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When enough time has passed I turn his hand over and inspect my work, tracing the ridges with my fingers gently so I don’t ruin them prematurely. “Pretty,” I tell him.
He shakes his head and points at me.
I scoff. “Oh, please. That was cheesy.”
There’s a twinkle in his eye that cuts off when someone approaches us from behind, footsteps that are too loud for the calmness of this forest. I don’t recognize the gait, but I know that I feel safer with August than with whoever is coming out to see us. I don’t look too closely at why I feel that way.
August pushes me behind him slightly and wraps an arm behind himself so it curls over my hip a little bit, huddling me against the tree. I can’t see over him, but I don’t fight. I realize now it’s Parker’s other mate, Gavin, that I’ve spoken to even less than Owen.
He signs as he speaks, but it’s crude and rough and doesn’t hold any emotion other than irritation as he talks to August or tries to.
“Why are you out here with the omega? She has no use for a beta. Please don’t tell me you actually think you have a shot.”
It takes a minute for August to understand the words because Gavin does such a horrible job of signing it, but when he figures it out his whole body goes taut. “We’re friends.”
We are? Okay, then. I’m okay with that. He didn’t say ‘sister’, which makes our current position slightly less uncomfortable for me. With my nose so close to his body, I can’t help but get a lungful of his scent. Rich, fresh-roasted coffee washes over me and makes my mouth water, sending a wave of heat crashing through my body.
I know my perfume showcases my reaction because both men snap their heads to me, though only one of them makes me feel wanted instead of like an item up for purchase or negotiation. I hurdle further into August, resting my head against his back. I don’t have enough experience with males to know how to handle them, or what to do in a situation that feels borderline hostile.
Gavin seems like someone I wouldn’t want to be caught alone with, and the fact that he’s mated to my brother doesn’t seem like enough of a protection right now. We’re a little too far from the house for my alphas to see what’s happening, so hopefully nothing does.
“Perfuming for me, omega? I knew you were interested.”
I shake my head as the rest of my body trembles a little bit, not liking the energy he’s putting out. “Isn’t it r-rude to mention such things?”
I hate that my voice shakes; I hate even more that my fear seems to broaden the smile on Gavin’s face. “We’re family though, aren’t we?”
“I was not reacting to you. I don’t even have your scent in my nose right now.”
He growls, but it’s not a sexy one like my alphas do. He strides towards us and gets in between August and I, throwing him to the ground. I’m not quick enough to keep a hold of him, so he succeeds in singling me out. There’s a tree behind me so I can’t sidestep him, and he’s massive. Why do they make human beings so large? What is the point?
Then his scent hits me as he leans forward and sniffs at my neck, a moan sounding from his throat. My scent right now isn’t as sweet as normal because he’s scaring the hell out of me, but he doesn’t seem to care. He smells of burnt toast and milk that’s been sitting out too long. Hardly appealing. My perfume shuts up immediately. “Please back away from me,” I say and sign.
He snorts. “You don’t have to keep pretending to be nice to that freak. He knows his place. You don’t have to sign for his benefit.”
Fury bubbles up inside me at the disrespect, and I find myself being protective over August. Because we’re…friends. I’m glad that August doesn’t know what this jerk just said about him, but he’s trying to pull Gavin off of me anyway. He’s unsuccessful, but his eyes look wild as he tries to reach me.
Gavin swats him like he’s a gnat, his feet firmly planted in the ground still. “Your brother smells delicious, but you…” he inhales me again, and I try to push him away. “You smelldivine. How would it be, I wonder, to have the two of you together? To have two omegas begging for an alpha knot?”
“I already have my alphas.”
He laughs, but it doesn’t sound very amused. “Bonds can change…maybe they’d be willing to…share. We could set up an exchange. I’m sure they’d be interested in my omega, too. The more, the merrier.”
Everything he says makes me feel nauseated, and I finally manage to get away from him, scraping my arm as I squeeze through the tight space he left between our bodies. I grab August’s hand and start running towards the house, my fear souring all the good happy things August was making me feel just a few minutes ago.
“Run all you want, omega. You’re going to consider my offer, though. I know you’re curious.”
He doesn’t pursue us, so we just keep running until we’re at the house. Kit is just stepping onto the back porch as we stumble up the steps, and he takes in my appearance and the fear on my face, the bloody scratch on my arm, and he instantly makes an assumption. August let go of my hand when we started climbing the steps, so the wild look on his face is misinterpreted.
“Get the fuck away from her,” He snarls. Kit cages me from August, thrusting me inside and yelling for Colter to take me.
“No! You have it all wrong! It wasn’t his fault!”
Kit snarls and pins me with a venomous look that has me feeling similar to how I felt with Gavin; what did I actually know about these men? “He hurt you and he scared you. You don’t get to talk to him anymore.”
He slams the door and Colter locks it, following his alpha’s orders as he drags me inside, kicking and screaming. August can’t communicate with him, and I watch in horror as Gavin comes up to the porch soon after, talking to Kit and obviously telling him wrong information.
His arms are crossed, and he looks like he wants to spit on August, whom Kit is holding up by the collar of his shirt. He looks fucking terrified.
