I wish I had something from my visions to guide you, some direction to give, but the truth is…" He cuts himself off. "My power has limits. I haven’t seen anything connected to this situation, it’s almost like something is blocking it. I don’t know why, it feels as if there’s a literal tear in time distorting everything. "

A cold shiver runs down my body, like the sting of an icy needle grazing my skin.

"I did something… something very risky," I admit.

Moon’s gaze sharpens, locking on me. Even Luca glances at me through the rearview mirror.

"I had a rare opportunity to make something happen for him…"