Page 104 of Hidden Fates

Following him upstairs, I slip into Bellamy and Emmett’s rooms to grab them slippers or thick socks. Then I head back down to do the same for the others. If I had thought of it earlier, I would have had them ready before my mates woke up. No one should have to suffer through icicle toes.

Quentin rifles through the kitchen, his scowl deepening. “It appears like our options are cereal or yogurt bowls. The stove is electric, but the grill in the outdoor kitchen is propane, so we should be able to use it for lunch and dinner. After we clear a path.”

Tucking my head against his chest, I slide my hands beneath his sweater. He jolts when my hands find his back, the icy cold startling against his warm skin. “I’m not really hungry,” I admit. “We can wait for the others to wake up. Unless you want to eat something now.”

A soft grin stretches across his lips, so sweet that it makes my teeth ache. “I’m fine for now. Would you like to curl up on the couch with me and read a book?” One hand runs through my messy hair, brushing it away from my face.

“I’d love that.”

Cuddled beneath a blanket, we spend our morning reading and tending the fire. The guys wake slowly over the next couple of hours, their voices groggy and their bodies sore from sleeping on the floor.

“No power until tonight?” Onyx grumbles, mussing his black and red hair. “I’m guessing the roads aren’t passable yet either?”

“They are not. We have wood behind my office to last a few days, so we’ll have heat. As for food, if we brave the cold and clear a path to the outdoor kitchen, we should be able to use it to cook.”

Sterling is standing at the window, his hands on his hips. “Bellamy and I can do that. I want to go check on Mama anyway. Clear a path between here and the garage in case she needs us.”

“Hell yeah. I’ll get dressed and we can go play in the snow. You gonna join us, dandelion?” Bee claps his hands, already jumping to his feet. He’s likely to lose his mind being stuck in one room all day, so this will be a good way for him to burn some of his energy off.

“Not until the power is back on,” I tell him, trying not to pout. Onyx will have a fit if I catch a cold from going out there and not being able to warm up properly after. Doesn’t mean I don’t want to go, just that I don’t want to irritate my Alpha.

My largest mate walks over to squat in front of me, his finger popping my bottom lip from where it is trapped between my teeth. “The snow will still be here tomorrow, bubbles. We can have an outside snow day then. Promise.”

I nip at his thumb, fire sparking between my thighs when he growls low and dangerous. “Behave. I’m going to help Sly and Bee for a bit. If you’re good, we’ll fuck you nice and hard when we’re finished.”

“Yes, Alpha. I’ll try.”

He kisses me quickly before he jogs after the others, leaving me wet and bored.

Caleb scoots over to lean against the front of the couch, his head falling back against my lap. He’s still half-asleep, his eyes fluttering closed when I smooth my hand over his hair.

“What do you say to a board game sweetheart, while Bellamy is occupied outside?” Emmett suggests, already perusing the shelves of games he brought from LA.

“Count me in. Caleb? Quentin?”

The four of us spend the rest of the early afternoon playing games and laughing huddled on the floor in front of the fire.

Chapter Thirty-Four

After three days snowed in at the estate, the roads are finally clear for us to make a trip into town.

Quentin had pulled me aside yesterday afternoon to let me know that the label execs were demanding a face-to-face with our Omega. What he didn’t mention was how upset they were with Skye for refusing to stop her show when her heat started.

“Ms. Pierce, we take the safety of our artists and their fans seriously. What happened at the end of your last concert was not only dangerous, it was reckless.”

Three execs sit across from us in the airy conference room near their offices. It’s so different from their manager’s office, which is crowded with desks and plastered with old posters. This room is sterile with white walls and gray carpets, not a single piece of art hanging on the walls to break up the space.

“I wasn’t fully in heat yet, and the scent blockers prevented any Alphas in the area from catching hints of my pheromones,” Skye protests, her hands wringing in her lap.

I love my Omega to pieces, but I’m with the label on this one. She should have listened when we told her to get off the stage. Her fans would have understood, and any who didn’t could have fucked off.

“We understand that,” the female Alpha across from her says gently, “but it doesn’t change our stance. Going into heat in a sold-out venue could easily start a riot. Even if you were safe with security and your pack nearby, what would have happened if an Alpha had gone into a rut and assaulted someone in the crowd?”

Skye’s shoulders fall, her head dropping until she’s staring at her lap. “I hadn’t considered that. I just didn’t want to let them down. With us being away from work and the next album untouched…” she trails off.

Her shame burns through our bond. I hate it, but I cannot bear this burden for her. She has to listen, truly listen, so that instances like that never happen again.

Because next time? I won’t be sending Caleb to coax her off the stage gently. I will haul her out of the venue without a word to her fans, and then I’ll redden her ass in punishment.