Eclipse Sector (V-Clan #3)

8. Ivana

CHAPTER EIGHT

IVANA

A Few Days Later

I stared at my last journal entry, my pen tapping the page. Hoping for love seemed a bit extreme. Maybe lust was a more accurate term.

But that was entirely my problem.

I’d met several Alphas now, all of them handsome and charming and interested in taking a mate, yet Cillian continued to star in my dreams.

And his scent, I thought, shivering. His scent has been everywhere .

All over my nest.

My rooms.

Almost as though he’d visited my personal space.

Which was insane. Oh, he’d been invited there countless times, but he’d never accepted the offer. He’d left me to suffer my heats alone instead.

Part of it was my fault. Blood Sector Omegas were allowed to make a list of Alphas to help satisfy our estrous cycles, and I’d only ever noted Cillian as my choice.

But he never showed up , I muttered to myself, wincing. He just left me there to suffer, year after year .

I tried not to blame him. Not completely, anyway.

I could have asked for another Alpha.

However, I’d never wanted anyone else.

And this whole mating program was making me wonder if I would ever desire another man.

Dear Stars, I wrote after turning to a clean page. Maybe I’m destined to be alone. Prince Cael is perfectly lovely. But I just don’t feel that spark. Not like I do with ? —

I angrily crossed out the entry and flipped my journal over on the table, irritated with my inner musings.

This is ridiculous , I told myself.

I hadn’t seen Cillian in five days. Not since the commencement dinner, where he’d glared daggers at Prince Cael.

“He’s just being protective,” Prince Cael had said.

Protective of what? I’d wanted to ask.

Instead, all I’d managed was an ineloquent “Oh.”

Then our conversation had returned to discussion of the underground road system in Lunar Sector—something I very much wanted to see.

Unfortunately, Lunar Sector was stop number three on our program tour.

Glacier Sector was up first.

I glanced out the window beside me, intrigued by the fluffy clouds in the sky around us. They glittered in the moonlight, providing an almost eerie glow. This was only my second time traveling in this manner, my ability to shadow rendering flying an unnecessary mode of transportation.

However, not all the Omegas in the program could teleport.

Hence, we were flying to Glacier Sector instead of shadowing there.

All of the Eligible Alpha Mates were invited to meet us on-site, but the Glacier Sector Alphas were given first dibs on selecting their “dates” for the week.

Alpha Ransom had selected me.

My lips pursed to the side as I refocused on my journal once more.

Dear Stars, I started again. The Omegas on the jet feel nervous. Or maybe it’s just me. I’ve never really “dated” an Alpha before. But Alpha Ransom seems nice. Quiet, too. However, his eyes ? —

“Do you mind if I sit here?” a soft voice asked, drawing my attention away from my pen and up to a pair of big blue eyes.

Ashlyn.

I blinked at her, somewhat surprised she’d chosen my quiet booth-like corner in the back of the jet. All the other Omegas were busy chatting on the sofas near the front, their excitement a hum of electricity in the air. I’d been too caught up in my thoughts to join them.

“Um, no. Go for it,” I said, gesturing to the open seat across from me.

She gave me a small smile and slipped onto the oversized chair, her petite form practically engulfed by the beige leather behind her. “Thanks.” She pulled out a notebook and a pen. “I have a vision that’s driving me crazy. I need to write it down, and this seemed like the best place to do that.”

“A vision?” I repeated.

“Mm-hmm,” she hummed, already scribbling on a blank page.

Z-Clan Omegas were known to be intuitive by nature, capable of reading auras of those around them. It was a unique talent, one that their Alphas tended to abuse.

While Z-Clan Omegas were gifted with rare psychic abilities, the Z-Clan Alphas were blessed with dominance and strength. Which made them more feral in nature, especially when it came to mastering their Omega mates.

I’d never had the displeasure of meeting a Z-Clan Alpha, and I hoped to never experience it in my life as well.

However, Ashlyn… I suspected she’d known several in her existence.

“I can feel your concern, but I’m fine,” she murmured in that soft voice of hers. “The past is the past. It’s the future that concerns me more.” She paused then to look up at me. “Can I tell you a secret?”

She had a dreamlike quality to her gaze, one that had me wondering if she was actually seeing me or something else. “Uh, sure,” I offered, a bit confused by this unexpected interaction.

“I love to journal.” She sounded quite pleased with this secret of hers. “I have so many notebooks filled with musings back in my nest. But only someone who knows where to look can find my diaries.”

“I see.”

She smiled. “You don’t, but you will.” She leaned forward. “I hide my journals beneath my nest, under the floorboards. That’s my secret.”

“And you’re telling me this because…?”

She shrugged. “In case you ever need to know something.”

