Eclipse Sector (V-Clan #3)

11. Cillian

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CILLIAN

I wasn’t sure what pissed me off more—Ivana attempting to ice-skate or Ivana sleeping on the couch.

Both activities threatened her health and safety. The latter problem I’d been able to solve by moving her to the bed. The former issue, however, I was currently being forced to observe from the sidelines.

While another Alpha put his fucking paws all over her in an attempt to keep her from falling down.

Each time the asshole failed had me nearly shadowing to the ice rink to handle Ivana myself.

Alas, my job tonight was to supervise and guard from afar. Not teach Ivana how to balance on deadly blades.

She giggled as Ransom caught her by the waist, her arms flailing around while she fought for balance.

My wolf growled inside, irritated over the sight before us. Another Alpha has his hands on our female , my inner beast seemed to be saying. Kill him.

She’s not ours , I thought at my animal half.

Holding Ivana all day while she’d slept had been a bad idea. But when I’d found her curled into a tiny ball on that couch, a part of me had broken inside.

A part that hadn’t liked the touch of blue painting her lips or the goose bumps decorating her arms. She’d been cold and shivering and alone .

And it’d reminded me of the night we’d first met.

A night when I’d purred for her on instinct and cradled her body against mine for hours.

She’d looked so young. So fragile. So shattered .

And last night, she’d exuded a similar appearance.

Or maybe it had all been in my mind.

Still, I hadn’t been able to stop myself from carrying her to the bed and purring for her while she slept. It’d felt so unbelievably right despite being so incredibly wrong.

I didn’t deserve her or any other Omega. Not after what I let my father do to…

Rolling my neck, I shook off the ancient memory before it could encapsulate my mind. The last thing I needed was another distraction. Ivana was quite enough.

If that Alpha touches her one more time… My teeth ground together as Ransom caught Ivana again before she could face-plant on the ice.

Her responding laugh went straight to my gut, the sound one I hadn’t heard from her before.

Because she never laughed in my presence.

Oh, she’d smiled and flirted with me. But she’d never laughed. Only ever fake-giggled at some of the other Blood Sector Omegas—an action she’d usually accompanied with a roll of her eyes.

Ivana had always reacted that way around Miranda and her crew of mean-girl types.

I’d admired that about Ivana—her ability to just not care.

Fuck, I admired a lot of things about Ivana. Like the way her hips looked in those tight jeans of hers right now.

So fucking breedable , I thought, my knot pulsating in response.

I ripped my gaze away from her to focus on some of the other Omegas skating around the rink with their Alpha dates for the evening. My wolf instantly calmed, not interested in any of those pairings at all.

My fingers curled and uncurled at my sides, my mind scanning the entire sector for any notions of a threat and finding none.

Other than myself.

Never in my entire existence had I ever felt this close to losing control.

Well, no. That wasn’t quite true.

I’d lost control once. Over a thousand years ago.

On the night I betrayed my entire family.

I gritted my teeth, the memory once again threatening to overwhelm me. A memory I rarely ever considered, yet that was twice in a short span of time that it had nearly?—

Cillian. Fritz’s mental call immediately caught my attention, as I’d been loosely in tune with both him and Benz all evening.

Yes?

Ashlyn fell into the ice pond. She’s fine, but ? —

I shadowed to his side before he could finish, my gaze instantly landing on the shivering blonde curled into a ball on the bank of the frozen pond. Grey hovered nearby, his ice-like gaze narrowed at Henrik—one of Glacier Sector’s Alphas.

Imbecile, I overheard Grey thinking. Z-Clan Omegas aren’t built like V-Clan Omegas. Their powers are mental, not physical.

My brow furrowed. What happened? I asked Fritz. And when did Grey get here?

I hadn’t even been aware he’d intended to join us today. Thus far, he’d missed all the mating events. It seemed a little strange for him to visit for group dates today, especially since this wasn’t even his home sector.

Ashlyn fell into one of the fishing holes, Fritz replied.

Yes, I’m asking how she fell in, I rephrased.

I’m not sure. I was grabbing some poles when ? —

You weren’t watching? I interjected, facing him.

“Henrik asked me to fetch —his word—some extra fishing rods from the shed,” Fritz answered out loud, his arms folding before him. “So I shadowed over to fetch them. When I heard Ashlyn shriek, I immediately teleported back, but Grey had already jumped in to grab her.”

“I d-didn’t shrie-eek,” Ashlyn muttered, her teeth chattering over the words.

“He appeared out of fucking nowhere,” Henrik growled.

“Who did?” I demanded, not following his comment.

