Knox.
I don’t know how I know. I just do.
His scent hits me half a second later, smoke and cherry and warmth, curling around my senses even through the fear.
Part of me wants to lift my head and say I wasn’t trying to spy, but the other part—the bigger part—is too afraid of what might happen if I admit it.
So I stay still.
Quiet.
Waiting.
And pray that whatever happens next…it won’t hurt too much.
Packing Up
Dakota
Knox catchesmy eye and gives a subtle tilt of his head toward the tent.
He wants me to go in with him?
I rush across the campsite, nerves flaring hard behind my belly button. Bending down, I follow my alpha inside the tent, slipping through the narrow zipper opening into the dim, tight space.
It’s warmer in here, but only barely. The chill still bites at my skin through my thin T-shirt.
Skyla’s curled under a pile of blankets, only a few strands of her curly blonde hair peeking out. I can’t see her face, but her scent hits me like static in the air. Even as a beta, I can smell how upset she is. Raw. Like her emotions soaked straight into the fabric around her.
Is she having a bad dream?
Knox crouches beside her, moving slow and careful. He brushes the blanket aside from her face and says gently, “Time to wake up, little one.”
Skyla stirs. Blinks. Then rolls over to face us.
And I forget how to breathe.
She’s so pretty.
No,morethan pretty. She’s exquisite. Her dark eyes are still heavy with sleep, her hair is tangled around her face, and her cheeks are pink from the cold. Even the tip of her nose is red.
Slowly, her brown eyes focus, and her lips part as she takes in Knox, then me.
So damn beautiful.
Knox’s voice is low, almost husky, when he talks to her. “Dakota’s going to help you get dressed, okay?”
Skyla nods like that’s completely normal. Then she slowly sits up, and the blanket falls away, revealing her exposed upper body.
My heart stutters, and my eyes snap down to her breasts before I can stop them. She has perfect tits, small but sweet. Quickly, the cold makes the skin around her little nipples wrinkle as they harden, and she shivers slightly as she looks right at me, catching my stare.
Shit—
I look away fast, my cheeks burning. “Sorry,” I mumble at the floor, praying it will swallow me whole. Then I lean in close to Knox and whisper, “Why amIgetting her dressed?”
Knox doesn’t even blink. “You’re the beta,” he says, pushing a bundle of clothes into my arms.I think they’re mine.“It’s your job to care for the omega.”
I glance at Skyla again—at her face this time. Her eyes meet mine, calm and steady. She doesn’t look embarrassed. Doesn’t look upset or confused or anything like I expected. She looks like she’s used to this. Like it’s all fine.
