Chapter 13 #2
Underneath the fear is something reckless and giddy, like standing at the edge of a cliff knowing you’re about to jump.
“So,” I call out, desperate for distraction, “does this ritual actually work? Does it guarantee a win?”
Seth turns to look at me, water dripping down his chest, and I forget how my lungs function. “Every single time.”
“Wow.” My voice comes out breathier than intended. “Bold claim.”
“It’s not a claim.” His blue eyes hold mine. “It’s a fact.”
“We’re kind of a big deal,” Kai adds, surfacing from underwater and shoving wet hair from his face. Droplets cling to his lashes. “Thought you’d have figured that out by now.”
“The collective ego in this river could power a small city.”
“And yet here you are, watching.” Carter floats on his back, and the water hides absolutely nothing. I jerk my gaze up to the sky, cheeks burning.
“I’m chaperoning. It’s my job.”
“Sure it is.”
They roughhouse some more. Diving and surfacing. Every time one of them emerges, I catch glimpses of things I definitely shouldn’t be staring at. Broad shoulders. Defined abs. The V of muscle disappearing below the waterline, and even more…
I fan myself with my hand before I can stop myself. It’s not even that warm out. My body is just staging a full mutiny.
Carter catches me. “Getting a little flushed over there?”
“It’s a… warm night.”
“It’s fifty degrees.”
“I run hot.”
His grin says he knows exactly why I’m running hot, and he’s enjoying every second of it.
Damn Omega biology. I’ve spent years hiding what I am, building a life where my designation doesn’t define me. And now three cowboys show up with their perfect scents and their perfect faces and their perfect naked bodies, and my carefully constructed control crumbles like wet tissue paper.
Carter wades closer to the bank, water sheeting off his shoulders. “You sure you don’t want to come in?”
“The water’s freezing, and we both know it.”
“Builds character.”
“My character is fully built, thanks.”
He laughs, then dives, giving me an excellent view of his backside before he disappears. I press my palm to my chest like I can physically hold my heart inside my body. Seth is watching me the whole time, quiet but noticing my reaction.
“So you’re chaperoning us,” Kai says, treading water in the shallows. “But now that you’re out as an Omega, who’s going to chaperone you?”
The question lands differently than he probably intended.
See, in most places, Omegas don’t go anywhere alone.
It’s baked into the culture, old as time—unmated Omegas need supervision, protection, an Alpha or Beta escort until they’ve got a mate’s mark and a bond in their chest. Some towns enforce it with actual laws.
Curfews. Travel restrictions. Papers you have to carry proving you have permission to be where you are.
Our town isn’t like that. It’s one of the reasons I love it here, why I’ve fought so hard to stay even when my parents wanted me to join them in Dallas.
Here, things are more relaxed. Two of my closest friends are both Omegas, and they live their lives freely—working, traveling, making choices the old guard would clutch their pearls over.
The traditional families still whisper about it, call it improper and dangerous and asking for trouble, but nobody actually does anything.
Most of the time.
Carter winks at me under the silvery moonlight. “Guess we’ll have to volunteer.”
“I’ve been taking care of myself just fine.”
“Never said you couldn’t.” Seth’s low voice carries across the water. When I glance his way again, there’s something soft lurking behind his usual hardness. “Doesn’t mean you have to anymore.”
Before I can untangle what that means—before I can process the way those words make my chest ache—I hear the crunch of tires on gravel. Headlights cutting through darkness. And approaching fast.
“Shit.” I push off the tree. “Someone’s coming. You need to hide.”
The three of them exchange looks, smirks playing on their lips like this is all very funny.
I glance at the fast-approaching lights. “I’m serious! Go!”
They dive under, swimming toward the far bank where trees hang low and shadows pool deep. I watch them disappear, then sprint for the scattered clothes.
Boots. Jeans. Shirts. Boxers. I scoop everything into my arms and bolt for the truck, yanking open the back door and tossing it all inside. I slam the door shut just as the vehicle pulls onto the grass, headlights blazing so bright I have to shield my eyes.
The engine stays running, a low hum in the quiet. I squint past the glare, trying to see who’s behind the wheel.
The door of a police cruiser opens, and Tanner steps out in his brown deputy’s uniform.
Of fucking course.
He strolls toward me with that swagger I used to find attractive, back before I learned what lived underneath. One thumb hooked over his belt buckle, flashlight in his other hand. The cruiser’s engine hums behind him, lights still blazing.
