Their banter is easy. Light. And something about it makes me pause.
They seem so comfortable in each other’s space. Affectionate. It’s… surprising. Dakota looks like he’s in his early twenties, maybe. Around my age. I wouldn’t have pegged him as someone bonded to a pack already. He looks so young and carefree, while the alphas he chose appear to have very violent pasts. Especially with all those scary scars.
Dakota laughs and runs a hand through his hair as another figure walks toward them.
A third alpha.
I vaguely remember him from last night.
He dresses like he lives in a differentworld. He’s wearing a loose-fitting green polo, with the collar neat and the fabric looking practically wrinkle-free. It’s tucked into a pair of dark, perfectly pressed jeans. His short hair is neatly styled, not a strand out of place, and his tan skin almost glows in the cool morning light.
He looks so out of place.
What was his name?
I can't remember. Just that it was kind of weird.
The proper alpha pauses at the edge of the firepit, expression calm and distant, like his thoughts are half a world away. Alex glances his way, offers a nod, but doesn’t speak.
Then Knox appears.
And my breath catches.
He’s wearing only a pair of dark briefs, low on his hips, and nothing else. He looks like he stepped out of a river, hair wet and eyes half-lidded. Water drips from one long lock of hair, trailing down the curve of his pec and over his soft middle. The sight sends a shiver straight through me, making my muscles ache all over again.
I can’t help but think about how pathetic I was last night. So desperate. Clinging to Knox like he was air. I let him do unspeakable things. And now he’s just…standing there, intense but somehow still relaxed, like he didn’t spend all night wrecking me inside and out.
And I can’t stop looking at him.
Knox walks toward the others, shoulders loose, eyes half-lidded with sleep or calm or something I can’t name. He nods at the proper-looking alpha, then at Alex and Dakota. He doesn’t smile, but the tension in his jaw eases when Dakota grins at him.
“Damn,” Alex tilts his head, looking Knox up and down. “Did you fall in the river or are you showingoff?”
“Cold water wakes you up,” Knox grunts.
“So does coffee,” Dakota says with a smirk.
Knox shoots him a look, and the beta only smiles wider—though there’s warmth in it now, the teasing softening into affection. Alex chuckles and reaches out, running a hand briefly down Knox’s wet back. It’s casual and affectionate, but not possessive. The same way he touched Dakota earlier.
I watch, breathing softly, trying to make sense of it.
This isn’t the brutal, growling alpha-pack I was expecting. They’re easy with each other. Touching without anger or dominance. It’s disarming.
But then the proper-looking alpha shifts, and his eyes flicker toward the tent.
I freeze, breath caught in my throat.
For a heartbeat, we just—hold. Then the alpha looks away. No change in his expression. No sudden tension. He didn’t see me. He just glanced in my direction by chance.
I let out a slow breath, forcing myself to stay as still as possible as he turns his attention back to the smoldering firepit.
“Tadeo,” Knox says, voice low but direct. “What’s wrong?”
That’s his name! I knew it was unusual.
Tadeo shakes his head once, like he's brushing the question off, and then says, “Wondering how it went last night.”
Knox runs a hand through his wet hair, pauses mid-motion like he’s still sorting through the answer. “It went really well,” he says finally, but the words come out slow, uncertain. Like he’s trying to convince himself more than them. I feel something tighten in my chest. Then he adds, quieter, “She cried during—” and the sentence hangs,unfinished.