“The half-breed.” He gestured sharply at Grey, who simply arched a brow in response to being called a half-breed . “One minute, we’re fishing. And the next, he shadows in uninvited and Ashlyn falls in.”

“I’m one of the candidates,” Grey reminded him coolly. “By definition, that means I’m invited, not uninvited.”

“I’m fine,” Ashlyn interjected. “No harm. Just a little swim. But I’d like to go change my clothes now.” She started to walk away, but I stepped into her path.

“I’ll escort you,” I told her, my tone as soft as I could manage, given the situation. Henrik and Grey were throwing down a lot of testosterone that my wolf very much wanted to respond to, but now wasn’t the time to assert dominance.

I needed to ensure Ashlyn was okay first.

Then I would deal with the two simmering Alphas.

Find out how she actually fell in, I told Fritz, wanting him to gather statements from Grey and Henrik.

Meanwhile, I’d focus on Ashlyn’s point of view.

Waving a hand forward, I said, “After you.”

She stared at me for a beat, her blue eyes seeming to see right through me. Then she nodded and started walking.

I trailed behind her, my mind still locked on the Alphas behind me. They were too busy sizing each other up to care about me taking the Omega from them.

But that left Fritz to deal with their aggression.

He was big for an Omega, and apparently quite skilled with a gun. However, I wasn’t sure that would be enough to put Grey down.

Henrik, maybe.

Grey… Grey might actually prove difficult for me to take down. His Z-Clan half made him an unknown. And his mind didn’t feel all that vulnerable.

I could hear his surface thoughts, but nothing too deep.

Granted, that could be because he was currently consumed by Henrik throwing insults his way.

You shouldn’t even be here.

You’re not one of us.

Just because she’s a Z-Clan Omega does not mean she’s yours. So don’t get any ideas about dragging her off to some cave and claiming her against her will.

The words rolled through Grey’s mind on repeat, his own mouth seeming to remain shut during the onslaught of negative statements coming from Henrik.

So what? You’re just going to stand there? All silent and brooding? You pushed her into the fucking pond!

I did not, Grey thought, but from what I could tell, he didn’t voice the statement out loud.

Which just further pissed off Henrik.

See? He’s not even denying it. Make him leave.

I snorted, unsure of whether that whining tone was just Grey’s mental interpretation of Henrik’s voice or an accurate depiction. Regardless, it was amusing.

“He didn’t push me,” Ashlyn said quietly, her gaze catching mine as she glanced back at me. “I just didn’t see him coming, so his appearance… surprised me. Which is rather uncommon, to say the least.”

“You knew he was part of the mating pool, though, right?”

Her lips curled slightly. “Yes. Quinn asked me if I was okay with him joining. I’m not one to fight destiny, so I agreed.” She shrugged. “Although, I thought our paths would cross later. Not today.”

She picked up her pace a little, her gaze no longer on me, leaving me to study her from behind.

Her cryptic words swirled in my mind as I tried to piece them together.

Z-Clan Omegas were extremely rare, primarily because their Alphas didn’t cherish them the way they should. Quinnlynn asking Ashlyn for permission to add Grey to the list of suitors made sense—if anyone would object to a part Z-Clan Alpha joining the mating pool, it would be a Z-Clan Omega.

Ashlyn allowing him to participate meant that either she felt his V-Clan side would balance his Z-Clan heritage, or she’d seen something that made her comfortable with him.

Her words just now made me suspect the latter.

“Don’t think about it too hard, Alpha Cillian,” she murmured. “Alpha Grey’s intentions here are noble. He’s just hunting.”

“Hunting for what?” I asked, frowning.

“What do most good Alphas hunt for?” she asked, a curious note to her voice. “Mates, yes? Although, I suppose they also hunt down villains with penchants for stealing precious relics. Hmm.”

I arched a brow. “Are you purposely being cryptic?”

She shrugged. “I’m pointing out that thinking isn’t needed. Not about this. Besides, you have your own future to consider. One you’re not going to enjoy if you continue on the path you’re on right now.”

I frowned at her back. “That sounds ominous.”

“It should.” She turned down the street that led to our guest igloos, still not looking at me.

I waited for her to elaborate, but she didn’t.

Z-Clan Omegas were known for their unique sensitivities to auras and emotions. However, it seemed this one might also have a proclivity for fortune-telling.

Or perhaps it was all instinct based?

Something told me I wouldn’t find the answer within her mind, but I was suddenly tempted to try. I’d focused my ability on the Alphas in Glacier Sector, not the Betas or Omegas, because I’d been concerned with threats.

My leash around the Omegas was for protection only, my mental connection to their minds scanning for words of fear more than anything else.