I stared at her. “Is there something I should know?”

“A great many things, I’m sure,” she sighed. “But that’s the problem with visions. I can only see, never share. However, just in case…” She trailed off and returned to her journal as though she hadn’t just been in the middle of a statement.

I was half tempted to lean forward and read her cursive-like scrawl. Alas, that would be rude.

What a strange Omega, I thought, observing her as she scribbled words in her journal. I would have to mention this to Quinn.

Unless this was normal behavior for the Z-Clan Omega?

I really didn’t know.

When she made no move to continue speaking, I returned to my own musings about Ransom’s handsome features.

Dark hair.

Brown skin.

Kind eyes.

Full lips.

Broad shoulders.

I chewed the inside of my cheek, my pen tapping against my jaw as I tried to define his quiet personality in my head. Except that was all I could say— he’s quiet .

Maybe our date this week would awaken something more profound inside my mind.

Cillian would be forced to keep his distance. Not that he would have an issue with that. He’d done a fine job all week and hadn’t even acknowledged me upon boarding the jet. Now he was at the helm, sitting in the pilot seat with Benz beside him. I couldn’t see them from back here.

Good riddance , I decided, forcing my thoughts to return to Ransom.

Only, I could sense Ashlyn staring at me again, which caused me to peek up at her in kind. “Can I tell you something else? A warning, more than a secret?”

I frowned, the latter statement—which she worded as a question—sounding rather ominous. “Um, yes?”

She glanced around, then slowly rotated her notebook toward me so I could see the words on the page.

Be careful of Prince Cael, her elegant scrawl read. He’s surrounded by darkness.

My eyebrows rose. “What?”

She brushed her finger over her lips, then looked over her shoulder while pointing at her ear.

My brow furrowed. “I don’t understand.”

She sighed and picked up her pen again to write, Wolf ears, Ivana. Everyone can hear us. And this is not something that can be heard.

I nearly responded out loud but decided to play her game and jotted down a few words of my own. If Prince Cael is dangerous, then you need to tell Quinn.

She shook her head. He’s not dangerous, she replied with her pen. The darkness around him… I don’t know how to explain this. Just… be careful, okay?

I stared at her, then pointed to my statement once more.

Her blue eyes narrowed. “You really are a stubborn wolf.”

My lips parted. “Excuse me?”

She smiled. “It’s not an insult, Ivana. It’s a compliment. If we had more time, I think we would be great friends.” She glanced out the window. “Alas, we’re about to land.”

With that, she gathered her journal and flounced off to the front of the jet, her long white-blonde hair flowing in her wake.

I blinked at her. What the fuck just happened?

She tried to warn me about Prince Cael, then blatantly ignored my… I blinked down at my notebook to see the page I’d been writing on torn off at the edges.

She’d taken my reply.

How…? I hadn’t even heard the paper rip.

Ashlyn’s giggle traveled back to me as one of the other Omegas whispered something into her ear. I met the female’s brown eyes, her name something that began with an S .

Whatever she was saying, it was clearly about me.

And Ashlyn found it humorous.

I narrowed my gaze. I was all too familiar with the mean-girl mentality, having shared a building with several of them these last few years.

Miranda, an unmated Omega with her heart set on landing an Alpha Prince, had tried to make my life a living hell when I’d first arrived in Blood Sector. She’d made it quite clear that Kieran belonged to her and no one else.

Except he hadn’t belonged to her at all.

He’d been chosen by Quinn over a century ago. Only, the princess had run away before their mating was complete, leaving Kieran in charge of Blood Sector in her absence.

That had made Kieran eligible in Miranda’s eyes. Unfortunately for her, he hadn’t been interested.

But that hadn’t stopped her from being the mean-girl queen of the Omegas in Blood Sector.

And now it seemed I’d met a few more.

Be careful of Prince Cael , Ashlyn had written.

I nearly snorted now.

I’d been worried for a second, but clearly the little Z-Clan Omega was playing a game with me. She probably wanted Cael for herself. And what better way to claim him than to chase away any competition?

Cael seemed perfectly fine to me. Charming. Handsome. Interested in mating .

Yeah, I wasn’t going to avoid him. If he continued to seek me out, I’d answer in kind.

Maybe a kiss will help ignite some of those butterflies in my belly, I mused.

Of course, Cillian had never needed to kiss me to create that feeling. He had simply needed to exist.

My teeth ground together as my attention shifted from the tittering Omegas to the front of the jet. I still couldn’t see him or Benz, which was probably a good thing.

But I would be seeing them soon.

Because Ashlyn hadn’t been lying about us descending.

The cabin pressure was changing with each passing second as we angled downward in the sky toward our frosty destination.

