The Omega Mated To The Four

The Alpha Bond 110

Chapter Hundred and Ten

The evening air was cool and fragrant, carrying the scent of flowers from the garden as I made my way through the dimly lit stone pathway behind the hotel. I had spent the past hour handing out the little souvenirs I had picked up from the Idrija Lace Festival, and when I had given Austin his gift, I had asked where Elijah

was.

"He went outside to get some air," Austin said.

I gave him a kiss on the cheek before heading outside.

The garden behind the hotel was quiet and peaceful, with only the soft rustling of the trees and the distant hum of the festival still lingering in the night air. As I rounded a corner, I spotted Elijah, sitting on a wooden bench beneath an old willow tree. His posture was relaxed, but there was something heavy about the way his shoulders slumped as if he carried the weight of something unseen.

A pang of concern tightened in my chest.

Without making a sound, I snuck up behind him, reaching out carefully before covering his eyes with my hands.

"Guess who?" I whispered, my voice laced with amusement.

There was a brief pause before he let out a low chuckle.

"My lovely mate," Elijah murmured, his voice deep and full of warmth.

I smiled, feeling a flutter of happiness in my chest. I removed my hands and

moved around to face him, settling myself onto his lap without hesitation. As soon as I did, Elijah's strong arms wrapped instinctively around my waist, pulling me close.

"You're in a good mood," he murmured, pressing a soft kiss to my temple.

leaning into him. "The festival was amazing. I wish you had come

a small huff. "Austin needed someone to

his face so I could look into his

before he sighed, resting his

a long couple of weeks," he admitted. "I don't think

entire family just days ago. And yet, he had barely spoken about it, throwing

I knew what it was like to bury pain so deep

his broad shoulders, holding him close. "You don't have to be strong

breath, his grip on

don't know how to not be," he confessed, his

through his dark hair, my touch gentle.

the soft chirping of crickets and the rustling of the willow tree's leaves in the breeze. Then, I felt it-the warm,

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Chapter Hundred and Ten

Elijah was crying.

My heart clenched.

face against my neck, his breathing uneven, his body tense with unspoken grief. I didn't say anything-I didn't need to. Instead, I held him

"You don't have

respond immediately. But after a few moments, he whispered, "It's

swallowed the lump in

parents would always be there. That I'd have

was never enough time. And the regrets left behind-the words unspoken, the moments missed-they were the

in my hands. "Death never

throat working as he

thumbs brushed away the tear tracks on his