Chapter 25 Summer
SUMMER
“Mmm, I thought I smelled something sweet down here, but I didn’t expect such a great view as well.”
Ugh. Why did gross men have to ruin everything?
I sighed as I straightened up from where I was bent over, trying to reach some ripe blackberries growing near the ground.
One look at this guy and a familiar mask slid over my face.
The one every woman knew how to put on. Recalibrating and calculating how to get out of this situation without giving him the wrong idea or riling him up.
“We’re at a berry farm,” I said flatly. “It smells sweet everywhere.”
A barking laugh ruptured the idyllic atmosphere. “You’re funny. I thought this was a dumb idea for a work team-building activity, but I’m starting to come around fast,” he smirked.
His eyes were a little too bright, and his musk scent was heavy with pheromones, responding to my lingering omega perfume. Perfume from spending time with Mercer and the scorching temperature, not this asshole. I didn’t usually wear No-NonScent deodorant, but I wished I’d had some on me now.
“Your team isn’t being built over here,” I said, sharp as a whip strike.
“Come on, don’t be like that.” He leered forward and I countered with a step back. Thorns scraped the skin of my legs. “I’m Knox. You’re stunning. Where are you from?”
Oh my god, not the Where are you from? No, I mean where are your parents from? conversation. “I’m leaving,” I snapped.
Every one of my strides was swallowed up by his large ones. “Come back, sweetheart.” His tone turned dangerous. “We’re still talking,” he said, wrapping his meaty hand around my arm. Mercer’s daisy fell from my hair and was crushed beneath his boot.
“Hey!”
Mercer . Relief unwound the growing panic ensnaring my chest.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing? Get off her!” he yelled. He was so pissed off it came out between a snarl and a roar. A pleased shiver ran down my spine. I apparently was not very evolved because I was very into his protective hands-off-my-woman mode.
His appearance distracted Knox enough to let me wrench my arm from his grasp. I ran to Mercer and landed with a thump against his chest. His arms immediately enfolded me. Safe . I rubbed my nose against his shirt to try to clear the alpha scent lining my nostrils.
“A beta? Oh man, this is too easy. Don’t you want a real man who can actually satisfy you?” Knox adjusted his crotch and I vomited in my mouth a little.
But the color drained from Mercer’s face. Vulnerability cracking him open beneath the maelstrom of his gray eyes.
“Hey.” I palmed his jaw so he was looking at me, not Knox. “Can you scent-mark me?”
“Summer.” His voice was low and unsure. “What are you—”
“Please. It’s suffocating here and I need you,” I whispered.
The column of his throat bobbed and his gaze softened. “I got you.”
I quickly realized that this was likely the first time Mercer had ever scent-marked anyone. Betas didn’t have the same territorial urges as alphas and omegas, and their scents were far more subdued.
But he was a natural. My knees almost gave out as he grasped the back of my neck firmly.
I sighed at the scrape of his stubbled cheek against mine and breathed in his salted lime and basil scent.
He was a dark temptation in the night, begging for a splash of tequila.
For kisses in corners and wandering hands.
The disgusted scoff behind me turned into a low curse of disbelief as my soured scent undeniably grew honeyed and clear once again. I didn’t know how much Mercer could detect, but Knox would know. Even a toxic alpha understood what the change in my pheromones meant.
That’s for him. Not you.
Footsteps crunched as Knox gave up. I caught a mutter under his breath. “Fucking freak bitch.”
Mercer lurched and I pressed him back. “He’s not worth it,” I hissed.
“He insulted you.” His gaze was fierce, torn between the retreating alpha and down at me in his arms.
“He made a fool of himself,” I corrected him. The harsh drum of his heartbeat didn’t cease. “Did you sort out everything with Florence?”
His jaw locked. “It’s done.”
“Then I’m ready to get out of here,” I insisted, taking his hand and leading him toward the parking lot.
Mercer drove us back to Starlight Grove, fixated on the road ahead.
“Are you sure you’re all right?”
It was the third time he had asked me.
“Yes, Mercer. I’m fine,” I said truthfully. If Mercer hadn’t gotten there when he did, I would’ve screamed bloody murder and one of the staff would’ve kicked out Knox. “Are you?”
“Of course,” he replied quickly. “Why wouldn’t I be? I’m not the one who…” His knuckles paled on the steering wheel before he changed tack. “The farm is great. I’m glad we’re going to be working with them.”
The brittle tension in the car didn’t ease.
“Of course. I had fun.” I patted our stacked tubs of berries. “We should make something together with these.”
Say that it would end in disaster. That we would murder each other and forensics would spend hours determining what was blood and what was berry splatter.
“I’d like that.” He threw me a half-formed smile. “I’ll drop you off at home first, okay? I’m gonna check in at the patisserie.”
“Oh. Sure. Thank you.”
SUMMER
why are men
LUCY
a question for the ages
OLIVE
they can be rather unfortunate
IVY
Anything in particular spark this or is this general lamenting?
SUMMER
Went to Applecloud Farm today and a dudebro alpha would NOT take no for an answer
he also touched his peepee and said he was a real man who could satisfy me
IVY
WHAT
That is sexual harassment
LUCY
I hope you shivved him!
OLIVE
then rolled his body into a ditch to fertilize the crops
IVY
If anyone asks you were with us all day
LUCY
Yes good idea. You were teaching us to bake
OLIVE
but we all suck and that’s why we still have to buy from your bakery
SUMMER
this is the energy I needed earlier
missed opportunity
IVY
Are you sure you’re all right?
I was. But I didn’t know if Mercer was.
“What is it?”
Lucien had a radar for any sort of distress from me. No matter how minor. I swear I could sneeze and he would appear with a tissue. He was already half out of the deck chair beside me where I had planted myself on the porch after Mercer dropped me off.
I decided to keep the incident at the farm to myself. Lucien was far too resourceful and would be missed if he went to jail for murder.
“I’m worried about Mercer,” I said finally. “He doesn’t seem like himself.”
Lucien hummed thoughtfully. “Mercer’s always taken longer to process how he really feels about something. He tends to bottle things up until he’s forced to deal with it.”
“And then be grumpy in the meantime?”
“You noticed?” he said dryly.
I laughed. “That’s the thing, though. He’s not arguing with me.” I started chewing on my nails, and Lucien gently took my hand to stop me. “Have you guys ever talked about…”
Was I going too far? I didn’t want to overstep.
“Talked about what?” Lucien nudged.
“That you two are alphas and he’s not.”
Lucien recoiled. “We don’t care about that,” he said sharply.
“I know you don’t. I know .” I laid my hand on top of his for extra reassurance. “But he might,” I said softly.
Lucien’s scent grew heavy and somber, damp soil in the orchard after dark. I could feel how much he cared for his brother. “We’ll talk to him,” he said finally. He kissed the back of my hand, but I still wondered if I did the right thing.
I stared down at Ivy’s last message. Are you sure you’re all right? My thumb hovered, almost typing out everything.
But it felt too personal. I felt protective of what Mercer was going through. I was fine, but he wasn’t. It didn’t feel right to air that in the group chat.
SUMMER
Yep, I’m good
Just need to burn my eyeballs to erase the mental image of that creep grabbing his crotch
LUCY
I will order Wilder to chop wood and be there in 10 minutes with kindling!
SUMMER
Perfect
I glanced down the street again, hoping Mercer would come home soon.