CHAPTER 20
Beck
The storm’s hitting harder now, the rain coming down in sheets, turning the roads into rivers. I can barely see the taillights of Ford’s truck through the mess, but I don’t need to. I can hear the growl of the engine, feel the storm pressing in on us, thick and suffocating. And it’s not just the weather that’s got me tense.
Lo’s in the truck beside me, quieter than usual, her scent mingling with the smell of damp earth and rain. She’s agitated and trying to keep herself contained, but I can smell it. That low, simmering tension.
I try to keep my focus on the road, but every time she shifts in the seat, every time her scent spikes just a little too sharply, I feel that pull deep in my gut. She’s close. Closer than she’s been in weeks, and I don’t know whether to be grateful or terrified.
She’s luring me in, demanding I pay attention to her, and I notice how her pulse quickens when she’s near me, how her breath hitches when Ford or Hayes says something. This Omega is a force, and one I can’t ignore.
I was shocked when Ford and Hayes both approached me with what happened on the date. I hadn’t even realized how long it had been since I’d had a decent amount of time with my packuntil I realized all of the things swirling around us that we hadn’t spoken of. Hayes and their kiss. Ford and his back alley fun that I was already jealous of. Me, and the way I brought her into my space with my sister and my niece the instant she crashed into that parade float.
It all seemed obvious once we finally sat down and talked.
This Omega is ours.
And yet, I can’t shake the feeling that she’s about to bolt again. About to leave me in the dust once more.
I flick my eyes over at her, catching the sharp curve of her jaw, the way her shoulders are drawn tight, as if she’s trying to hold herself together against the pressure building inside her. I wonder if she even knows it. If she knows how much she’s affecting me.
Affecting all of us.
I can’t stop the flood of thoughts that come with it. The pressure inside me, the instincts, and the need to keep her safe.
We pull up in front of Ford and Hayes’s place, and I kill the engine. The rain’s still coming down in torrents, but my focus is on Lo. On how she hasn’t said a word since we left her place. I glance at her again, watching the way her hands tighten into fists in her lap.
I know what she’s doing. She’s holding it all together, pretending everything’s fine.
But it’s not.
She’snot.
I step out first, the cool rain slapping my face, and for a moment, I just stand there, letting it hit me, trying to clear my head. I need to be steady. I need to be the one who takes control of this situation, not the other way around.
Ford and Hayes get out as well, their faces set. But I can see the same battle bubbling underneath the surface for them, too.
I walk up to her side of the truck, but she’s already out before I can get to the door. I keep my distance for now, watching her as she steps onto the slick pavement, her boots making little noise against the wet ground. I move closer when I see her stagger just a little, her foot catching on a rock.
“Lo,” I say quietly, reaching for her arm, steadying her.
My fingers graze her skin, and the warmth of it hits me. A shock to my system. There’s nothing subtle about the way my body reacts. I feel the pull. A hook in my chest, dragging me closer to her.
She looks up at me, her eyes glassy and tired.
“I’m fine,” she says quickly, brushing me off with a wave.
I don’t buy it. “Come on, let’s get you inside.”
She doesn’t argue, for once.
The house feels like a tomb as we step inside. The storm’s still roaring outside, but it’s quiet here. Too quiet.
Lo’s standing in the middle of the living room, looking lost. She clearly doesn’t know where to start. The air around her is thick, charged, and it’s all I can do to keep my distance, to not reach out and pull her into me.
My Alpha instincts can hardly stand it.
Things seem to be getting worse for Lo as time goes on. I can’t help but notice how her shoulders are drawn up, how her fingers curl into fists in her lap, the tension in her body is a taut string ready to snap. I feel it, too.