However, I hadn’t picked up anything from Ashlyn at all. No fear. Not even a hint of surprise when she’d fallen into the ice pond.

Now I wondered if I hadn’t been in touch with her mind at all.

“Don’t,” she said as we reached her igloo. “If you push, you won’t like what you find. And as I said, you should be more concerned with your own future. Not mine.”

She faced me then, her expression one that seemed underlined with age and experience, like she’d seen millions of timelines that were not just her own.

“I’m fine. I fell because I was startled. Grey and Henrik don’t mean me any harm.” She reached out to grab my hand, her fingers resembling ice against my skin. “I’m not yours to worry about, Cillian. While I appreciate your protective instincts, they’re unnecessary.”

“Why do I feel as though I’m being scolded for simply walking you back to your igloo?” I asked her, my eyebrow arching at the tiny Omega before me.

“Maybe because you need to be scolded,” she said, squeezing my hand before releasing it. “You do realize that you’re not the only one being punished by your actions, yes?”

Now both my eyebrows inched upward. “Excuse me?”

“Hmm, I see that you don’t realize that at all.” She gave me a thoughtful look. “Choosing to suffer out of some misguided need to repent doesn’t just impact you, Cillian. That choice—the one where you put everyone else first—impacts her, too. If you remember anything I’ve said, please remember that.”

With that profound statement, she let herself into her igloo and shut the door before I could even fathom a reply.

I’d just been thoroughly chastised by yet another Omega, and I wasn’t even sure I understood what she’d just chastised me about.

It felt like it was something I hadn’t even done yet. Something I might do.

Unless she’s talking about leaving the ice rink to check on her at the fishing hole? I wondered, staring at her ice-laden door before glancing at the empty street behind me.

With a renewed sense of urgency, I shadowed back to the ice rink and found it mostly empty, the Omegas and Alphas having chosen to retire for dinner.

A quick mental scan told me Ivana was sitting with a silent Ransom, eating a freshly smoked salmon.

Then what the hell was Ashlyn going on about?

I gripped my nape, my head tilting back as I stared up at the moon, Ashlyn’s words repeating through my mind. There’d been something prophetic about her statements. Something… threatening .

Pulling up a screen from my watch, I shot a message off to Kieran, asking about Ashlyn’s background and penchant for fortune-telling. Perhaps Quinnlynn could share some of the Z-Clan Omega’s history with him, then he could give me an idea of how seriously I needed to take her warnings.

Pushing thoughts of the tiny female from my mind, I shadowed to the dining hall and leaned against the wall. I assume Henrik and Grey have been taken care of? I said to Fritz.

Grey left without uttering a single word, Fritz replied. Henrik…

Whined like a baby? I guessed.

For a moment, amusement touched Fritz’s mind. Something like that. He sobered then as he asked, Is Ashlyn okay?

She was a bit cryptic but seems all right.

Fritz chuckled into my mind, his amusement returning. Did she fall into oracle mode?

Is that a common activity for her?

Only when she sees something worth warning about, he drawled.

Now you’re being the cryptic one, I muttered back to him.

Trust me. No one is more cryptic than Ashlyn. But her warnings are usually important, so if she said something, listen to her. She’s a lot more powerful than people realize.

A Z-Clan Omega with foreseeing abilities, I thought back to him. No wonder she sought refuge in the Sanctuary. I’m surprised she’s trying to take a mate.

I don’t think she intends to take a mate at all, Fritz replied, sounding serious again. She’s participating for reasons that I’ve yet to decipher.

I stood up straighter. Does Quinnlynn know this?

Yes. He didn’t elaborate, but I heard the whisper of a memory in his mind—a conversation between him and the Blood Sector Queen about Ashlyn’s intentions.

Hmm , I hummed, eyeing my watch.

If Quinnlynn knew—which it seemed evident that she did—then Kieran might as well.

Once these dates finished, I’d call him to discuss it.

Until then… My gaze drifted to Ivana’s silent form as she quietly chewed her meal. She seemed content enough, if a little shy. Very unlike the Omega I knew who loved to run her mouth at me.

What can you possibly see in that Alpha? I nearly asked her. He’s clearly boring you, darling.

Her eyes lifted to mine, like she’d heard my comments. Or perhaps she’d just sensed my focus on her.

I quickly looked away.

But I didn’t lose sight of her in my mind.

I… lingered. Listening. Waiting for any sign of trouble.

Or that was what I told myself, anyway.

What I forced myself to believe.

Because there couldn’t be any other reason for linking myself to her mind.

No other reason at all…