CHAPTER 146: HELLO!!

The screen blinked into darkness, cutting me off from Mira and Gabe’s chaotic firestorm of passion, and for a moment, the absence of sound was almost a blessing. My shoulders sagged with relief, only for my chest to tighten again as the real silence pressed in—the kind that wasn’t remotely soothing.

I scoffed out loud, maybe to convince myself I wasn’t drowning in it. Usually, I’d have sworn under my breath, cursing their reckless exhibition, but I suddenly found myself wishing I was back in that surreal world. At least there, the chaos had direction. Here, the storm was internal, and I was trapped inside it with no compass.

The weight of three pairs of eyes bore into me.

My mates sat by my sides, their postures deceptively relaxed, but the tension rolling off them told a very different story. I didn’t need Maria’s heightened senses to feel it—it hummed in the air, thick and charged, every unspoken thought dangling between us.

Nobody moved. Nobody breathed too loudly.

It was absurd, really.

We were wolves who had faced down various sorts of obstacles, despite their degrees of difficulty. Yet here we were, three alphas and one supposedly fragile omega, paralyzed in our own damn lounge.

I shifted in my seat, the scrape of my thigh against the posh leather that covered the cushion I was sitting on unbearably loud in the dead quiet. My pulse hammered in my ears, drowning out even the whisper of the clock on the wall.

Something had to give. As soon as possible.

The bond we shared wasn’t just a tether—it was a demand. It pulled, strained, gnawed. The longer we resisted, the sharper the edge became.

My wolf paced inside me, restless and hungry, her golden eyes flashing behind my own.

’Do something, Dammit!’ Maria seethed, crashing down the heavy wall I had created to keep her away.

’Do something?!’ I barked, letting a little chunk of my frustration seep into my words. ’What do you advise? That I jump them?!’

’Well, yeah!’ She retorted incredulously. ’Its either that or we might just explode!’ She chimed and I offered no verbal response as I tucked in my lower lip, in-between my teeth, biting down with large chunks of frustration that filled my heart.

I glanced at them one by one, against my better judgement- not like I could help it.

Tristan’s jaw was tight, his fingers drumming silently against his thigh as though if he didn’t move them, he’d explode. His gaze was fixed on me, unyielding, like he could burn through my defenses if he stared long enough.

Theo leaned back into the cushion, posture casual, but his clenched fists betrayed him. He was trying to keep his posture as normal as possible, but the fiery furnace in his eyes exposed his true feelings without reserves as he sat like the still surface of water hiding something dangerous beneath.

And Troy—gods, Troy. His eyes, usually sharp and mocking, were storm-dark, his lips pressed into a line that looked like equal parts of restraint and temptation. He looked at me like I was both his salvation and his ruin, and I wasn’t sure which scared me more.

Anticipation. Expectation. Longing. Fear. Lust. Hunger.

Every emotion was swirled together in a cocktail I wasn’t sure I could drink without choking, or passing the fuck out!

I swallowed hard, but my throat was dry.

Someone had to make the first move. Someone had to crack this unbearable tension before it devoured us whole.

But who?

If I leaned forward, if I let my wolf speak, there would be no going back. I’d be surrendering to the bond, to them—all of them. And as much as my body ached for it, my heart trembled at the thought. I’d fought so hard to rise above the "weak omega" label, to build something of my own. To hand over that power now? To three men who could unravel me with a look? It was terrifying.

The silence stretched until it became a presence of its own. I almost preferred Mira’s whip cracking through the speakers, because at least that had sound, rhythm, a destination.

Here, there was nothing but waiting.

Tristan shifted first. Just a fraction—his knee bumped forward, his hand stilling on his thigh. His gaze sharpened, predatory, like he’d scented blood in the water.

My lungs locked up.

Then Theo leaned forward, elbows on his knees, the mask of calm slipping just enough for his hunger to bleed through.

Gabe didn’t move, not at first. He just smirked, slow and dangerous, before finally rising to his feet, towering, blocking out the light.

I sucked in a shaky breath, my wolf clawing at my chest, demanding release, demanding I claim what was mine.

But my human side hesitated.

What if giving in meant losing myself?

What if giving in meant finally admitting how much I craved them?

The ringing in my ears grew louder. My palms were damp. My heart pounded against my ribs like it wanted out.

I didn’t realize I’d stood until I felt the floor steady beneath my bare feet. The scrape of the chair legs echoed like thunder in the room.

Three sets of eyes followed me, heat and tension rolling off them in waves.

"I can’t..." My voice cracked, so I tried again, steadier. "I can’t keep sitting here."

Tristan rose immediately, like the command in my tone had tugged on his spine. Theo followed, slower, deliberate. Gabe was already on his feet, his smirk deepening, but his eyes betrayed him—he wasn’t amused. He was starving.

The distance between us felt like a battlefield. A few steps, and everything would change.

My wolf howled, begging me to close it, to leap.

My body shook with the weight of choice.

Then, with trembling hands, I took one step forward.

One step closer to them.

The bond snapped tight, vibrating through my veins, and I swore the air itself exhaled. Their wolves pressed at the edges of my consciousness, not overwhelming me, but surrounding me—like they’d been waiting for that single move to give them permission.

The silence shattered, not with words, but with the sound of breath rushing out of all of us at once.

And in that moment, I knew there was no going back.

steady beneath my bare feet. The scrape of the chair legs echoed like thunder in the room.

Three sets of eyes followed me, heat and tension rolling off them in waves.

"I can’t..." My voice cracked, so I tried again, steadier. "I can’t keep sitting here."

Tristan rose immediately, like the command in my tone had tugged on his spine. Theo followed, slower, deliberate. Gabe was already on his feet, his smirk deepening, but his eyes betrayed him—he wasn’t amused. He was starving.

The distance between us felt like a battlefield. A few steps, and everything would change.

My wolf howled, begging me to close it, to leap.

My body shook with the weight of choice.

Then, with trembling hands, I took one step forward.

One step closer to them.

The bond snapped tight, vibrating through my veins, and I swore the air itself exhaled. Their wolves pressed at the edges of my consciousness, not overwhelming me, but surrounding me—like they’d been waiting for that single move to give them permission.

The silence shattered, not with words, but with the sound of breath rushing out of all of us at once.

And in that moment, I knew there was no going back.

Tristan rose immediately, like the command in my tone had tugged on his spine. Theo followed, slower, deliberate. Gabe was already on his feet, his smirk deepening, but his eyes betrayed him—he wasn’t amused. He was starving.

The distance between us felt like a battlefield. A few steps, and everything would change.

My wolf howled, begging me to close it, to leap.

My body shook with the weight of choice.

Then, with trembling hands, I took one step forward.

One step closer to them.

The bond snapped tight, vibrating through my veins, and I swore the air itself exhaled. Their wolves pressed at the edges of my consciousness, not overwhelming me, but surrounding me—like they’d been waiting for that single move to give them permission.

The silence shattered, not with words, but with the sound of breath rushing out of all of us at once.

And in that moment, I knew there was no going back.

steady beneath my bare feet. The scrape of the chair legs echoed like thunder in the room.

The bond snapped tight, vibrating through my veins, and I swore the air itself exhaled. Their wolves pressed at the edges of my consciousness, not overwhelming me, but surrounding me—like they’d been waiting for that single move to give them permission.

The silence shattered, not with words, but with the sound of breath rushing out of all of us at once.

And in that moment, I knew there was no going back.

steady beneath my bare feet. The scrape of the chair legs echoed like thunder in the room.