“So… What?” I asked. “Are they supposed to walk around with weapons or something? And by the way, I’m not some weakling, either. Before I found out I was an omega, I was treated like a respected beta who could stand his own ground.”
Without speaking, Eric approached me. He stopped an inch away and looked down, towering over me. I met his gaze and frowned.
“I’m not saying this to put you down,” Eric said quietly. “I’m saying this because I don’t want you to die. Or worse. But if you can’t fight me off, how do you expect to fight a gryphon? Let alone a whole horde of them?”
I growled at him, but he was right, and I knew it. It just wasn’t possible. But in the heat of the moment, my emotions got the best of me. Frustration welled up in me and I tore away, shifting into my wolf and storming off across the sand.
“Matheson, wait!” Ramsay called.
I didn’t want to wait. Maybe it was childish, but all of Eric’s talk of protecting me like I was some kind of precious object really rubbed me the wrong way. Before finding out I was an omega, my life was normal. And now it was just so… not.
A sudden crack of thunder ripped through the air. The booming noise made me yelp and stumble. I fell head-over-heels and landed with a mouth full of sand. A moment later, the dark sky ripped open with a bright white flash of lightning, followed by another thunderclap.
I whimpered. By the time the others had caught up with me, I had shakily gotten to my feet and shifted back.
“Matheson, don’t run off like that!” Ramsay said. He pulled me into his arms, and I didn’t resist. His warm, firm body was comforting even if my mind was still polluted by frustration.
Eric grunted. “What’d you do that for, after all I just said?”
“Lay off, man,” Ramsay said, but his tone had no bite in it. “Just give him a second.”
Eric didn’t reply but his brow was knitted in concern.
“Are you okay?” Colton asked gently. His hand brushed my hair.
“Fine,” I said with a sigh. “Just emotional and overwhelmed.”
“Do you want to go back home?” Ramsay asked.
I nodded into his chest. “Sorry.”
“No need to be sorry,” he said as he helped me to my feet.
Colton shuffled his feet in the sand. “I know this is a bad time, but I still should probably get going. My mom will be worried.”
I frowned. “But there’s a storm, with lightning and everything. It’s not safe for you to be swimming, is it?”
“Hm… Probably not,” he admitted.
“Stay another night,” I said. In my emotional state, I longed for his comforting presence, too.
“If it’s okay with Ramsay,” Colton said.
“Of course it is, fish-face,” Ramsay mumbled. “Now come on and let’s get home before this storm breaks and dumps water on all of us.”
As we began walking away from the shore, Eric cleared his throat. He stood there with his arms crossed, but I could tell from his expression that he was feeling a little left out. “And what am I supposed to do?”
I paused. “Well, you’re coming with us, too. Isn’t that obvious?”
“I am?” Eric asked with hesitation.
Ramsay raised a brow. “He is?”
I elbowed him gently and mumbled, “Yes.”
Ramsay sighed. “Fine. C’mon, uh… Well, I can’t think of a nickname for you just yet.”
“As long as it’s notasshole, anything is fine,” Eric mumbled as he joined us.
With a grin, Ramsay said, “Can’t guarantee that, but we’ll see.”
