Everyone turned to me with varying degrees of curiosity. Only Eric remained glaring at me in suspicion.
“This past week I’ve made a… discovery,” I finished at last.
“Oh, do tell,” Ramsay teased. “Anything to liven up this meeting.”
I held steadily onto my nerve. I couldn’t lose it now. The truth needed to come out sooner or later, and I didn’t like the way Eric glared at me, like he was ready to pounce and expose the truth for himself.
Beside me, Mom frowned. She had a serious expression but didn’t stop me from speaking. She knew this was my secret to reveal.
“Well?” Colton prompted, still wringing water from his hair.
His ice-blue gaze made my chest feel unusually warm. I swallowed and tore my gaze away from him.
“Er, so… I’m not a beta,” I said finally.
A ripple of mild confusion went through the gathered people.
Ramsay chuckled. “Smallest alpha I’ve ever seen, then. What, did you finally grow a knot overnight or something?” His tone was teasing but curiosity glowed behind his green eyes.
“No,” I replied.
“Your scent isn’t that of an alpha,” Colton added. He sniffed the air. “But now that you mention it, you do smell a bit different.”
Only Eric seemed to understand the hidden meaning behind my words. He stared at me, wide eyed. His arms fell to his sides.
“Matheson, come here,” Eric commanded.
Everyone watched in confusion as I approached Eric, who braced himself. When I stopped a foot away from him, I noticed just how broad and muscular he was up close. And tall. I had to crane my neck backwards to face him.
A sudden flicker of fear ran through me. Eric could easily grab me and pick me up. I was no match for his physical strength.
But I quashed that anxiety. I’d known Eric all my life. He could be short-tempered and a bit rude, but he wasn’t that type of man.
Although, for some reason, the thought of him picking me up like I weighed nothing was strangely exciting…
Eric leaned in slightly and sniffed the air around me. I didn’t blink and I didn’t dare move.
Suddenly he leapt back with a sharp gasp. For a moment there was no irritation or discontent in his expression, just pure shock. The others around the bonfire started at Eric’s reaction.
“What’s going on?” Gabrielle asked. She and her mate, Victor, looked back and forth between me and my parents, waiting for some sort of explanation.
Eric stared down at me like I was a unicorn.
Though, to be fair, I might as well have been.
“Matheson, you…” Eric blinked slowly, like his brain still couldn’t comprehend what it was smelling. “You’re not a beta or an alpha.”
“What?” Colton asked. “That can’t be.”
Before I could reply to Eric, Colton rushed over. He leaned in to smell me the same way Eric had. Eric bristled at his close intrusion, but was too shocked by his discovery to admonish Colton.
Colton closed his eyes, scenting the air close to my body, then had the same reaction as the other alpha. His blue eyes widened in disbelief. “Wait a second. You… No way.”
With a groan, Ramsay got to his feet and sauntered over. “What’s all this fuss about? You two are acting like--”
But when Ramsay sniffed me, he yelped and stumbled back. “What the hell?”
Now everyone gathered for the Moon Meeting was truly confused. Murmurs and question flew around, smothering the usual quiet of the island.
I heard Neil mutter something under his breath. Mom and Dad tensed, ready to spring into action if anything went sour.
But so far, nothing had. Ramsay, Colton and Eric all just stared at me in confusion and disbelief. None of them seemed to know what to do.
Eric was the one who finally spoke.
“Matheson… You’re an omega.”
