Claimed by the Band (Fameverse #1)

Chapter 17 – ASHER

17

ASHER

I stare after Echo's retreating form until he disappears into the shadows, my chest tight with worry. Something's not right. I've never seen him so rattled, not even during our first meeting when he was clearly uncomfortable being around us.

"That was weird," Dante murmurs beside me, concern evident in his voice.

"Weird?" Knox scoffs, crossing his arms. "Weird is the guy's middle name. Literally, for all we fucking know about him."

I whirl on him, frustration bubbling up in my chest. "We know he's good at what he does," I counter, perhaps more heatedly than necessary. "And he stuck his neck out for us tonight, again. That's all that matters."

"Is it?" Knox challenges, stepping closer. His woodsmoke scent blooms with agitation. "Why is he so secretive, anyway? What's he hiding?"

Damon shifts uncomfortably beside me. "He does seem pretty locked down."

"Not you too," I groan, running a hand through my hair in exasperation. These alphas and their paranoia, I swear.

"I don't mean it in a bad way," Damon says quickly, holding up his hands. "It's just that while I was alone with him, I noticed some shit."

Knox snorts. "Yeah, I bet you did. You two were looking pretty cozy back there."

"Fuck off," Damon growls. "We were almost caught. I had to do something."

"I know," I say soothingly, laying a hand on his arm. And I do know. It was quick thinking on Damon's part, even if the sight of him pressed up against Echo did... something to me. And it certainly wasn't jealousy.

Silas steps forward, his expression serious. "What did you notice, Damon?"

Damon hesitates, his brow furrowed in thought. "We were all affected by the pheromones in there," he says slowly. "But Echo... he was affected too. Maybe more than anyone except Asher."

A heavy silence falls over us as we process this information. I think back to how Echo trembled under Damon's touch, how quickly he fled once we were outside. At the time, I'd attributed it to a general discomfort with physical contact, but now...

"That's impossible," Knox says, but there's a note of uncertainty in his voice. "He's a beta. Those pheromones shouldn't affect him like that."

A silence falls over the pack as we all process what we saw tonight. Knox is right. A beta shouldn't be affected that much by the pheromones. He'd find it unpleasant at worst, but I'm sure most of them are used to tuning it out.

Still, there's no denying something spooked Echo tonight. And it made him even more elusive and skittish than usual.

"Come on," Silas says, jingling the keys. "We shouldn't linger out here."

"He's right," Knox agrees, and that's how I know it really is time to get out of here.

We file into the SUV, taking our usual spots. I notice everyone seems subdued, the earlier excitement of our successful mission dampened by Echo's strange exit.

"So," Damon rumbles from beside me, his warm hand settling on my thigh. "Still want to celebrate?"

I hesitate, the thought of music and drinks and forced cheer suddenly exhausting. "Actually, I think I just want to go home. Take a bath with bleach or something. Try to get this artificial alpha stink off me."

"You and me both," Damon grunts, but his hand squeezes my thigh gently, comforting me.

As Silas navigates through the dark streets, I find my thoughts drifting back to Echo. The way he trembled under Damon's touch, how quickly he fled once we were outside.

I shouldn't care this much. Echo's made it crystal clear he wants to keep his distance, maintain that professional barrier between us. And why shouldn't he? We're basically strangers, thrown together by circumstance and desperation.

But I do care. Maybe more than I should.

"You're thinking too loud," Knox mutters from the back seat. "I can practically hear the gears grinding from here."

I flip him off in the rearview mirror, earning a low chuckle. "Just processing," I say. "It's been a weird night."

"That's putting it mildly," Dante pipes up. "Did you see Vince's face when Silas offered to buy everything? I thought his eyes were going to pop out of his head."

The conversation shifts to safer topics. Making fun of Vince's tacky decor, speculating about what kind of dirt we might find in those samples. But my mind keeps circling back to Echo.

Why do I feel this inexplicable pull toward him, this need to understand his mysterious persona?

"Hey," Damon murmurs, low enough that only I can hear. "You okay?"

I turn to him, drinking in the familiar planes of his face, the warmth in his dark eyes. My pack. My alphas. They're everything I've ever wanted, everything I need.

So why does it feel like something's missing?

"Just tired," I say, forcing a smile. "And smelly."

He laughs, pulling me closer to press a kiss to my temple. "You still smell like honey to me. Always do."

The words warm something in my chest, but there's still that nagging feeling. That sense that we're missing something important about Echo. About tonight.

But maybe that's just wishful thinking. Maybe I'm seeing mysteries where there are none, simply because I want there to be more to Echo than meets the eye. Because I want an excuse to keep him close, to unravel his secrets one by one.

The city lights blur past the window as we make our way home, and I let myself sink into Damon's warmth. Whatever's going on with Echo, it'll have to wait.

For now, I just want to wash away this night and curl up with my pack. Try to forget the way Echo looked at me before he fled.

Try to forget how much I wanted to chase after him.