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But no luck. Instead, we stand and wait. No one notices us … until they do. About eighteen sets of eyes pop up, staring at us with worried awe.
There’s a new heat radiating from Noah’s body as he exhales a deep breath and a low groan simultaneously.
I don’t sense anxiety in him now. Something about the sight of all these judging eyes triggers something in him. He’s furious. Ready to fight.
No, he wants to fight. He’s relishing the possibility, thinking of ways to best protect me while taking them all out.
I turn to question him when a loud voice bellows out, crashing through the tension with the finesse of a surprise thunderstorm.
“Look who’s here!”
Rill. Of course.
“The lovebirds!” he announces from across the clearing, grinning with his hands on his hips, his teeth flashing in a wide, white grin.
Elizabeth and Stella are standing behind him. While Elizabeth appears calm and smiles at me cautiously, Stella looks like she’s about to lose it—her face red and wide open in shock.
Ugh. I don’t have the energy for that right now.
Noah grits his teeth and pulls on my hand, ready to face Rill, but I don’t move, pulling on his arm. He glances back at me curiously.
“I’m going to go talk to the girls,” I say, pointing to Cleo and Beth off to the side, lingering near a giant oak tree. “Can you keep Stella away from me, please? I’m not ready for her.”
He smiles in understanding before nodding, releasing my hand with a kiss on the temple.
“Don’t go far,” he orders before settling his gaze on Rill, growling, and walking toward him.
Turning, I approach Cleo and Beth with a nervous wave. Both their expressions brighten as they rush toward me.
“Hetty!” Cleo wails. “What happened to you? You’re…” She grimaces as her eyes dart up and down my body. “You’re not the same. Why do you look so weird?”
My hand flutters up to rest on my mark. “Noah’s my mate,” I explain simply. “I called to him.”
They’re both quiet, watching me with matching shocked expressions.
“How is that even possible?” Cleo finally asks loudly, earning a couple curious looks from passing alphas and omegas.
“Let’s go down to the lake,” I suggest, looking back at Noah, who’s rolling his eyes while Rill laughs loudly, presumably at his own joke.
Immediately, though, Noah senses my gaze on him and glances up. Our eyes connect briefly before he nods briefly, turning back toward his sister.
Huh. He knows where I’m going.
Is it because of the mark? Or just the fact that I called to him?
I shake off my confusion and lead Cleo and Beth down the well-worn path to the lake, my stress and nerves diminishing as we get closer to the water. There’s something about being near the lake that calms me—the sharp scent in the air and the crisp breeze.
Once we reach the beach, I fall in the sand easily, savoring the familiar snap in the air. But Cleo and Beth sit with slow, jilted motions, looking around nervously like they know there’s work they should be doing somewhere.
I smile. “You guys know I’ve always been … a little strange for a beta, right?”
“I suppose,” replies Cleo with a frown, tracing her finger in the sand. “You do take yourself a bit too seriously.”
I blow out a laugh, but Beth isn’t as amused. “That’s a rude thing to say, Cleo!”
“I’m just being honest,” Cleo says defensively. “She’s always worrying about something. I don’t know how you can stand it, Hetty, truthfully. You’re constantly on edge. It’s exhausting to watch.”
Beth sputters indignantly, but I hold up a hand, silencing her.
