AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Alex’s grip on my hand tightens ever so slightly. “Impossible.”
“You guys are throwing that word around a lot,” I say slowly. “But couldn’t we easily hide a scent? Like with perfume or?—”
“You’re wearing some kind of honey body spray thing,” Topher says, and I nod. “And yet, I can still smell you. I know what you had for dinner last night?—”
“Because you were there,” I say.
He rolls his eyes. “No, Maia, not because I was there. I can smell it.”
I narrow my eyes, but it’s Ben who now speaks. He grins at me from the other side of the splintered coffee table. There’s a glint of something in his eyes, a wry smile on his face. “I know that you made yourself cum this morning.”
I gasp, my face going bright red, as I cringe into the arm of the chair.
Ben’s answering smirk annoys me.
It’s not like he’s wrong, but it is mortifying that they know.
“Nobody can disguise their scent this way,” Topher says, and whilst his tone is patient, I can see that his mind is whirring. His body is tense as he works this out in his mind. “There’s... I have no fucking idea. We need to lock the pack down until my parents are back and start asking the pack to report anyone unusual to us.”
“And that’s it?” I whisper, panic filling me.
We’re just relying on the townspeople telling us that they saw Ethan? How reliable will that be?
“We’ll be running patrols each day,” Alex says, and Topher gives a firm nod. “And we’ll be scent-marking the property. It couldn’t have been Ethan, but... it is missing, and we’re a little on edge.”
I freeze. My blood runs cold. My mouth is drying out. I choke out, “The pie.”
“The what?” Topher and Alex ask together, as Ben perks up.
“You made me some pie?” he asks eagerly. “What type? Apple? Cranberry? Cherry?” He gasps. “Or is it a meat pie? Chicken? Beef?—”
“The pie at my house. The day I... the day Phoebe shifted for the first time, I made a pie,” I whisper, closing my eyes briefly. “I left it out to cool when we went to your parent’s house, but when we got back, there was a piece missing, and it was in the fridge.”
The three boys tense even further in a way that can’t be good for them or their hearts.
“Seb knew,” I murmur, wanting them to know I didn’t keep this from them maliciously.
“Go get him,” Topher says, looking over to Ben. “Don’t worry our—don’t worry Phoebe.”
“What about my worry?” I mutter a little ridiculously. Ben leaves the room.
“It’s understandable why you’re so frightened,” Topher says gently. “But we’re not going to let anyone hurt you, princess.”
“But you didn’t even know he was here.” I look up at him, tears in my eyes. “He’s been here so many times before. How... how are we meant to stay safe, how are we meant to keep Phoebe where she belongs, if he can just sneak inside and take her.”
He growls and lifts me into his lap from the armchair, dropping down onto the floor so he can hold me properly. His hand gently trails down the side of my face before he grips my chin. When my eyes meet his again, they’re bright gold, and I know Orion is out to play.
My lips quiver, and I let out a hiccupy-sob. “Orion?—”
“My little mate will be safe.” His words are an angry but protective snarl as he doesn’t even blink. He’s so sure of himself, and I hate that I don’t have the same faith. “My pup will be safe with her mother. I will not allow either of you to be harmed. Do you hear me, little mate?”
I nod, but I can’t calm myself down. “I’m scared.”
“The sanctity of your home has been broken, twice now, at a minimum,” Alex murmurs, crouching down next to Topher and me on the floor. “We’re sorry for that. We’re sorry we didn’t realise. We’re so fucking sorry, little butterfly.”
“We’ll keep you away from him—from them,” Orion adds, pressing a soft kiss to my temple. “My mate won’t ever feel violated again.”
Violated? Is that how I feel? I take stock of my concerns, of my worries. It was so easy for him to follow me around. So easy for him to sneak into my house and take my food. To look through my things and make himself at home.
