Everything would be over then.
It would be the end of the line.
“He didn't believe me,” I said, clearing my throat and steeling my nerves. “So I told him to ask you.”
Please, please, please.
I chewed the corner of my mouth, waiting.
Daze looked between Revel and me, curiosity lighting behind his eyes. Finally, he settled on the alpha beside me.
“You really think someone would break into one of the trailers and ride all the way to Dallas?” Daze pursed his lips. “Especially when they had no plans to come here beforehand?”
“I don't put anything past strangers, especially her.” Revel cut his eyes at me, and a flicker of anger sparked in my chest.
“If I'm so untrustworthy, why did you give me a ride in the first place?” I glared at him and took a quick step away before he could grab me again.
Revel opened his mouth, but Daze cut him off. “Yeah, I told her she could tag along. What are you gonna do? Tattle to Hallow?”
Sticky, sweet, candied apples threatened to choke me, thickening in my lungs with every breath I took. Revel's expression turned murderous.
“Fucking one of the headliners seems to have gone to your head, Daze,” he snapped, violence in his tone. “Remember who you're talking to.”
“Yeah, well go tell on me if it's such a big deal.” Daze shrugged, then stepped aside, his eyes shifting to me. He gestured inside with a jerk of his head. “Come in and I'll get dressed. Then we'll eat lunch.”
Relief crashed over me, and I fought to keep my expression under control. I scrambled up the steps and into the trailer, eager to get away from Revel. I barely had a chance to look back over my shoulder and catch his furious expression when Daze slammed the door closed behind him.
As soon as Revel's sweet, sticky scent disappeared, so did the spell he had over me. My head cleared, and my omega instincts settled, but a deep breath made me stop short.
The smell of rich, salty pretzels filled the space, clinging to every surface. My mind spun as the freshly baked aroma wrapped around me, assaulting my senses.
This trailer didn't belong to just Daze.
It belonged to another alpha.
My pulse lurched as my eyes whipped around the space, but he appeared to be alone.
Be unaffected, unbothered, I told myself over and over again. I had to keep calm or risk blowing my secret, but my skin was already itching at the closeness of another alpha. How many more were lurking among the circus performers?
Daze walked past me without a word, toward the back of the trailer, and I watched him go. I quietly took in the clutter around me, doing my best to ignore the delicious pretzel scent; it was a wonder that so much stuff could fit in such a small space. Boxes, books, clothes, trinkets. It was everywhere.
“Thanks for that, I?—”
“Shhh,” Daze cut me off.
My eyes flicked in his direction where he was snatching a discarded shirt off a bunk bed. After pulling it on, he marched over to the only window in the trailer and peered through a tinygap in the burgundy curtains. My guess was that he was looking for Revel.
A second later, he wheeled around to face me, and my stomach fluttered.
“What are you doing here?” he asked softly.
“Umm... it's a funny story actually.” I twirled a lock of dark brown hair around my finger, nerves eating me from the inside. “Do you want the long version or the short version?”
To my surprise, he chuckled. “Short now. Long when we get lunch.”
I wanted to object and tell him that I didn't need lunch, but my stomach grumbled painfully. I hadn't eaten since the hot dog last night, but I needed to save my money.
I also needed to eat…
