It’s sweet, but it’s a promise he can’t possibly keep. He’s a beta. He’s the lowest-ranking member of a pack…outside of an omega. He doesn’t make the rules. He follows them. And in many ways, he’s just as powerless as me.
“Come on,” he says, wrapping an arm around my shoulders in a quick, almost clumsy side hug. “Let’s get you home.”
I force a smile as he helps me up, steadying me before I step toward the tent’s entrance. Dakota bends to unzip the flat, and I quickly smooth my hair over my neck.I can’t hide my old mark forever, but I can hide it for now.
Dakota stands, then pulls back the tent flap. The second the cool outside air hits my face, my knees wobble, and the ground tilts sideways. I don’t know what a hangover feels like, but this has to be close.
“I’ve got you.” Dakota reaches for my hand, trying tosteady me. He gives me the sweetest smile as he waits patiently for my knees to stop trembling. It’s a cute smile, slightly lopsided with a faint dimple in his right cheek. “Ready?” And I swear his light brown eyes shimmer.
“Yes.” I release his hand, then step forward.
Before my bare feet can touch the frost-stiff ground, Knox is suddenly there. He scoops me up bridal-style in his strong arms like I weigh nothing. I press against his big body, feeling his cotton shirt. It’s soft beneath my fingertips, worn thin with age, and it smells faintly of cherries and something darker—something undeniably alpha.
“I don’t want those feet to get cold,” he says in a throaty rumble, and his face flashes hot. His soft lips curve into a smile, and more memories from last night invade my mind.
His weight on top of me, the feel of his cock inside me, the way he kept rutting me until my body gave out. And now I’m pressed against his chest, flustered and hot, because it’s impossible to forget.
Is he thinking about it too?
Feeling ridiculously shy and a little embarrassed, I find something—anything—else to look at. The trees, the patchy grass, the way Alex stomps and kicks at the tent stakes like they’ve personally offended him. Dakota’s nearby, folding the canvas in a lazy, sloppy mess that looks more like he’s wrestling it than packing it. Tadeo’s mouth tightens as he watches the beta. There’s the faintest crease at the corner of his lips, but he doesn’t say a word. He re-focuses his attention on the blankets, folding them with crisp, deliberate lines before sliding each one neatly into a duffel bag.
The difference between them makes me swallow hard. Like even chores are another language I don’t know how to speak here.
My gaze drifts from the smoldering firepit tothe pile of bags, and before I can stop it, it lands on Knox. But only for a second.
Thankfully, the pack alpha isn’t looking at me. His gaze is fixed on his pack, steady and watchful. I take advantage of his distraction to really look at his face in the daylight. Fine lines mark the corners of his eyes, and a few stray gray hairs streak through his beard. He doesn’t look old—just… seasoned. Solid. Like he’s lived a whole lifetime before me. Years of learning, loving, rutting.
Maybe that’s why he knew exactly how to touch me.
My stomach flutters at the memory of his mouth between my legs. The way his tongue lapped and flicked, until I shattered—harder than I ever have in my life. The echo of it still pulses low in my body in a soft ache.
Heat coils inside my belly as I remember the stretch of his cock and the hot splash of his seed. Slick suddenly pushes from my entrance, and panic strikes sharp in my chest.
No, no, no, no!
Please don’t be turned on!
Not around them.
Shame claws up my throat, and I wrench my gaze away from Knox, cheeks hot, wishing I could crawl out of my own skin before any of them notice.
Please don’t smell me.
But out of the corner of my eye, I see Knox’s nostrils flare. His grip on me tightens ever so slightly, followed quickly by Alex and Tadeo turning toward me. Their gazes lock onto my face, eyes half-hooded with lust, shoulders gone rigid, like predators catching a scent.
Yup. They can definitely all smell me.
I go still, curling tighter against Knox’s chest, trying to hide myself in the solid line of his body. My heart pounds.The other two alphas scare me—not because they’ve done anything yet, but because I don’t know them. I don’t know if they’ll hurt me…or hurt each other to get to me.
“Are we ready?” Knox’s voice cuts through the moment, husky but commanding, and it snaps the spell. Both Alex and Tadeo tear their gazes away like they’ve been yanked from a trance, their jaws tight but their focus broken.
The smallest ripple of relief eases my belly, but beneath it is something else, sharp and unsettled. I’m not sure if I should feel safer with Knox for holding me closer…or more trapped, because none of this feels like safety yet.
“I think that’s everything,” Dakota says with a cheerful lilt, slinging a backpack over his shoulder like this is all normal. He clearly didn’t notice any of the tension or my scent.
“Ready.” Tadeo zips the last duffel, face neutral, movements neat and crisp.
“Good,” Knox mutters.
