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He won’t show it, though, I answered, glancing back over to Sawyer as he drove without his shirt on. He was clearly proud of the tattoo, because the smile on his face never left the whole trip back.
We pulled onto the territory as the sun was setting, and Sawyer pulled the car back where it had previously been parked. We got out, and Sawyer shot me a grin over the vehicle’s roof. “What do you think dad and the Beta are going say?”
“I don’t know, Sawyer, but I do know that if anyone spots that on you before you tell your dad, he will be pissed.” I nodded, glancing over at his shirtless chest. He nodded back and reached into the car, pulling out his shirt and hurriedly throwing it on. We continued into the packhouse; the smell of food filled the first floor. My stomach growled, making me realize I hadn’t eaten all day. I steered Sawyer into the dining room just as Danika and her group of friends were going in. She turned around and smacked Sawyer in the chest. “So, where have you two been? Having a day to yourselves?”
Sawyer grimaced, bringing his hand to the fresh tattoo on his chest, smiling at Danika. He winked at her, trying to hide the pain from the playful slap. “We’ve been out exploring and making new friends.”
She gave him a suspicious look before she flipped her ponytail in his face and walked away. Her friends followed her into the dining room. Nudging him forward, we entered the room and sat down at a table. We waited for one of the omegas to bring us a plate of the delicious food cooked by the kitchen staff. He repeatedly glanced over his shoulder at the group of girls Danika was sitting with. I shook my head, chuckling at him. “She’s got you pretty good, man. You might want to tell your dad fairly quick; otherwise, something is going to happen to that tat.”
A couple of omegas brought a tray and started to sit down plates of food. Along with rolls and butter, they left drinks on the table as well. Mumbling thank yous, we both dug into the food like the wolves we were. I don’t think I even chewed it as I shoveled the food in my mouth.
While my mouth was full, Amora sat down beside me with a smile. Her sweet aroma overpowered the scent of the food. I was glad my mouth was stuffed, since it muffled the sigh. “So, y’all were gone for a while. What were you doing? Cause dad has been looking for you both.”
Swallowing the mixture of carbs and meat, Sawyer glanced up from his almost finished plate of food, staring at her. “Yeah, and what was he looking for us for?”
“Well, I’m quite sure he got wind of you both going into town to get inked.” She glanced at the one on my forearm before flicking them back to my eyes. The pupils had dilated as she stared at me; I turned my gaze from hers as I swallowed the bolus of food.
Sawyer and I both shared a worried glance. Someone must have spotted us at the tat shop; there was no other way. My thoughts went back to the old men playing chess on the patio over the other building. None of them had smelled like a wolf, but Sarge was pacing in my head the entire time. “So, he figured it out?”
“Yep.” She popped her lips as she crossed her arms on the table, glancing between the both of us.
Sawyer stared at Amora, fury across his face. He leaned over the table to her, his face in hers. “Damn it. Did you tell him?”
“No! Why would I tell on y’all?”
Sawyer swept his gaze around the room; I assumed to look for his dad. I also scanned the room but didn’t see him at his table. That’s when I spotted one of the older men who had been playing chess that morning, sitting talking with a few of the younger pups, and it clicked. He was the one who’d told. “Sawyer, I’m sure it wasn’t Amora that told him.”
Sawyer rounded his eyes on me as he held my gaze, neither one of us budging. “What do you mean? She was the only one that could have.”
“No, the old man at the table with the pups? He was playing chess with a few other older men on the patio of that restaurant beside the tat shop.” I nodded my head in his direction to make Sawyer look. Both Amora and Sawyer turned toward him; I watched out of the corner of my eye as he glanced up, smiled, and then waved at Sawyer. Sawyer waved back, and then I smelled the Beta and the Alpha as they entered the room along with the Luna. Sawyer confirmed I was correct when his eyes became huge. Sitting my drink down, I braced myself for what came next.
The large hands of the Beta landed heavily on my shoulders, and I flinched before he decided to put more pressure on the freshly tatted skin. I gritted my teeth as he flexed his fingers into my shoulders. “So, boys, did you have fun today?”
Sawyer glanced behind me as I sat there waiting for him to say something. Urging him with my eyes since Beta Adam’s grip kept tightening. “Dad, Beta. Nolen and I thought we would get some tattoos. Nolen has been somewhat down about the scars on his chest, so I thought getting it covered up would help.”
“Well, what’s done is done. Just remember that training doesn’t stop because you two are hurting, right, Beta?” Sawyer’s dad spoke up behind me. If my hearing was right, laughter was in his tone. That could be a good thing or a bad thing; I just didn’t know which at the moment.
“That’s right, Alpha. Too bad the coming weeks will be more strenuous than before.” Slapping my left shoulder twice, he and the Alpha strolled up to their table, their guffaws of laughter ringing throughout the dining room.
Sarge had curled up in the back of my mind, and I could have sworn that he laughed at me. The prick would have his day. I won’t forget this, that was for sure. Amora got up from the table and ran her hand over my shoulder blades. I swear, sometimes I thought that girl wanted more than she was letting on.
Chapter Eight: Future Alpha and Luna
Amora
The past several months had been torture. Losing one of my best friends depressed me; I tried to spend as much time as possible with him without seeming weird. But Beta Adam had been keeping them out longer, trying to get them ready to take over their respective packs.
Today, I had been asked to watch the Beta female’s little girl, Rachel, and we were playing in the backyard when Sawyer, Beta Adam, and Nolen walked out of the woods. The little pup squealed when she spotted her daddy and sprinted to him. She was the spitting image of him. I felt sorry for the beta female; Rachel was utterly a daddy’s girl.
I grinned when the massive man smiled and threw her in the air, catching her on the way down. The little girl giggled, wrapped her arms around her dad’s neck, and pecked him on the cheek. Glancing around, I spotted Nolen, and the way he stared at me sent goosebumps down my arms. The tattoo he had stood out, his bare chest glistening with sweat in the setting sun.
My breath caught in my chest as he walked past me, and I couldn’t help but shiver at his closeness. I stalked him with my eyes as he and Sawyer went into the packhouse. Turning, I noticed that Beta Adam was still watching me, and Rachel was giggling behind her hand. I reached out for the little girl, trying to divert his attention away from that encounter. “If you want, Beta Adam, I can continue to play with her here in the yard.”
Chuckling, he shook his head as he walked past me. “Come on, Amora, you need to be getting into the house anyway. And if you keep on looking at him like that, people are going to assume things.”
Turning to face him and trying to hide the blush I felt creeping onto my cheeks, I chewed on the inside of my cheek, trying to calm my body down. “I don’t understand, sir.”
“You pups never do realize we used to be your age, feeling things that you can’t comprehend; we understand these things. Being fourteen is a different age, but just worry about your studies and yourself right now, Amora. Boys are trouble, keep your firsts for your mate.” Beta Adam grinned at me, giving me a wink as we walked into the packhouse. My pace had slowed as I thought about what he had said; there was no way to trick the older wolves, I realized that.
