Eclipse Sector (V-Clan #3)

17. Ivana

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

IVANA

Cillian’s apology caused my teeth to grind together in annoyance.

You can be mine, I snapped back at him. You just have to fucking communicate with me .

Either he ignored my reply or he’d tuned me out, because he said nothing.

Stubborn Alphahole, I muttered at him.

“What’s going on?” I asked Benz without looking his way. I was too busy trying to find clothes. I hadn’t actually washed my hair or my skin, but I’d showered last night. So I should be fine.

“Sunshine,” Benz said slowly. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

My brow furrowed as I glanced at him. “Do this, as in…?”

He gave me a look. “You know what I mean.”

“No, I really don’t.”

“I’m a wolf, Ivana. I may not have seen what you were doing in there, but I could smell it,” he told me, causing my cheeks to burn.

“ Benz .”

“What?” Both of his dark brows shot upward. “That asshole broke your heart. And you finally have a chance to maybe find someone else. But if you let him play with you like this…”

“He’s not playing with me,” I argued. “He…” He’d confided in me. Told me things I could tell were personal to him. Things he hadn’t said to many others, if anyone at all. “Cillian’s complicated.”

Benz snorted. “No shit.”

I tugged on a pair of jeans. “I don’t want to debate Cillian right now, Benz. Just tell me what’s going on.”

Because I could use the distraction from my thoughts—which were all basically whirling with frustration.

Cillian had finally kissed me.

Then he’d apologized.

For shadowing off after kissing the hell out of me? For kissing me in general? For something else entirely?

I wanted to growl, scream, and cheer, all at the same time. It was a mingled mix of emotions that I forced to subside as I yanked on a shirt and waited for Benz’s response.

When he didn’t say anything, I met his incredulous gaze and arched a brow.

He sighed in response and shook his head. “If he hurts you…”

“Then he hurts me,” I replied, not wanting to discuss it further. “Now tell me what has Cillian jumping into Alpha mode.”

“When is he not in Alpha mode?” Benz muttered as he ran his fingers through his thick brown hair.

“ Benz .”

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re demanding for an Omega?”

I narrowed my gaze. “Stop stalling and spit it out.” Because I recognized a deflection when I saw one.

The flicker in his turquoise irises told me I was spot-on, too.

As did the curse that slipped through his lips as his head fell back for him to stare up at the ceiling. By the time he looked at me again, his expression had turned somber, telling me something was really wrong. “Lorcan found Sylvia unconscious in her igloo.”

I frowned. “Did someone knock her out?”

His mouth twisted. “Sort of.”

“What do you mean, sort of ?”

“She’s going into heat,” he replied. “A forced one.”

I blinked, not understanding. “Because someone knocked her out…?” That wasn’t how a heat cycle was provoked. Besides, Sylvia was a V-Clan wolf. “Our heat cycles aren’t set to begin for a few more months.”

We only went into estrus during the summer. It was one of the reasons our kind chose to thrive at night—Omegas hibernated in our nests during the sunny months.

Because of our cycles.

If Sylvia was going into heat now, then…

I swallowed.

Then someone or something forced her cycle to begin .

Which is what knocked her out .

“Oh,” I breathed. “ Oh .” This was bad. Very, very bad.

And worse… This happened on Cillian’s watch. While he was with me.

I’m sorry, Vana, he’d mentally told me. But I can’t be yours.

Because he was no doubt blaming me for distracting him from his job.

He’d laid it all out for me, explaining why he felt he didn’t deserve an Omega, why he wasn’t good enough for me, why he’d devoted his life to protecting others while living alone.

Cillian carried the weight of the V-Clan world on his back, shouldering the blame for his father’s sins.

And now Cillian was out there trying to fix whatever had happened to Sylvia, all while likely blaming himself for spending time with me.

I nearly growled in frustration.

Stubborn. Fucking. Alpha.

I hoped he heard that.

But he’d probably already blocked me from his mind.

Too bad, I thought at him. Because I can be just as stubborn .

He liked me. Wanted me. Felt I was too good for him. Desired more, but told himself he couldn’t have it.

Which made it my job to prove him wrong.

We could be good together. Perfect, even. I didn’t need to be his first priority. Would it be nice every once and while? Sure. However, I understood his need to protect others. I respected that need, too.

And this was the perfect time to show him that.

“Let’s go see what we can do to help,” I told Benz as I pulled on a pair of snow boots.