Once upon a time, I thought he was everything. Tall, broad-shouldered, sharp jaw, deep blue eyes. The way he looked at me like I was the center of his universe.
Turns out I was. Just not in the good way. I was the center of his universe because he wanted to own it.
“What do you want, Tanner?” I keep my voice flat. “Stalking me now?”
He doesn’t look at me, just scans the area with his flashlight. “Got complaints about shouting. Someone thought there might be trouble out here.”
“It’s just me. As you can see, I’m fine. You can leave.”
His light lands on Carter’s truck. “Since when do you drive that thing?”
“Fuck off, Tanner.”
He ignores me, walking toward the river. “Skinny-dipping is public indecency. That’s an offense.”
“Last time I checked, I’m fully dressed.” I gesture at myself. “Don’t you have real crimes to investigate? Jaywalkers to ticket?”
He turns back to me, and his flashlight catches me right in the eyes. Spots explode across my vision.
“You asshole—”
When I blink the glare away, he’s right there. Too close. Invading my space like he always used to.
“Heard you’re babysitting those rodeo idiots,” he says, voice low. “What the hell are you doing with them? If they give you any trouble, you let me know. I’ll handle it.”
“I don’t need you to do anything.” I retreat. He follows. “Just leave, Tanner.”
His hand shoots out, grabbing my wrist. The grip is too tight, fingers digging in.
“You can’t keep pushing me away, June.”
“Let. Go.”
His nostrils flare suddenly. I see the moment the breeze shifts, carrying my scent to him. His nose scrunches up, confusion and something darker crossing his face.
And I hate that he’s scenting me, that my body, still wound up from watching the guys, still humming with Omega hormones, is probably broadcasting signals I can’t control. He has no right to smell me. No right to any part of me. But here he is, sniffing like he owns what he’s finding.
“Why do you smell like that?” He leans closer, inhaling deeply, and revulsion crawls up my spine. “So damn strong. You going into heat? Betas don’t—”
I rip my wrist from his grip. “What I do is none of your business. We haven’t been together in over a year. Leave.”
He stares at me with that calculating look I know too well. The one that says he’s filing information away for later, that says he’s not done, will never be done, because in his mind I still belong to him.
I turn and walk toward the truck. My legs shake, but my stride stays steady. The guys left it unlocked. I just need to get inside. Put a barrier between us.
The handle gives. I slide into the driver’s seat, slam the door, hit the lock. Then I sit there with my phone out, trying to look casual while my heart threatens to crack my ribs.
Through the window, I watch him move to the riverbank, flashlight sweeping the water. My knees bounce.
Just leave. Come on. Just leave.
He moves farther down the bank. Closer to where the trees hang over the water. The guys are somewhere in those shadows, and if Tanner takes two more steps—
Movement catches my eye.
Not from the river. From the cluster of trees near the cruiser.
I blink. Sure I’m imagining things.
But no. That’s definitely a very naked Kai, sprinting across the grass like his life depends on it.
And he’s holding a white paper bag in his hand and shoves it over his head. It has holes torn out for eyes.
Where in the world did he even find that?
He reaches the cruiser while Tanner is still facing the water, and slides into the driver’s seat. Starts backing up quietly, door still hanging open, that ridiculous bag bouncing on his head like some kind of deranged ghost.
Kai. What the absolute fuck are you doing?
The door slams shut. Engine revs. And then Kai is tearing across the grass, tires spinning, leaving a dust cloud in his wake.
Tanner whips around. Flashlight swinging wildly. “STOP! STOP THE VEHICLE!”
He takes off running after his own cruiser, screaming, and I’m frozen in place with my heart in my throat.
So much for chaperoning and keeping these three out of trouble. We’re all going to prison because Kai just stole a cop car.
The cruiser disappears around a bend. Tanner sprints after it, his shouting getting fainter.
Something bangs against the truck, and I nearly scream.
Seth and Carter are at the doors, pulling handles, water streaming down their bodies. I slam the unlock button.
Carter yanks open the driver’s side. “Move.”
I scramble over the console, hip catching the gearshift, landing awkwardly in the passenger seat. Both men are soaking wet and very, very naked.
Don’t look.
I catch a glimpse of water-slicked skin and muscle and—
Windshield. Stare at the windshield.
“Kai just stole a cop car.” My voice sounds strangled. “While naked. With a bag on his head. A bag he found—where?”
“Who knows with Kai?” Carter starts the engine. “That’s just who he is.”
Seth is in the back, water dripping everywhere, and tosses shorts at Carter’s head. “Get dressed. Move.”