Being alone? “But we’re alone in the house all the time.”
“That’s not the same as being off in the woods. I don’t know anything about the forest. I’d be wholly dependent on all of you, and if anything happened…I know that I need to trust you in order to prove I can, but this feels like a lot. I don’t know if I’d be safe.”
Her voice was low, and I could hear how much it cost her to admit this much. My wolf growled softly, wanting to protect her. But I was the one making her feel unsafe.
“What…what do you think we’ll do?”
Jasmine bit her lip. “I’m not sure, exactly. The Goddess arranged our marriage, so I guess you won’t kill me. But I don’t know what to expect. Especially when you talk about my heat. Is this camping trip meant to be a sex fest? Is that what you mean by bonding? Because I’m not ready for that.”
“Neither am I.”
She turned toward me for the first time, studying me.
“What I am envisioning is a time where we can focus on you and each other. The four of us have been best friends since childhood, but with how busy things are, it’s easy to let those bonds fall to the wayside. If we can just talk, learn how to better communicate…” I shook my head. “Somewhere where we don’t have to worry about interruptions. No sex.”
Jasmine sighed. “I guess…I’m not exactly worried about the four of you being pushy about sex. It’s a thought, but so was a secret murder pact.”
I chuckled at her phrasing. “Will you come? I promise, if anything happens, I will listen to your concerns.”
She nodded once. “I’ll come.”
My wolf relaxed. We sat in silence a moment longer, and the quiet seemed more comfortable now. It took trust to agree to this. I was going to make sure that trust was earned.
Chapter 9 - Jace
The Burgess alphas gave us permission to camp on their territory, provided we met with them before entry. We met them at the border and exchanged pleasantries, during which Alpha Franco bowed to Jasmine.
“We’ve heard about your marriage to these four. I hope congratulations are in order,” he said to her.
I resisted the urge to push him away from her. It wasn’t like he was too close, even though I felt like he was. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”
Franco shrugged and grinned broadly. “Only that a poor omega pushed into marriage with you four assholes might consider condolences more appropriate.”
Renz laughed while the other Burgess alphas gave Franco annoyed looks. Owen worked not to scowl while Killian’s lips twitched, like he wasn’t sure whether to be amused to or push the famous womanizer away from our wife. Killian was the most like Franco in our group, having quite a reputation among women. He hadn’t given any indication that being married put a crimp in his style, but neither had he shown interest in women since the wedding.
Yeah, not much time had gone by, but I suddenly wondered what he felt about all of it. He seemed to be oddly easy-going about the whole situation.
“Franco,” Alpha Mads said chidingly. “How about we don’t insult our allies?”’
Franco shrugged. “Just trying to lighten the mood.”
The conversation from there was brief, and we continued on. We drove to the base of a trail, then from there got our gearand hauled it up to the side of a small lake. Since we had so much gear, we went in human form. By the time we got to our camping spot, Jasmine was visibly exhausted, though she didn’t offer a word of complaint.
From there, we set up camp quickly. One tent, in which we put Jasmine’s things. The rest of us were used to camping more ruggedly. We each had a bedroll, and Renz brought a hammock that he strung between two trees. We’d brought some fishing gear, a folding table, and chairs because we thought it would be more comfortable for Jasmine.
Once things were set up, the discomfort became even more apparent. We all sort of milled around, uncertain what to do.
“You like plants and stuff, right?” Killian finally said to Jasmine.
“Yeah. I like gardening.”
“What do you think about foraging?” he suggested.
Jasmine looked around at the trees. “I don’t really know how.”
He extended a hand to her. “I’ll show you.”
They headed off together, though they didn’t stray far. As I watched them, I thought about the conversation I overheard the previous night. When Killian hadn’t brought Jasmine back right away, I followed them outside, expecting to find them fighting. Instead, I heard Jasmine make her confession.
