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“Isn’t it…distracting?”
I shake my head. “It’s only strong if our pack mate is feeling strongly, but it’s dull otherwise. More of an awareness than an intrusive stab of emotion.”
“Okay,” she says slowly. “How did you know to look at the archery field, though? It’s not like you can read each other’s minds or see what the other is seeing, is it?”
“Nah, but that’s the only place on the grounds that bring true serenity to Tai,” I reply. “Whenever I feel that sense of peace from him blanketing me, that’s where he is.”
“That sounds amazing,” she says wistfully. “Can you always feel them, no matter what?”
When her cheeks pink, I laugh. “Yeah, pretty much, but don’t worry. Even if we can feel it when the others are…doing something, we don’t kiss and tell.”
She sighs through her nostrils. “I wish someone had told me about that part of the bond earlier. Is that true, though?Always?”
“Notalways, always. We can block our feelings from each other to stop them from being shared through the bond, but it doesn’t always work. Sometimes, it only helps to dull it a bit.” Like what Kaz has been doing to us recently.
“I mean, it must be weird at first though, right? To feel another Alpha’s emotions like that?”
“It was, in a way. In other ways, it wasn’t really. It was a little bit like coming home. You know, I’ve never been asked so many questions about this.”
She shrugs as she flashes me a small smile. “I’m curious, and I haven’t exactly known many Alphas to discuss it with.”
“Do you really not have any Alphas in your pack?”
“No, we don’t. We, um, don’t even have a pack beyond family. I suppose my parents are sort of a pack unto themselves, and if they hadn’t gotten pregnant with me so early, they might’ve grown their pack and I would’ve had more family, but as things stand, it’s just us.”
“Sort of like the queen and the king consort, huh?”
She frowns, but then nods. “I’ve never thought about it like that, but yes. I suppose it’s exactly like them, except that my parents had Kevin as a little surprise years down the line, and Kaz remained an only child.”
“Well, he has us, but I guess that’s different. On the other hand, theyaredifferent. It’s always been weird to me that they never took on additional packmates.” I sigh. “Personally, I think it’s because the queen was so upset about Tai’s dad and Yua. She was so in love with him that when he chose a different pack, she shut herself off.”
Fuck, did I really just say that?I mean, everyone knows I tend to say exactly what’s on my mind, but I’ve never saidthat. Not even I randomly go around sharing theories about the royals.
“Do you really think so?” she asks. “I haven’t met Her Majesty, but none of you talk about her like anyone would actually want to be part of her pack.”
Right. I guess we’re talking about this, then.“Well, you’d have to be willing to put up with a lot, but most people would for the kind of power she offers.”
“Yeah, maybe.”
Our gazes lock again. She’s still so close to me that her scent draws me to her like a moth to an open flame. I lean in, but before I can kiss her, she shakes her head and takes a small step back. “We can’t do anything here. It’s the stables.”
“You didn’t have a problem with the archery field,” I joke.
Her lips curve into a beautiful, shy smile. “That’s different. There are always people coming or going from here, but I didn’t see anyone when we were still on our way to the field. As soon as we left the palace behind, it was just us.”
“Therehavebeen a lot of people coming and going,” I say, but then an idea pops into my head, and I give her my most mischievous grin. “Would you like to go somewhere, then? Somewhere not sanctioned for the Trials?”
She gives me a long look before she tugs her lower lip into her mouth and nods. “Yeah, why not? My time at the palace is coming to an end. I might as well see as much of it as I can.”
We’ll see about that.“Come on, this will make you feel better.”
It’s also going to make Kaz’s head explode, but hey…he hasn’t exactly been a team player these last couple of weeks anyway. Besides, I’ve been burning to spend some more time alone with Maddie for ages, and this is the one place that, guaranteed, we will have as much time alone as we want. No one will find us, and no one will think to look for us there.
In other words, it’s fucking perfect—even if Kaz will kill me for taking her there.
TWENTY-THREE
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