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He’s not Noah Sage, the Administrator of Order right now.
He’s only my mate.
Before I realize what’s happening, my feet are moving toward him. When I reach him, his arms immediately wrap around me. My face pressed against his hard chest, I can feel his heart beating fast as I inhale deeply, unable to stifle a moan.
My knees are wobbly and my head fuzzy when I pull back to stare at him. “Where can we go?” I whisper. “Should we leave?”
His jaw is firm and his eyes hard as he searches the trees. But his face softens when he looks down at me and rubs my cheek gently with the rough pad of his thumb.
“No, we should stay close,” he says deeply. “They won’t bother us again.” He pauses to look around. “I think one of these cabins is empty. Back here…”
He grabs hold of my hand, on the verge of pulling me forward, when his eyes catch on my bare feet. Wordlessly and effortlessly, he lifts me in his arms. I swallow a surprised shriek as he begins to move through the trees with an impossible amount of speed and stealth.
He carries me to one of the cabins furthest from the lake, nestled in the trees. No one has moved into this one yet because Rill deemed the roof unstable.
I scrunch my nose when the rickety door closes behind us—it smells a bit musty, and there are puddles on the floor, and piles of dead leaves in the corner.
Noah puts me down gently in the center of what I’m guessing is the living room. I stand with my legs pressed together and my arms wrapped around my center as I watch him move through the house, opening doors and peeking inside rooms. Finally, he enters one of the rooms, immediately re-emerging with an armful of stiff, foul-smelling blankets.
He’s silent when he tentatively holds them out to me, his solemn gaze focused on my face. My call gets louder at having him so close, and the space between my legs feels hot and wet. His eyes move down my body as his throat moves in a swallow.
“I wish I could offer you more,” he says gruffly, still holding the blankets out. Does he want me to do something with them?
I shake my head. “It’s fine.”
“If we were in Goldenrod, we would have a promise party … a mating ceremony,” he murmurs doubtfully. “I would take you to my bed in Sage House.”
I blow out a laugh. “You know that’s not true, Noah.”
His eyes flash, but he doesn’t deny it as he steps closer until he’s inches away from me. We stand like that for minutes, and I watch the breaths moving his chest up and down. Slowly, he reaches up and cups my cheek. Closing my eyes, I lean into his touch.
“Take these,” he finally growls. “Make me a nest.”
I blink. “A nest?”
He nods, thrusting the old blankets into my chest. Left with no choice but to take them, I turn around, searching the room. Finally, I decide on a corner under a broken window, brightened by a hazy shaft of moonlight.
My heart pounds as I push aside the pile of dead leaves and spread the blankets out, carefully picking more dead leaves and dust bunnies out of the fabric. When I’m finally done, I sit with my hands on my folded legs, and hold my breath.
But he just stands there, staring at me expectantly. Am I supposed to do something else?
“You need to invite me in,” he finally says, breaking the heavy silence.
“I do?” I ask, a slight edge of hysteria to my voice.
“Yes, it’s … the Order,” he explains. “The omega invites the alpha into her nest.”
“Oh.” I bite my thumbnail. “But we’re not in Goldenrod.”
“I need you to invite me into your nest, Hetty,” he says sternly and slowly.
“Okay, fine,” I groan, my neck prickling with heat. This is so awkward. “Would you like—” I start and stop, inhaling and exhaling a deep breath. “I mean, Noah, do you want to come into my nest? You are invited.” I pause. “Officially.”
He watches me for several seconds, stoic and expressionless, before bursting out a loud laugh.
The sound bounces around the room, cutting through the tension, and I release a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.
But the smile drops from his face as he strides forward fluidly. When he reaches me, he kneels and eyes me cryptically.
