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“Just wash it off. And then take your potion.”
Scrambling to my feet, I snatched my pack and the water off the ground and stomped over toward the bushes to “do something,” unable to resist one parting shot.
“Why did you have to show up anyway? I told you to leave me alone.”
It felt good to see his face flush at my words, but the feeling of pleasure was short-lived.
“I saved your leaky little ass back there, so show some fucking gratitude.”
“It wouldn’t have been necessary if you’d have left me the hell alone in the first place!”
“I’m not the one who told lies about who I was, signed a contract illegally and flaunted himself around an entire regiment of soldiers. All against the laws of Sudfarma and that’s all on you, buddy.”
Furious, I turned and flounced off, calling him every bad word I’d ever heard inside my head. I took my time washing myself and ripping up my last clean shirt to make a pad to stick in my underwear, though the potion should take care of most of my slick. With Wyatt around though, I wasn’t sure it would. I took the potion and put it carefully back inside the pack. I’d been taking so much of it lately, the level inside the bottle was dropping alarmingly. Barbarosa had told me to take only a few drops. At this rate, I’d need more before too long. I just hoped it wasn’t doing anything to me. That was the trouble with magic potions—they had a way of playing nasty tricks on you.
By the time I stepped out into the clearing again, the Alphas had put out the fire and were getting ready to leave. Wyatt and Asher were talking softly to each other, and Asher gave me an interested look. Wyatt glanced over at me then, too, but I couldn’t hold his gaze and looked away. Brandon held out a plate to me impatiently.
“Hurry and eat. You can ride with me again. I saved you a piece of bread and a mug of coffee. But eat it quickly while I saddle my horse, and that will have to do until we stop later on.”
“It’s fine,” I said, taking it from him, and it really was. Their food was delicious. I was hungry, so I started gulping it down as he turned away. Since these Alphas were noble and therefore rich, the bread was crusty, but fine grained and the inside was soft and white, a far cry from the hardtack I was used to eating on the trail, and even the brown bread at my aunt and uncle’s home. He’d given me an apple and a hunk of rich, creamy cheese to go with my bread too, and they were both tasty. Even the coffee was strong and good and flavored with sugar. It went a long way toward waking me up. Compared to what I was used to eating, this fare was almost like fine dining.
By the time Brandon held his hand out impatiently for me again, I had finished and handed him the cup and plate, which he tucked away in his big pack. He boosted me up on his horse, a huge red roan who was not a whit more friendly than Wyatt’s beast. He snorted at me and rolled his eyes as I mounted. Brandon swung up behind me and we headed out, with Wyatt in the lead and Asher bringing up the rear.
I was very conscious of the sway of Wyatt’s hips on that horse in the lead, and I had to look away and remind myself of how angry I was at him and his high-handed attitude. He had single-handedly ruined my life by forcing me out of the army, and I had no idea what I was going to do now. A hateful, weak, little part of me spoke up and said,you shouldn’t have told him you didn’t want him. He said he would have taken care of you.
Most of me replied,I don’t want him to, and I don’t need anyone to take care of me. I can do it for myself.I sure hoped that “most of me” was right, especially about the not wanting Wyatt anymore. I wasn’t at all sure that I wasn’t just kidding myself.
We traveled for most of the day, stopping around noon at an inn along the way. The three Alphas had a brief conference before we went inside, with Brandon and Asher both coming closer by me to make sure I was “safe” to go inside. Apparently, I passed their test, and we all went in. I followed them over to a big table near the entrance, and a buxom young woman came to take our order. Wyatt asked for ale for all of us and a plate of whatever they were cooking today.
She came back soon with big tankards of ale and plates that held slabs of beef and boiled potatoes and carrots, covered with gravy. Personally, I was sure they had cheaper fare, but they’d seen the Alphas’ rich clothing and wanted their money. I was happy to eat the beef, though, and commended myself on the company I was keeping these days.
The Alphas didn’t talk much while they were eating, but I did hear them say they expected to be back at their home before dark. That was good news in a way, because I was tired of sleeping on the hard ground, but that brought up the question of where exactly I would sleep. My traitorous heart hoped it would be with Wyatt.
As the hours rolled by that day, I was having trouble remembering exactly why I’d been so mad at him—so upset. It wasn’t as if I’d loved the army, after all. I’d already decided it might not be for me, and I’d even had thoughts about leaving and going back home. I’d signed that contract though, and I wasn’t sure how I’d get out of that. Then there was the fact that my aunt and uncle had told me they couldn’t afford to keep me up indefinitely, and my uncle would be so disappointed that I’d failed to make it in his beloved “army corps.”
It was not quite dark when we finally made it to the so-called lodge the Alphas lived in. It was more like a huge country manor, though built in a fairly rustic, hunting lodge style. There was a big front porch with a large, inviting swing, painted dark green, like the wide, front door. The house was three stories tall, with a large front yard and circular area for coaches in the front. As we rode up to the door, it opened and several male servants came out to take the Alphas’ packs inside, as other men streamed from the many outbuildings to take charge of their horses. They all glanced at me curiously.
For the first time in that long day, Wyatt came over to help me down from Brandon’s horse. He didn’t touch me any longer than he had to as he helped me down, but he did take my elbow to escort me inside. Inside the main entrance hall, the ceiling rose up to the top floor, with a huge, stag-horn chandelier hanging down in the middle of the room. A wide staircase in the entry led up to the other floors.
Wyatt turned to one of the many servants bustling around. “Bring hot bath water to my room, please. And could you tell the cook to fix a tray for me and my guest? We’ll dine in my room tonight.”
She bobbed a curtsey and took off, giving me a curious, sidelong look. Wyatt, never dropping his hand from my elbow, began leading me to the stairs. Asher and Brandon called out good night to him, and though he answered, he seemed distracted. He took me to a room on the second floor. It was spacious, with a huge bed in the center of the room. He had a row of bookshelves along one wall, along with a few wardrobes and chests for his clothing.
“Make yourself at home,” he said. “And before you start complaining, I’ll sleep in the valet’s room. It’s adjoining, so you can have this bedroom.”
“You don’t have to stay there,” I mumbled, mostly under my breath.
“What?” he said, turning around to look at me in surprise. “What did you say?”
I looked directly into his eyes. “I said, you don’t have to. Sleep in the other room, that is, unless you want to, of course. I don’t mind if you sleep in the bed…with me.”
“Oh, is that right?” He folded his arms across his chest and glared at me. “Thisis a change of heart.”
I shrugged. “Maybe. But if you’re going to make a big deal of it, just forget it. Stay or go. I really don’t care.”
He took an aggressive step toward me, but I didn’t flinch or back up. I wasn’t afraid of him—not much anyway—so I stood my ground. He was so much taller I had to tilt my head up to look at him. He stopped when he was only inches away.
“Why? You told me earlier that you don’t need anything from me and that you weren’t my omega unless you said so. And you didn’t say so.”
