up the back of my neck. Last night never should have happened.
Strangely, Nikos and Crius have kept their distance from me this morning, walking behind me with Ragnar. As usual, my panic insists that they saw what Ragnar and I were doing by the fire. Were they jealous? Upset? Should I even care? Of course not. They are going to be in my life for a fleeting moment, and once we complete this mission, I’ll be putting distance between us.
Yet my chest stings.
I kick a pebble, and it goes skimming right into a tree I pass.
“Everything alright?” Stone asks, stepping up alongside me, his hands gripping the strap of his bag slung over his shoulder.
I shake my head, then nod. “Not too sure,” I answer truthfully. “Didn’t sleep the best.”
He offers me a warm smile, and despite everything we’ve gone through since coming into these damned woods, he seems to be nice to me.
“Well, I’m here for you. You need something, I’m your go-to.”
The morning light brings out the deep blue of his eyes, the small bend in his nose, the softness of his expression as he looks at me, the same expression he had on the night he brought Jae and I dinner back at the inn. Today, he’s got his blond hair pulled back into a man-bun, and it’s almost impossible to find a fault with him.
“Thank you,” I say, knowing it sounds lame. But the more time I spend with them, the more I lose my direction.
With Stone by my side, I’m heating up, so how can I stay away? I mean, even with the slight bend in his nose, he’s gorgeous, and that makes him a temptation I promised myself not to fall for. After last night, I realized how easily I am led by the promise of desire, how these Alphas won’t say no, and that means I need to be the strong one.
His gaze searches mine, and paranoia pushes forward. I can’t help but wonder if he saw me with Ragnar too. It shouldn’t bother me, but it does.
The breeze washes over me, bringing with it his enticing pine and wolf scent. He’s wearing a black shirt with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows, deep blue jeans, and heavy combat boots. The whole look works so well on him, and when he winks at me, my cheeks flush.
I’m playing on shaky ground with my body reacting so intensely to him. I don’t need distractions, but what do I really know about these Alphas anyway? Well, aside from a few snippets of information they’ve shared.
My pounding heart warns me this will turn out badly, and the more I think about me kissing both Nikos and Ragnar, the more I worry about the can of worms I’ve opened.
“You know you talk in your sleep,” he says out of the blue.
I literally stop mid-stride and cut him a sharp stare as coldness washes over me. Had I said something in my sleep about Ragnar?
“I do?”
“What’s going on?” Ragnar asks, stepping alongside me, as do Crius and Nikos. Four sets of eyes land on me, and if I was nervous before, now I’m buried under a damn mountain of pressure.
“It’s nothing,” I respond instantly, fiddling with the strap of the bag on my back. Since waking up, I’ve been avoiding Ragnar for the simple reason that I’m not sure what to say to him.
Oh, good morning, loved our kiss last night and how you fingered me until I came where most likely everyone else saw us. That comment can only go two ways with him. Either he gets turned on and decides that I’m asking for more, or he’ll laugh at me. Neither are options I want to pursue.
“It’s something,” Stone adds, smirking.
“I want to know,” Ragnar says.
“Why are you blushing?” Crius stares at me, wearing a perpetual smirk that pulls on the corners of his mouth.
Oh shit! He knows, doesn’t he? I feel it in my bones. What else could they be talking about? I hate how much that affects me when it shouldn’t. But I’m clearly stupid and let my attraction to these men actually blindside me. Except, I’m an Omega, and that’s what I am to them… a rut.
“I’m pretty sure she’s scared we’re going to mention her and Ragnar making out last night,” Nikos growls.
His jealous words turn my veins to ice. To have all four watching me, Nikos’s voice echoing in my head, I’m ready to curl under a rock and hide