I ripped my gaze away from the closed door at the front and looked out the window to see an endless sea of water. Even from here, I could tell it was cold.

We’d flown northeast, heading toward what used to be known as the Russian Archipelago. I wasn’t alive during that time period, but I’d learned about it after arriving in Blood Sector.

It’s going to be so cold, I thought as ice caps appeared in the distance. Very, very cold.

I swallowed, my nerves twisting as the jet angled for the frozen land ahead.

I hadn’t left Blood Sector since I’d arrived all those years ago. There hadn’t really been an opportunity to travel. But even if there had been, I wouldn’t have left.

Not after how hard I’d fought to find safety.

Away from my family.

From my evil father.

My eyes closed, my past threatening to assault my mind. Blood. Tears. An array of violence. Cillian’s face as he found me nearly frozen in that frigid hole.

He’d been like a dark knight, kneeling above me, his near-black eyes glittering with concern.

His arms had been so warm. So protective. So right .

I’d known right then and there that I belonged to him.

But he’d never really been mine.

That thought haunted me as the jet settled on the ground, the sensation causing several of the Omegas to gasp about the “updated technology.” I wasn’t sure what they’d meant. My one and only flight had been just like this.

“More like a rocket ship than a plane,” I overheard one of them whispering.

“I told you it would be fun,” another said.

“Your definition of fun differs from mine,” someone else groused.

I really needed to learn their names, but I’d always been more of a loner. The only reason I knew Ashlyn’s identity was because of her origin—she was the only Z-Clan Omega in the group.

Kimmi was a Vampire Omega.

And Jane was a W-Clan Omega.

Everyone else was a V-Clan Omega like me. Those were the names I was struggling to memorize. The Alpha identities had felt more important, but these Omegas were my future neighbors. So I really should focus on them.

Except that brunette talking to Ashlyn , I decided. The mean-girl clique could go kick rocks for all I cared.

The door to the pilot cabin opened, causing goose bumps to pebble down my arms as Cillian appeared. His eyes instantly scanned the interior, though he didn’t quite reach me before he focused on the exterior exit.

All the Omegas fell quiet, their focus on Cillian.

A few of them stared at him with open interest, his dominance a palpable presence that seduced everyone and everything in his orbit.

He ignored them all, his mind likely scanning all of those outside.

I could practically hear him leashing all of Glacier Sector with his power, taking control of every single being with a thorough sweep of his mind.

His power hummed along my skin, his abilities bordering on terrifying.

He was an Alpha Prince without the title, his ancient bloodline evident in his quiet prowess.

After a long, tense moment, he moved to the exterior door and pressed a button. A series of locks disengaged as the cabin fully depressurized around us. Then a jolt of icy air assaulted the cabin. That was without the door even being open.

“Coats,” Cillian said, his voice quiet yet underlined with authority.

Everyone inside obeyed, grabbing the jackets we’d been provided before takeoff and pulling them on. Only, he didn’t bother to don one himself. He merely opened the door in his jeans and long thermal sweater.

It was a show of strength. A way of saying without words that he felt completely unaffected by this sector’s chilling energy.

Part of me had wondered if the point of these sector visits was actually a way of forming political alliances with the other V-Clan Princes. It seemed like something Kieran would orchestrate under the guise of a mating program. And Cillian would absolutely be the one he’d send to deliver his quiet message of authority.

Because Cillian was the politically savvy one of the trio. He also served as a unique symbol of power. He could be a prince, yet he chose to serve Kieran. Which essentially meant Blood Sector had two very capable Alphas at the helm, thus securing their position at the top of the V-Clan hierarchy.

“Prince Lykos,” Cillian greeted.

“Alpha Cillian,” a cool voice replied from outside.

Silence descended, creating an even more violent chill in the air.

Because the Alphas were evaluating one another.

Or perhaps even engaged in a silent conversation.

My stomach twisted as I studied Cillian’s features, noting the subtle tic in his jaw. Otherwise, his expression gave nothing away. As calm as ever. The quintessential politician.

But he wasn’t looking away from the other man. No nods. No signs of subtle submission.

Prince Lykos might be in charge here, but Cillian wouldn’t bow to him. Because he didn’t have to. He was a being of equal power, something I felt him highlight with a not-so-subtle sweep of his mental presence.

I could almost always sense his gift. It resembled a warm caress I constantly craved yet very rarely felt. However, I reveled in it now, loving the way it calmed my inner wolf.

Protected , she seemed to say. Safe.

Because that was how Cillian had always made us feel from the very first moment we’d met.

I nearly closed my eyes, lost to that warmth. But it left my mind in the next instant as Prince Lykos said, “Welcome to Glacier Sector. Shall we start with a tour?”