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I can't feel them anymore. Their voicesortheir emotions. A giddy, borderline manic laugh escapes, and it causes Hudson's purr to break off in surprise. I tense on instinct, but after a minute when their emotions don't trickle back through the bond, I relax again on a relieved breath.
I'm still in his arms when he pulls back slightly and takes my chin between his fingers, lifting my face to look at his concerned one. "Are you okay?" There's a gruffness to his voice that confuses me, but I answer.
"Fine, now. Thank you." My words and answering grin are sheepish and embarrassed, and it makes him smile back at me. I can still see a hint of worry in his eyes, though. He's still holding me, so I clear my throat and move to step back. Pink tinges his cheeks, and he drops his arms, stepping back to give me space.
Feeling in good spirits after his purr flushed away everything bad in me, I chuckle at his embarrassment. It's not often that an alpha gets embarrassed. They're typically such self-assured, dominant people that they can't be bothered with emotions like embarrassment or shame. My old pack was all alpha's, and they never would have shown if they were embarrassed. Well, not at themselves. Sometimes it felt like they were embarrassed of me. Mostly at society functions. Galas or benefits or such. It was never overt, though. Sometimes they'd clear their throat if I was babbling for too long around important people, or they'd usher me away right after introductions. I tried to not take it too personally when it would happen. They loved me—or so I thought—but I didn't grow up in their high society world. I didn't understand the rules or etiquette.
"Summer?" My eyes refocus at the sound of my name, and I realize I was spiraling down a rabbit hole of memories. Before an apology can spill from my lips, I feel a body walk up beside me. A large hand rests gently on my shoulder, and I glance at it before my eyes trail up the arm to the handsome face staring back at me.
"Hey..." It's Mason at my side, looking thoroughly apologetic. He has no reason to be sorry, I ran out of the cafe for seemingly no reason. I probably looked no better than a dramatic, hormonal teenager.
"Sorry–"
"I'm sorry!" I blurt out at the same time Mason does. We both stop talking just as abruptly as we started, and I feel a rush of heat spread through my body. There's an awkward silence for a beat, and then a chuckle slips free. I can't help but laugh a little at the situation—still marveling at the fact that Icanlaugh when just a few minutes ago I was ready to drown in a bottle of tequila again.
At my laugh, some of the tension drains from Mason, and I can feel Hudson looking between us curiously.
"I really didn't mean anything by my question. I'm sorry if–" Mason starts, but I cut him off with a raised hand and a shake of my head.
"You have nothing to be sorry for. It just...took me by surprise, I guess you could say." He goes to say something again, a question in his eyes. "Let's just forget about it?" It sounds like a question, but it's really a plea. His gaze darts between my face and Hudson's for a second before he lets out a breath and nods.
"Erm..." I start, getting a good look at Mason now, "didn't you have an order?"
He looks down at his empty hands, confused, like he forgot why he walked into the cafe to begin with. "Shit," he curses, spins on his heels, and then runs back into the cafe.
The laugh that comes from me this time is genuine and makes me feel lighter somehow. When Mason disappears inside the cafe, I turn to Hudson. He's staring at me, transfixed, mouth hanging open slightly. I clear my throat and feel my brows furrow at him. He shakes his head, shaggy blonde hair flopping with the action, and then his eyes refocus on mine.
"Well, I should get going. It was good seeing you again," I say, still looking at him questioningly. I go to step around him and walk back to my apartment when his hand darts out to grab mine. A little jolt goes through me this time when he touches me that makes me startle. I pull my hand from his like his touch was painful, but really, it just confused the heck out of me. A round of birds just kicked off a mating dance in my stomach, too violent to be butterflies.
"Summer?" Hudson says in a husky, deeply aroused voice that makes me want to moan, and a wave of excitement hits me strong.What the heck is wrong with me?His voice hasn't had this effect on me before. When I meet his eyes again, I'm sure he can tell there's an internal war waging in me, but he looks oddly hopeful.
"Hudson, baby, where have youbeen?"a feminine voice drawls from behind him. Long legs attached to a tall, modelesque blonde beta appear at his side, draping herself against him and pouting a set of perfectly-sculpted pink lips at him.
A growl pierces the air the second she touches him, and to my absolute horror, I realize it came from me. Fierce possession takes over me though out of nowhere, and my omega ispissedat the contact. An omega's growl may not be as loud or as powerful as an alpha's, but it's still enough to make an intention clear.
At my growl, Hudson jumps away from the mysterious blonde like he's been electrocuted. Mild annoyance radiates from the blonde's bright blue eyes before she pouts again, looking hurt. "What's wrong, baby?"
Two growls fill the space around us this time, mine much smaller than before, but Hudson's joins in this time. She reaches for him again, and he steps closer to me in response, making my omega purr in satisfaction. She really likes that.
"Fuckoff, Amanda. It's over. Or have your forty-seven unanswered phone calls and texts not been enough of a clue?" Smug pleasure courses through me at his snub. Goddess, why do I feel like this? My emotions are all over the place. Rage, lust, envy, attraction. They're all bouncing around in me so fast, it's giving me vertigo. I rub a fist over my chest in a vain attempt to settle the raging emotions.
Hudson steps into me and lets out a very gentle purr that immediately settles all my emotions into one: content.
Amanda glares at the contact, and then all her ire is thrown in my direction. She looks like she's getting ready to gear up for an argument of some kind, but I know I'm in no shape to stand here and take it or be dragged in the middle of whatever this is. I feel bad leaving Hudson with her, but then I see Mason headed our way, anger lining his eyes, and I know Hudson won't be alone for long.
"Excuse me," I mutter and take off in the direction of my apartment.
"Summer, wait!" Hudson yells after me, but then I hear Amanda's whining voice pull him back into a conversation, and the footsteps that had started to follow me stop.
As soon as I'm back in my apartment, I start to feel normal again. All that I feel now is exhausted as I drop down onto my bed with a groan.
What was that?
The way I was acting... It was like a mated omega. But Hudson isn't my mate. My mates are in New York, their marks on my body. A hand drifts over the mark on my hip where Brody bit me. The slightly raised scar tissue feels smooth to the touch.
I shouldn't have felt any level of possession toward Hudson. Not when I'm already marked and mated.
Maybe...
