I glanced toward Edwin, but the boys were oblivious to our conversation, feasting on blackberries and giggling, their chins dripping purple.
“What do you mean?” I liked the way his mouth curved upward on one side in a half smile.
He leaned closer. “You know. Dominic thinks he’s the alpha male, out hunting in the city all week, returning triumphant on a Friday night to feed his pack. But everyone knows Vera’s the real alpha, with all the real money and power. She’s the one who oversees the pack, brings new blood in to make it stronger. I bet she turned up at your interview, didn’t she? To inspect you before Ruth gave you the job?”
I licked my lips. “After Ruth offered me the job, actually. But, yes.”
“There you go. She’s got half the village eating out of herhands, that woman—she’s always rescuing people, helping people out, and then she calls in the favor when she needs it, or when the family needs it.”
“What are you then?” I asked. “New blood?”
When he laughed, his elbow bumped against mine. “Hardly. I’m not obedient enough for that, anyway. No, I’m just a lone wolf, roaming through their territory. We circle around each other every so often, and then I go off and look for a more suitable pack.”
“But you haven’t found one?”
“Not yet.” His mouth half curved again.
I turned to watch the boys for a minute, aware that our sleeves were still touching.
“So what am I?” I asked.
“Ah, you. You’re an omega. A lowly caregiver.” He squinted sideways at me. “You’re not a threat to them, so they treat you well.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“The pack always comes first,” he said. “It’s more important even than the individuals in it. If you threaten the pack, you know what they’ll do to you.”
I watched his mouth as he spoke, the flash of his teeth. He leaned toward me again, his gaze on my lips, his voice a whisper. “You wouldn’t stand a chance.”
Edwin skidded to a halt directly in front of us. “Can we go to the beach now?”
Alex eased away from me. My heart was jumping.
“Are you sure you’ve had enough?” Alex asked Edwin. Dark purple juice stained all around both boys’ mouths and ran in streaks down the fronts of their coats.
“My tummy’s full,” Edwin said, and behind him Joel clutched his abdomen dramatically and nodded.
“Well then.” Alex launched into a passable Robin Williams imitation. “Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys! Let’s get down to the beach.”
Edwin and Joel whooped, and we abandoned the folly and scrambled down the steps to the sand. The boys raced around in the wind, shrieking, stretching their arms out like airplane wings.
I had brought nothing with me, and I suffered a twinge of self-recrimination, knowing that Ruth would have thought to bring a picnic blanket, a flask of tea. But seeing the boys run made me want to join in, so I knocked Alex’s arm with the back of my hand and shouted, “Race you to the rocks!” and set off at a sprint.
“Hey!” I heard him shout behind me, and his shoes pounded the wet sand as he tried to close the gap, but I beat him.
“God, I’ve got to get fit before I turn thirty,” he panted, hunching over with his hands on his knees for a minute. Then, “It!” and he whacked me on the arm and hared back toward the steps. Edwin and Joel joined in, and we played tag on the beach until we were all exhausted and the boys began to clamor for their lunch.
“You can’t be hungry again already?” Alex asked them, laughing.
I gave the boys the usual instructions to climb the steps carefully, one behind the other, holding on to the railing. As I was about to start after them, Alex caught hold of my wrist. He reached down and picked a spray of tiny purple flowers from the clump of sea lavender at the base of the steps, and he tucked it behind my ear.
“Perfect,” he said.
I swayed toward him, convinced he was about to kiss me, my heart jumping at the nearness of him, my scalp tingling from his fingers settling the flower stalk in my hair. His lips parted.
“Laura!” Edwin called from above. We swayed apart. I dragged my gaze to where the boys waited ten steps up the cliff. “You’re s’posed to be right behind.” Edwin’s purple-stained lower lip jutted out, a mix of crossness and anxiety in his expression.
Alex gestured to me to start climbing. “We’re right here,” he told Edwin. “Good job, boys. Keep going now, nice and steady.” He continued to chat to the boys on the way back to the house, and I kept my gaze on the ground, wishing I understood whether it meant something or nothing—the flower, the leaning toward, the pulling away.
