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This time, it’s her turn to swallow the sound.

Her fingers brush the sides of my neck, right against my ear, and⁠—

“WHAT the fuck, Caelan?”

Dax’s voice explodes in my eardrum, red-hot with fury and fear.

I jerk back on instinct, adrenaline coursing through my veins.

Idril startles at the movement, yanking her hands to her chest and cradling them like she’s been burned.

“It’s alright,” I murmur, reaching out to take one of her hands. She resists, but only for a moment before letting me cradle her delicate hand in mine.

“It is not fucking alright,” Dax barks, making zero attempt to temper his volume. “Don’t lie to me. You muted me for fifteen fucking minutes, and now all I’m getting down the Bond is a godsdamned tsunami of lust. What the hell are you doing?”

The silence after his outburst feels dangerous. I wince, aware that there’s no way to defuse this situation.

“Would you believe me if I said yoga?”

“Is the Omega in heat?”

The question makes me bristle.

“No, and that shit is none of your godsdamned business either way.”

“Then what the hell is going on? That Omega is not your mission. I told you to get out!” I can hear him pacing, voice shaking with barely-concealed rage.

Idril looks bewildered, so with a sigh and a wince, I mute Dax before he can explode.

Again.

“I have an ear-comm in, love,” I explain gently, tapping the side of my head. “You must have brushed it by accident. My teammate is… asking questions.”

Her eyes go impossibly wide, and she claps her hands over her mouth in shock. A blush bleeds up her neck and settles in her cheeks.

Gods, she’s perfect.

I flick the comm back on, bracing myself for the hell Dax is about to rain down on me.

I’m so fucked.

“I will castrate you if you do that again, do you understand me?”

Yup, I’ve definitely pressed my luck too far tonight.

“Later,” I reply tersely, refusing to take my eyes off Idril. “I’ll see you at home.”

“You fu⁠—”

I cut comms before he can finish, then slam a mental block in place so hard it’ll probably feel like a kick to the balls. He’s already pissed, might as well go for gold, I suppose.

Kneeling in front of Idril, I reach out, not quite sure if she’ll let me touch her again now that the adrenaline of the moment has passed. Her gaze is wary, but she doesn’t pull away.

I cradle her face in my hands, running my thumbs across the soft skin of her cheekbones. Her eyelashes flutter, and she leans into my touch like she’s starved for it.

With a sinking feeling, I realize she probably is starved for touch. She nuzzles into my hand like a cat, making my Alpha preen.

“What is happening?” She mumbles.