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I had no idea how long Wyatt had been standing there in the shadows of the big cypress. I hadn’t noticed him before this, but he startled me so badly I took a quick step backward toward the stream, stumbling and almost falling in.
“Alpha Wyatt,” I managed to say, my breath coming quick and fast. “You scared me. I didn’t know anyone was there.”
He just stared back at me, shrugged, and then he made a little go-ahead motion with his hand.
“Don’t let me stop you from your bath. It’s going to be dark soon. Harder to see the snakes then.”
“Snakes?” I glanced down at the dark water moving rapidly past me. “There are s-snakes in this water?”
“Probably.”
“What kind?”
He shrugged. “Queen snakes, water snakes, cotton mouths…take your pick.”
“Poisonous ones?”
“Some of them, yes.”
I took a quick couple of steps back from the water. “Maybe I’ll find a bucket and just dip some water up.”
“What’s the matter, Vandercliff? Scared?”
“Of snakes? Hell yes, I am.”
He chuckled and straightened up sauntering over toward me. “Want me to stand guard for you?”
I shook my head frantically, moving backward as he sauntered toward me, one thought running rampant through my head—Who’s going to guard me from you?
He smiled at me, coming right up on me then and looming over me. “Oh? You think you need protection from me?”
Oh, my gods, had I said those words out loud? “Huh? N-no! I’m sorry, sir. I don’t know why I said that. You just startled me, that’s all.”
“Yes, so you said. Why is that? I’ve simply come down to enjoy the evening air. Did you think I was here for you?”
“No. Of course not. No, I didn’t think that. I just misspoke before, that’s all.” I bent down to grab my boots, still holding my trousers in front of me like an outraged virgin. Which, come to think of it, was exactly what I was.
“I should probably just go.”
He stepped over in front of me, blocking my way. “I think you should stay a while, Vandercliff. I think we have things to discuss.”
“We do? W-what kind of things?”
“Like why you’ve been lying to me and the others for so long.” He sniffed at me. “Like how exactly you’re doing this. You’re going to explain it all to me, nice and slow.”
“D-doing what? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I felt like I was about to faint. Did he lean closer to sniff me? Could he smell the slick, and did he know what it meant? But how? He couldn’t be implying that he knew I was an omega—could he? I panicked and turned to run like an idiot instead of facing him and trying to talk my way out of it. But he simply moved directly into my path again, blocking me.
“What’s your hurry, boy? Didn’t you hear me? I said I needed to talk to you.”
“But…I have to go. Please, sir. Please let me.”
“Go where?” he asked, stepping even closer to me, his voice sounding rougher and not quite angry, yet full of some emotion I couldn’t quite identify.
“To my tent. I need to get some sleep. Let me go.Please.”
“Go on then, if it’s so important to you. I’m not stopping you.”
