Chapter 27 Syra

"It's alright," Brik says. "You were only having a dream."

Markus nods in agreement. "Yeah, Brik's right. Thorus is fine. I'm sure he'll be coming back to the cave any time now."

I sit in my nest with my heart beating madly inside my chest, and I look back and forth at the two muscular alphas kneeling on either side of me, rubbing me reassuringly with their strong hands. Both of them are still every bit as naked as they were when I fell asleep between them. I'm not sure how long I've been out for, but apparently it was long enough for them to carry me back to my nest and get a fire burning again. The light shines off their smooth muscles, and I can see their cocks lifting as they catch my scent, ready for another round of mating. My body is ready for that too, and a thrill of arousal races through me as I remember the dirty way they shared me.

But then a cold feeling of discomfort grips my guts and twists hard.

Thorus.

"It wasn't a dream," I tell them. "Something has happened to Thorus. Something bad."

I don't know how I know that, I just do.

I've had gut feelings before, but what I'm experiencing now is different. I know something is wrong with the older alpha. Know it the same way I know it would hurt if I stuck my hand in that campfire over there.

Brik and Markus exchange a meaningful look, then they both return their attention to me.

"Syra," Markus says. "What exactly do you feel?"

"A bad feeling inside," I say, placing one hand over my lower abdomen and the other over my heart. "It's a cold, empty feeling, like a piece of me is missing…"

I can feel something else too, but it's difficult to explain. It's almost like a magnetic force pulling at my mind, pulling me in the direction of Thorus.

I gesture toward one side of the cave.

"He's somewhere over there," I say, not even sure where over there is. "Many miles in that direction. And he's in pain. I can feel it."

The two alphas exchange another, longer look.

"Do you think…?" Brik asks.

"I don't know," says Markus. "Thorus didn't mark her."

I understand what Markus is getting at. The process by which an omega becomes bonded to her mates is no simple matter. There are several steps involved. First she must be marked by the alphas' seed. Then she must be marked by their teeth. The ritual of claiming is the final step.

When the entire process is complete, the omega and her alphas become bonded at a spiritual level. Their souls will be one. It hurts them if they must be apart for too long. If the bond is severed by the death of one of the mates, it can even lead to madness. Sometimes I think the only thing that kept my fathers from going insane when my mother died is that they transferred all of their love for her onto me.

But Thorus and I are not bonded like that…

Are we?

Yes, my inner omega answers. You are

I don't know how it happened so quickly. So far, he has only marked me with his seed, not with his teeth. And of course we have not gone through with the dreaded ritual.

But I can sense his absence, and it pains me. I can sense that he is in trouble, and it chills my heart.

We are bonded.

Thorus is my mate, and he needs my help. The only problem now is to convince the other two alphas that I'm not crazy.

And I think I know how to do that.

"Close your eyes," I tell them, taking hold of their hands. "Don't say anything, okay? Just listen…"

I close my own eyes. I can hear the rhythm of my heart beating within my chest. The slow, steady breathing of the alphas beside me. The soft crackle of the fire in the center of the cave. The air is comfortably warm, and it is laced with the scent of my alphas.

"Do you feel it?" I ask.

"I do," Markus says.

"Me too," says Brik.

And so do I. I feel the mate-bonds connecting both of their souls with mine.

They're not as noticeable as my bond with Thorus, but that's not because their bonds are weaker. The difference is that Brik and Markus are safe beside me, while Thorus is far away and in pain. It's kind of like how you don't notice the way your foot feels until you step on a sharp rock. Then you notice it a lot.

Markus and Brik don't feel Thorus's absence the way I do because they are not bonded to him the way I am. But they can both feel their bonds with me, so they know I am telling the truth about Thorus.

Now, only one question remains—what are we going to do about it?

For me, the answer is simple.

"We have to find him," I say.

"We?" Brik asks.

"Yeah. Me, you, Markus. All three of us."

Brik shakes his head firmly. "Out of the question, Syra. It's too dangerous."

"I can handle myself," I protest.

"I know you can," Brik says, pressing his hand to my cheek. "But so can Thorus. He's the toughest out of all of us. If he got himself into trouble, then it must be a dangerous situation indeed."

"Well we have to do something!" I cry. "We can't just abandon him."

"I don't intend to abandon him," Brik answers. "I'll go find him. You stay here with Markus, where it's safe."

Now it's my turn to shake my head in disagreement.

"You just said yourself that Thorus is the toughest of us all. If you go after him by yourself, whatever happened to him could happen to you too."

"She's right," Markus says. "At least let me come with you."

"And leave Syra here unprotected? No way."

"We could take her back to the Central Ruins then. And while we're there, we could gather some reinforcements to help us rescue Thorus."

Brik thinks about this for a moment.

"Perhaps… but what about your status with the Tribe? You abandoned your pack, Markus. That's a serious crime. You could get into a lot of trouble if you go back to the Ruins now."

It's a point Brik has brought up many times already, but this time I don't hear any anger in his voice.

"We can't go all the way back to the Ruins," I say. "There's no time for that. I don't know what kind of trouble Thorus is in, but I know it's bad. If we don't find him soon, he might die."

Brik growls in frustration.

"Fine. Syra, you can stay here in the hideout by yourself. Markus and I will go find Thorus together."

I open my mouth to argue with him, but before I can get any words out, Markus speaks.

"There's another problem," he says.

"What's that?" asks Brik.

"When Thorus left here, he was covered from head to toe in that camouflaging paste. We'll never be able to follow his scent."

"Damn," Brik says.

I spring to my feet inside the nest.

"You won't need to follow his scent if you take me," I say. "I can feel where Thorus is. I can lead you right to him. Now come on, let's get ready…"

I start to move out of the nest, but in a flash, both of the alphas are on their feet, one on each side of me, clutching my arms, keeping me from taking another step. I look back and forth at both of them, and I see their faces are taut with concern.

"I don't know about this, Syra," Markus says.

"It's incredibly dangerous," adds Brik.

I appreciate their protectiveness, but there's no way in hell I'm going to let them leave me behind.

"Listen," I say. "I understand it's dangerous for me to go with you, but it's even more dangerous for me to stay. Thorus is my mate now, the same as both of you are. If he dies, that would be a thousand times worse for me than any danger that might be waiting for us outside this cave. If you really want to protect me, you'll let me come with you. You'll let me help you find Thorus."

Gradually, Brik loosens his grip on my arm. It seems I've managed to convince him. Markus, however, is still holding firm.

"You're forgetting one thing," he says.

"What's that?"

"Your scent."