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“No, he really didn’t,” he groans, reaching for me and wincing as he must twist something uncomfortably. He pushes through the pain and brushes back a wisp of my hair, letting his hand linger while cradling my cheek in his soft palm. “Which I’m grateful for, but it would be nice not to be in pain every time I walk—I’ve been icing my muscles pretty much all day.”
Guilt twists in my stomach, but I quickly push it down. This is what’s best. He needs Zeke to be rough on him; he needs to know how to take a hit. And hopefully, both of them taking out a bit of their frustration in training might allow them to finally open up with each other.
Female alphas should warn the rest of us before we go into this multiple-mate business unprepared because the ego and the drama are honestly getting a bit exhausting right now.
“But you still managed to find out about tonight,” I say, my tone betraying my suspicion as I lean into his touch. He caresses his thumb over my cheek, sending shivers of desire up my spine.
“You caught me.” He chuckles, his cheeks reddening as he gives me a chagrined look. “But I have to make sure you’re safe, gorgeous.”
I let loose a derisive snort. “I’m more than capable of looking after myself. Besides I’m not sure how much help you’d really be when you can barely move after a training session.”
“Ouch.” He places his other hand over his chest as though my words physically wounded him. “I might be in pain, but I did make a lot of progress if I do say so myself.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.”
“Maybe you should,” he murmurs, leaning closer, his lips mere inches from mine. “Be the judge, I mean.”
“If everything goes well tonight, then maybe I will.”
“It’s a date,” he declares. “Come back to me in one piece tonight, gorgeous. Otherwise, my untrained ass will be out there hunting down the bad guys myself to avenge my girl.”
I can’t help the way my chest warms at his declaration, and the old Sky would be completely embarrassed by the giddy grin that splits my lips as he places a chaste kiss on my forehead before reluctantly letting his hand fall from my face.
Dammit, these guys are making me way too soft. At least I still have the gruff bastard to keep my head out of the clouds.
Chapter Sixteen
Zeke
Thegravelcrunchesunderthe tires as we pull into the farm’s long driveway.Silence echoes through my G-wagon, each of us stunned by the farmhouse before us. The two-storey home is quaint, but the lack of opulence isn’t what has us shocked. It’s the pristine condition that has us floored.
“What the fuck?” Silas mutters from beside me, his eyes wide as he stares at the white, wooden siding and fresh red carnations in rectangular planters under each window. Lights glow from inside as the afternoon sun begins its descent, revealing signs of life inside the house.
I ease on the brakes and put the car in park, about to ask the others if we should even bother looking for a way into the woods now, when the bright red front door slams open. I’m already reaching for the door, my pistol in hand, as a middle-aged man storms out, shotgun at the ready, dirt smeared on his jean overalls as though he’d actually been working in the fields that day.
This just keeps getting weirder and weirder.
“What the fuck are you doing on my property?” he demands, his shotgun already aimed at me. I vaguely register the click of the other doors as Silas, Seline, and our Whitlock beta Sam, step out of the car with me.
I keep my arm holding my pistol behind the door and out of sight, trusting in my reflexes to bring it up in time if things get worse.
“We just took a wrong turn,” I say cautiously, not wanting to spook the man even more. We’ll have time to look into this further, but if the farm isn’t a viable option, we need to get to the parking lot now. “If you just put your gun down, we’ll be on our way.”
“It doesn’t look like you made a wrong turn.” He scowls, eyeing our outfits incredulously. Well, he isn’t wrong. I frown as I follow his gaze, realizing just how suspicious we look all dressed in black.
“We’re sorry if we frightened you,” Silas says, raising his hands in a placating gesture. “We thought this place was abandoned, which it clearly isn’t, so we’ll be on our—”
“Wait,” the man cuts him off with a shout, taking a few cautious steps forward, his eyes narrowing slightly as though he’s trying to place where he’s seen the beta before. “What’s your name?”
Silas grimaces at me, clearly not wanting to give the man anything to identify us by, but what choice do we really have? I shrug, giving him the go-ahead to do as he sees fit. We haven’t done anything wrong yet, so a name won’t do him much good. Besides, I’d really like to avoid killing the man if we can.
“Silas,” he sighs. “Now, if we can—”
“Finally,” the man says, and lowers his shotgun, his rigid posture relaxing slightly.
“Finally?” Silas asks, his brow furrowed as he looks between the man and me like I have any clue what’s going on.
“Yes, yes,” the man says hurriedly, glancing around the otherwise silent property. “Now take the car around the back, and I’ll meet you there. Don’t want anyone to see you.”
