something?” another of the guys asked with a much lighter tone now as he pointed at me. When the others turned to stare, I felt my face flash with heat.
Kai smirked at the question. “This is Noelle. She’s actually here to help.”
A hand shot out toward me. “Name’s Adam—leader of the Eros Hive.”
Nodding, I shook his hand. “Ano-Luana”
“I’m Joel,” another spoke up, taking my hand next. “Leader of the Aurora’s.”
“Zeke, Triton alpha.”
“Ty, Solaris alpha.”
“Nice meeting you all,” I told them, smiling.
Now I understood why they were mostly overseeing; they were in charge. And as if he sensed when his name came to mind, Ori emerged from the house to stand on the porch—the only alpha missing from the circle.
“Well, we can use all the help we can get,” Joel said with a smile. “You any good with a hammer?”
“Actually, Noelle’s a healer,” Kai explained, greatly shortening the list of things I was, for simplicity’s sake.
Zeke and Ty shared a loaded glance I couldn’t read. “Well, that’ll be handy to have around in the future.”
In the future? I wasn’t sure what to make of Zeke’s comment.
“Give me a sec. Let me get Noelle settled first, and then I’ll be back to help.”
The others nodded in response to Kai, but I felt their eyes on us even after our conversation had ended. Peering over my shoulder at them only confirmed my suspicion. They watched us with smirks and a conversation that made me wish I could eavesdrop.
Before leaving me to go help the guys, Kai handed me off to Janet, who wasn’t even the least bit shy about putting me right to work. I didn’t mind it even a little. It was nice feeling useful.
The worst injuries were a couple broken bones. One caretaker took a hard blow to his wrist trying to stop one of the attackers from chasing after the children. Another caretaker broke a rib falling down the stairs while trying to get away. It took a lot of concentration, and a few tries each, but I was able to fix both, as well as some other minor gashes and bruises. Within a few hours, they’d all be good as new.
Wiping my hands on the jean shorts that were already ruined, I approached Janet as she carried a glass of water to one of the children.
“I think everyone’s pretty much taken care of. Anything else I can help with?”
She peered up after I asked, and then took a look around. “Actually, it looks like everything’s all good, thanks to you.” She offered a warm smile before glancing toward Rayen when he entered the room where we worked. He set down a large, heavy chair that had been tossed during the attack.
“You boys chose yourselves a good one,” Janet commented, flashing a kind smile between Rayen and I when her hand went to my shoulder. “I like her.”
Right after making the statement, of course she exited the room, leaving Rayen and I to stand in awkward silence together.
“People really like to make their assumptions, don’t they?” I said with a nervous chuckle, shoving both hands in the back pockets of my shorts. Looking Rayen in the eyes was a no-go at this point.
“Don’t pay that any attention,” he assured me. “People around here have been on our case for so long about finding a mate, I think they’re just jumping the gun a bit.”
I nodded, pretending to understand, although I didn’t fully. “What’s the rush?”
Rayen continued to pick up fallen items while we spoke. “Mostly it’s because people prefer completion, and as long as we’re without our queen, our hive is only half functional, operating at a fraction of what our power could be.”
“So … why haven’t you all chosen anyone?”
You shouldn’t have asked that, dummy. He doesn’t have to tell you anything.
Scolding myself internally, I felt my face warm with embarrassment. Yet, Rayen didn’t even bat an eye.
“That would be a question for Ori,” he explained with a sigh. “He seems to think things are fine as they are, but mostly that’s only to coverup the truth.”
“What’s the truth?”
“That he’s afraid.”
That wasn’t anywhere near the answer I expected. “Of what?”
Rayen shrugged. “Loving someone only to lose them,” he explained. “Again.”
My interest was certainly piqued. However, just as I parted my lips to ask what that meant, a deafening scream ripped through the air. Rayen and I shared a look, and I think we both knew this night was about to take another turn.
“Hide,” he ordered me, passing me a