I didn’t wait for my best friend to agree—he knew better than to argue with me when I set my mind to something anyway—and shadowed outside.

My nose told me where to find Cillian, as well as Sylvia.

Because Benz had been right—she was definitely going into heat.

My stomach twisted at the notion of being forced into an estrous cycle against my will. Some clans did that to their Omegas. V-Clan wolves did not.

That made this situation even more troublesome.

Several Omegas were outside, arms folded around their middles, eyes concerned.

Ashlyn stood among them, her crystal-blue eyes meeting mine as I approached. She and Sylvia were friends, yet she didn’t appear all that concerned. “It’s started,” she murmured softly once I was a few feet away. “Remember what I told you, please.”

I frowned at her. “About what?”

All-consuming Alpha energy surrounded us before she could reply, the strength and vitality preceding Prince Cael’s arrival as he materialized across from me.

“Ivana,” he greeted with a soft smile that instantly froze on his handsome face.

He slowly looked toward Sylvia’s igloo as his two Elites shadowed in beside him, the intimidating males immediately scenting the air and following Cael’s gaze.

“What the hell…?” Prince Cael trailed off, his blue-green irises flickering to his brother, Dixon. “You came by ninety minutes ago for a security sweep and said everything was fine.”

His brother’s jaw tightened. “It was. This is obviously a recent development.” His sharp green eyes drifted across the crowd, landing on me for a split second before skipping along the other Omegas. “We should?—”

Cillian appeared between me and Prince Cael, cutting off Dixon’s commentary and my view of the three males. “Kieran is on his way. He wants to have a word with all participating Alphas, including you.”

Another wave of masculine intensity accompanied Prince Cael’s reply of “I see.”

Silence.

I shivered, Cillian’s magnetic energy mounting with each passing second. He appeared to be measuring his powers against Cael and his two Elites.

Or maybe he and Cael were engaged in a mental conversation.

Regardless, it left an uneasy current in the air, one that made some of the Omegas squirm in response.

I cleared my throat and glanced at the other women. “Perhaps we should all go have breakfast?” I suggested, trying to remind the two Alphas of their audience.

Cillian , I added in a mental whisper. You and Cael are making the Omegas even more nervous than they already are.

He didn’t reply.

“Evening breakfast sounds like a good idea,” Benz said, acknowledging my commentary. “Let’s go to the main lodge and see what’s?—”

“No,” Cillian interjected. “The Omegas are returning to Night Sector with Lorcan. The jet is already being prepared.”

“But it won’t be ready for another hour,” Fritz added as he stepped out of Sylvia’s igloo. “Breakfast might be a good idea.”

It was a daring move to question an Alpha’s judgment. But Cillian’s focus remained on Cael, the two males refusing to look away from each other.

This isn’t helping .

Tired of their posturing, I shadowed between them and gave Cillian my back so I could look up at Prince Cael. “Can you escort us to breakfast?” I asked him in the softest tone I could muster.

Cillian firmly grabbed my hips, an action Cael didn’t miss.

But I pretended not to notice as I added, “I think the Omegas would feel more comfortable if an Alpha Prince accompanied them.”

Because whatever was happening here between him and Cillian was having the opposite impact, and what the Omegas needed most right now was a distraction.

“Please?” I pressed, finally catching the prince’s gaze. The sharp quality of his features gentled as he refocused on me, an indulgent expression loosening his tightened jaw.

“It would be my honor,” he replied, his voice as smooth as ever.

“Thank you.” I gifted him with a small smile before glancing at Benz. “Can you lead the way?”

Since when do you command my men? a velvety voice inquired in my mind, the words paired with a subtle squeeze against my hips.

I took a page out of Cillian’s book and ignored him, my focus on Benz and the Omegas.

“I’ll be there in a moment,” I told Benz. “I just need to have a quick word with Cillian first.”

Now isn’t the time for this, Vana, Cillian telepathically replied. I realize I left abruptly, but I have ? —

Shh, I hushed him. I’m trying to focus.

“Oh, and, Ashlyn, if there’s any smoked salmon, can you save me a piece?” I asked, doing my best to sound completely normal. Like the fact that an Omega was going into heat in the igloo didn’t faze me at all.

The light-haired Z-Clan Omega’s lips tilted up like she understood what I was doing and nodded. “Yep. A cream cheese toastie, too?”

