“Not a problem,” I say, pulling out my phone and embarrassingly putting the caller ID as ‘Charlotte’s Mom’ since she didn’t say her name and enter her number into my phone, then calling it so she has my info. What’s even worse, I don’t even have her daughter’s number in my phone yet. I plan on changing that this evening. The fact that she wants to come back to the cabin with us is a good sign.
Charlotte comes from around the corner, her glasses gone. She looks beautiful either way, but I like being able to see her face. Hank rubs his enormous head against her thigh. “You stay here, Hank.” His face is dark, furry, and slightly squished, so I can’t read his expression, but he doesn’t look pleased to be left behind.
“Be careful, and let me know what time you’ll be home,” her mother says from the doorway as we leave the house. As soon as the door shuts, Charlotte lets out a huge exhale.
“She’s nice.”
Charlotte nods. “She is. She means a lot to me.”
I nod, missing my mom, my dads, and siblings. But this is what I signed up for. We walk quietly for a few blocks. I’m thankful that she doesn’t push me to talk, leaving space for quietness. Not everyone has that skill; some people just can’t stand silence.
The cabin is in view, and Charlotte takes a step and hits black ice. My arms are wrapped around her waist before I can even think. I’m pulling her close to my body, her thick maple syrup scent making me shudder. I can wrap my arms around her and touch my biceps, I can’t help but feel overwhelmed. I’ve dated girls, sort of. But this protectiveness, hunger, and desperation for her has me feeling feral, like I’m not the one in charge.
“Do you want me to carry you the rest of the way?” I ask, my warm breath hitting her cheek. They were already flushed because of the cold, but now they’re bright pink.
“Maybe we can just hold hands instead?” she suggests, and I nod. It’s not as good as having her pressed against my body, but I’ll take it. I slide her down my frame till her boots hit the slush. I hold out a gloved hand, and she places her much smaller one inside my palm. I wish that it was skin on skin, but I’ll take what I can get.
“Thanks for coming back with me.”
She squeezes my hand lightly, looking up at me with a smile. “I’m trying a new thing where I try harder to make friends.”
I squeeze her hand back and grin. I keep the thought to myself, so I don’t scare the shit out of her, but there’s no way she’s going to be my friend.She’s going to be so much fucking more.
When we get to the cabin, Eli has all the Chinese out on the counter and is making himself a plate. He grins as we walk in, like Charlotte was going to disappear.
“You’re back.”
“I’m back,” she says. I help her take off her jacket, and we take our boots off by the front door, then we load up our plates. I don’t know what direction tonight is going to take, but I’m eager to find out.
Chapter eight
BoththeAlphaskeeptheir distances. For some reason, both of their scents are subdued. I’ve scented them and have the gist of what they smell like, and so far I like—really like. I want to see what their scent is like at pure strength, and to do that, I need one of them to feel in distress or turned on.
I know I should feel guilty for trying to make them feel either of those emotions. But I have to know. It’s like every Omega sense I have is trying to tell me something about these Alphas, and I just can’t put my finger on it.
Sure, I’d scent some Alphas back at school, and some had better scents than others. But these two, it’s like I’m itching to get a strong whiff of either of them. I could hardly scent Anders outside. I might have slipped on purpose, and when he held me, the hazelnut was faint. It was like I was scratching the surface of his pheromones. It doesn’t help with the cold weather outside; it makes it so hard to smell anything.
Eli makes my plate of food for me, not even thinking to let me make it myself, and I shockingly let him. This is something Piper does often, and I hate it. But with this Alpha, something about the action is comforting. Maybe I’ve given Piper too hard of a time when it comes to her Alpha instincts and how she treats me.
Anders keeps his distance from me but holds out his arm to have me sit on one of the wooden stools at the island. I take my seat, and Eli pushes the plate in front of me. The food smells amazing, but I’d rather be scenting something else. I give him a smile, and his cheeks redden.
“I… uh… should have asked what you wanted first,” Eli says, rubbing the back of his neck. I really like how bashful he gets. It’s clear he hasn’t been around many Omegas. Anders seems more comfortable around my presence and scent. Mikael, who knows? He still hasn’t come out of his room.
“This is perfect, thank you, Eli.” He shudders as I say his name, but no deep scent comes off of him. Maybe if I get them to break a sweat? Thinking of them sweating gives me devious thoughts, so I redirect my train of thinking before this whole place smells like maple pancakes.
“You’re welcome.”
“I’ll take up Mikael’s plate,” Anders says. Eli nods at him. I was hoping he would come and take the stool next to me. But he stands on the other side of the island, holding his plate with one hand and eating with the other.
“You took the big guy home?”
I nod and take a bite of my food and swallow before responding. There’s nothing worse than someone who talks with their mouth full. “He needed to eat. I love having him around. I probably miss Hank more than I miss anything when I go to school.”
Eli looks at me thoughtfully. “Never had a pet growing up. He seems friendly.”
I furrow my brows but nod. The idea of never having had a pet makes me feel sad for Eli for some reason. “He is. He’s a little stupid sometimes, but I love him with my whole heart.”
“I feel that way about Mikael,” Eli jokes.
