Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
Aury
Spending the night away from Siobhan was awful, to say the least. I slept horribly, couldn’t focus on anything, and every minuscule sound had me looking for her.
I got up early today to catch up on paperwork from the days I missed and to plan make-up lessons for the classes I couldn’t get covered.
The community center is even more distracting than home, though.
I figured she could use some space after me hovering for three days, but it’s the last thing I want. I’d move in with her tomorrow if she asked me to.
Except… I’m a beta. And now she has a scent matched alpha. I don’t know if she’ll want anything to do with me now that Hayden is an option. I check my phone for the millionth time. No messages, from Siobhan or Hayden.
I had hoped the alpha might reach out to me, but of course I’m not who they’re interested in. Not that I can blame them.
When my alarm finally dings to alert me it’s time to go pick her up, I leap from my desk and nearly sprint out to my car.
She’s waiting on her front porch when I pull up, and a grin stretches across her face as soon as she sees me.
Her septum piercing winks in the sunlight, and her pale blonde hair is up in a messy bun on the top of her head, making each strand look somehow artful and intentional in its chaos.
She’s wearing forest green, wide-legged linen pants with a long-sleeve crop top that shows a sliver of her midsection.
I try not to stare at the tempting slice of skin peeking out at me, especially when she waves and bares more.
Her sleeves are long and billowing, a wild pattern of jewel tones melding together in a way that looks intentional.
And of course, her usual plethora of rings, bracelets, necklaces, and earrings.
I swear the woman is half metal at this point.
“Hey, Aury,” she calls, bounding down the steps and nearly giving me a heart attack. Logically, I know it’s probably fine, but still. She’s supposed to take it easy for at least the next week.
“Hey, whoa.” I leap out of the car and dash towards her, slipping one hand around her waist. “Easy there, Moonbeam. You’re supposed to be taking it easy still.”
She shrugs and hefts the bag on her shoulder with her uninjured hand. I immediately slip her bag off and tuck into the back seat. Her other hand and wrist are still in a splint.
“I’m just excited. I love going to the library.”
Her eagerness is infectious, and I smile as I help her into the front seat. I go to lean over her to buckle her in, but she swats at my hands and arms.
“Fine, fine,” I say, stepping back with my hands in the air.
She huffs at me and I close the door before rounding to my side and getting us on the road.
The library is only a few minutes away, and before I know it she’s hopping out of the car without waiting for me to open her door.
I shake my head; she’s reasserting her independence, and I can’t begrudge her that.
I do manage to snag the library door and hold it open for her, which she graciously allows. And then she’s making a beeline for the closest shelf and ducking behind it. My mouth falls open and I freeze in the doorway, staring at her where she’s… hiding?
“What are you doing?” I say, taking a step forward.
“Shhhh!” She flaps her hands at me in some semblance of a ‘be quiet’ but also ‘crouch down’ gesture.
I shake my head at her, bewildered, then look around at the decidedly empty main room.
“There’s no one here,” I say, quieter this time as I crouch down and shuffle over to her. I’m not even behind a shelf yet, just awkward crouch-walking through the open floor-space. I feel like a clumsy crab.
“I know Bea’s lurking somewhere,” Siobhan whispers when I get to her.
“Do you need me to return your books for you? They won’t really be that mad, will they?” I ask, dumbfounded that she would be so scared of her friend.
“What?” she says, glancing at me in confusion. “No, don’t be ridiculous.”
“I’m being—You know what?” I say, putting my hands up in surrender again. “Never mind.”
“I need to put these out before they see me.” I notice then that she has something clutched in her fist. She peeks between the shelves, then darts around the corner and crouch-scrambles between the next set of shelves.
Then she stops, looks back at me as though I’m being an idiot, and waves me forward. I truly have no idea what’s going on, but I shake my head in resignation. Because yeah, I’d follow this woman anywhere. Even if that means scrambling through a silent library on my haunches.
She turns and tucks something onto the shelf, sliding books along it, and then peers around the corner to the next section.
“All clear, let’s go,” she whispers, waving me forward with her.
And so we go scrambling again, ducking behind shelves, staying as low to the ground as we can until we get to the study area.
It’s an open set of tables, and she looks around wildly, finally letting out a resigned huff and dropping a clear crystal in the middle of one of the tables.
She ducks back down, looks around, then pops back up and adjusts it so it’s almost hidden by the desk lamp in the middle.
“What—”
“Shhh!”
“Right,” I mumble. “Sure.”
We’re off again, making our way into the non-fiction section. She tucks more crystals onto shelves, hiding them between and behind books.
“Oooh, wait!” she whisper-yells, then stops suddenly and spins to face me.
“Oy!” I throw my hands out to catch myself before I barrel straight into her. I thought I was light on my feet, but this woman is more nimble than I gave her credit for. “Can you put this on the top shelf for me? They’ll never see it up there!”
She hands me a purple crystal with jagged edges, and I glance between it, her face, and the shelf in question.
“You want me to…” I mime putting it on the shelf, and she nods rapidly, glancing around and ducking down to look between the books for any hint of movement.
So far, there’s been no sign of this terrorizing version of Bea.
“Right, okay then.” I slip the crystal onto the top shelf, and Siobhan huffs at me and crosses her arms.
“You have to put it back further, so they won’t see it. If I can see it, they can see it!”
I feel like I’m being scolded, but in whispers. I do as she says, nudging it further and further back until she nods in satisfaction.
“Okay,” she says, crouching down again and creeping to the end of the row. Then she looks over her shoulder at me and grins. “Only one more.”