“Yes, please.” I was surprised she knew I liked that side with my salmon. But then, it seemed there was a lot more to Ashlyn than just a few cryptic comments.

Such as the one about Prince Cael and his darkness , I recalled, glancing at him now.

He didn’t seem all that dark . If anything, he appeared quite relaxed and almost bored.

Except his gaze kept shifting down to where Cillian’s hands clasped my hips.

A subtle tic started in his jaw as Cillian’s thumb moved in a possessive circle, the Alpha behind me no doubt fully aware of his movements.

Or maybe it was subconscious.

I’d have to ask him about it later. For now, I just wanted the testosterone-filled air to dissipate and the Omegas to relax.

“I’ll save you a seat, Ivana,” Cael said to me.

I smiled. “Thank you, Cael.”

He winked at me—likely pleased by me addressing him informally—and turned to help Benz escort everyone to the lodge in town for breakfast.

Once they were all well out of earshot, I shifted to face Cillian. His hands followed the movement, allowing me to complete my rotation before settling once more on my hips.

“Look, I’m sorry for what happened between us, but?—”

“Stop,” I interrupted. “We can talk about that later. What I want to know is when the jet will be here, who will be piloting it, and is it going straight to Night Sector, or will it be stopping in Blood Sector first?” Because those were the questions that the Omegas would want answers to.

He stared down at me somewhat warily as he replied, “In an hour, Lorcan, and straight to Night Sector.”

I nodded. “Do all of us need to go to Night Sector, or can Blood Sector be an option?”

“You don’t want to go to Night Sector?”

“I would prefer my own nest,” I admitted. “But if I’m permitted to go to Blood Sector, others may want to go there, too. So before I make any decisions, I want to know what all the options are.”

“I imagine all the others will prefer Night Sector since it’s their home.”

“I agree,” I told him. “But on the off chance anyone suddenly decides they would prefer to go to Blood Sector, I want to know if it’s even an option.”

He stared at me. “You can go back to your nest in Blood Sector, Ivana. And if anyone else wants to go there, that’s fine, too.”

I nodded. “Okay, good. Now, what can I tell them about Sylvia, because they’re going to ask about her.”

He shook his head. “I don’t know anything yet. She’s… unconscious. Lorcan’s trying to heal her, but whatever is in her system can’t be reversed.” The frustration in his tone grew with each word, ending in him releasing me to run his palm over his face. “This is my fault. I was distracted and?—”

“Did you drug her?” I demanded, cutting him off.

“What?” He looked at me as though I’d physically slapped him. “No. Of course not. How could you?—”

“If you didn’t drug her, then this isn’t your fault,” I snapped, interrupting him again. “So stop blaming yourself and focus on mitigating the situation. What I need are details I can share with the others to keep them calm. What can I tell them?”

He just blinked at me.

“Great, that’s very useful, Cillian. Thank you.”

His eyes narrowed. “You’re choosing now to sass me, Omega?”

“I’m always going to sass you, Alpha. Now stop stalling and answer my question so I can take care of the Omegas while you focus on finding out who hurt Sylvia.”

Cillian gaped at me for a beat, his shock palpable. However, he quickly recovered with a subtle clearing of his throat.

“Tell them the truth—Sylvia’s heat isn’t natural. Kieran will be here soon to evaluate her, then we’ll be questioning all of the Alphas with access to this sector. Because one of them dosed her with something. And that Alpha will be removed.”

I didn’t need him to elaborate on what removed meant.

“Thank you. I will do my best to relay all of that in the softest way possible,” I promised him. “I’ll also ask if anyone has seen or heard anything suspicious.”

And I’d start with Ashlyn.

With the plan set in motion, I stepped around Cillian to head toward the lodge.

But I found myself suddenly unable to move because my nape was caught in his palm.

He gently pulled me back to face him and pressed his forehead to mine for a long, silent moment. We’ll talk soon, he promised into my mind.

There’s nothing to talk about, I countered, my palm lifting to his cheek. “This is what it feels like to have a partner, Cillian,” I added aloud. “You don’t have to do this alone.” I went up onto my toes to brush a kiss against his mouth.

Then I shadowed to the lodge before he could reply with a contradictory statement or something snarky.

He didn’t get to have the last word this time. I did.

And I would show him what I meant about having a partner.

By taking care of the Night Sector Omegas and trying to put them all at ease.

Easier said than done.

However, I had to try, not only for them but for Cillian, too.