My eyes widen and my lips part, but I don’t have time to so much as point before—
“Only one more what?” Bea says, rounding the end of the stack and tilting her head at Siobhan, who is still crouched down at waist height.
Siobhan’s eyes widen comically and she stares at me in horror. Her mouth pops open, forming a perfect O that is most certainly going to haunt my dreams for the next few nights. She leaps to her feet, straightening in an instant and smoothing her pants down.
“One, hmm?” she says, turning to Bea. “I was just—”
“Oh my god,” Bea exclaims. “Your face! Siobhan, you didn’t tell us you were this hurt!”
“Oh,” Siobhan says, suddenly awkward. She ghosts a finger across her bruised jaw, glancing at me. Then she shrugs. “It’s not that bad. Looks worse than it is.”
That’s certainly not true, but if she doesn’t want a big deal out of it, I can understand that.
“I brought my books!” she says, raising the stack in front of her like a trophy. “I’ll just go drop them in the bin.”
The two head off towards the front desk, and I glance down to see a single shiny black stone resting on the edge of the shelf next to where she was crouching. I smile and shake my head, then reach down to tuck it back behind the line of books.
The two omegas have their heads bent together when I get around to following them, and I hang back, giving them a chance to talk.
Bea is whispering to Siobhan, and her face flushes as she glances at me and then away again.
She shakes her head at whatever Bea says, then they exchange a hug and she strides back over to me.
“Ready to go?” she says.
I nod, and we head out. “Bye Bea, nice seeing you,” I say, waving to them as we leave.
“Want to walk through the park?” Siobhan says. “I’m not quite ready to be cooped up again yet.”
“How about a short walk until we find a shady bench?” I counter, keeping in mind the doctor’s instructions for minimal physical activity. It hasn’t been a week yet, so she definitely needs to be resting still.
“That sounds like a compromise I can live with.”
So we meander for a few minutes, taking in the crisp, fall air. She points out a maple tree that’s starting to turn, the leaves on one side bright with orange and yellow, while the other is still green.
“I’m excited for the fall colors this year. It’s always so pretty,” Siobhan says.
I hum in agreement, then we settle onto a bench and she turns to me, suddenly serious.
“Aury,” she says. I raise my eyebrows and angle myself towards her, mentally preparing for her to pull away. She licks her lips and fiddles with the edge of the velcro on her wrist splint.
“What is it?” I finally say when she doesn’t continue. “You can tell me anything.”
“I know,” she whispers. “That’s what scares me.”
My brows pull together and I take her uninjured hand in mine. I don’t care if she’s about to break my heart, I’ll still offer her whatever comfort I can. If she says she just wants to be friends, I’ll be the best damn friend she’s ever had.
“Iwanttobewithyou,” she blurts out.
“You want to…” I trail off, sorting through the jumble. “Be with me?”
She nods and swallows hard, holding eye contact with surprising intensity for an omega. She continually impresses me, and I get lost for a moment in the sparkling aquamarine of her gaze.
“Do you…” she says, blinking and then finally darting her eyes away. Her hand tenses in mine, and her voice is soft when she continues. “Do you want to be with me too?”
“Siobhan.” I breathe her name, a reverent exhale that I never want to leave my lips. “My gorgeous Moonbeam. I’d love nothing more.”
“Really?” she says, wide eyes darting back to me.
I nod, trying not to let out the manic grin I can feel building inside me. “You’re my dream woman.”
“I am?” She blinks at me in astonishment, and I can’t hold the smile in anymore. It breaks across my face, and I tug her into me.
“You are. I’d love to court you, date you, whatever you want.”
“You don’t need to—”
“But I want to. Unless that’s not what you want.” I pause to curl a hand gently behind her neck and tip her head back so I can drink in her expression. “Do you want to be courted, Siobhan?”
She bites her lip, eyes pinging between mine, and I wait patiently for her answer. Finally, she offers a slow, careful nod.
I dip my forehead to hers and breathe her in.
“Brave girl,” I murmur. “Thank you.”
We soak in each other’s presence for a moment, basking in the mutual desire as her scent swirls around us.
It melds perfectly with the temperate fall air, and I want to bury my nose in her neck.
So I do. I lean down and nudge along her slender throat.
She angles her head, giving me more access, and I drop a soft kiss to the tender flesh, memorizing the feel of her.
She shivers, goosebumps dancing along her skin, and I pull back, still grinning like a lovesick doofus. Which sums up how I feel pretty well, actually.
“Do you want to come on the date with me tomorrow?” she says, then quickly clarifies. “With the alphas.”
“Alphas?” I say.
“Right, I have a lot to fill you in on, I guess.” She explains the situation, how she spoke with Hayden and Jayce, then she shows me the picture they sent.
“He’s hot,” I say, and she giggles. It sends sparks shooting through my veins, and I tug her closer. Then decide she’s still not close enough, so I pick her up and plop her sideways on my lap.
“Aury,” she laughs, swatting the back of her hand against my chest.
“What? I wanted you closer. Is this okay?”
Her expression softens and she melts into me with a nod. “Yeah, this is nice.”
I decide not to go on the date with her, instead suggesting she take some time with them on her own, first. Get a feel for them and figure out what she wants before mixing things up too much.
Plus, there’s still a part of me that whispers she doesn’t need me, won’t want me after meeting the alphas.
Once she sees how much more they have to offer, why would she choose a beta?
She agrees to see how it goes before deciding anything, and we spend a few more blissful minutes together in the park before I catch her shivering and insist on driving her home.