I opened my mouth, but I couldn’t find the words to disagree with him. I feebly shut my mouth and avoided his gaze.
“That’s what I thought,” Neil muttered.
Eric crossed his arms. “So what is your suggestion, then, guard?”
“I will be accompanying Matheson for the time being,” Neil said. “That’s the best way for East Pack to ensure his safety,andto make sure the prophecy is solved sooner rather than later.”
As he said that, he shot each alpha a glare, like none of them were doing their jobs properly. I bristled.
“Neil, you can’t just follow me around,” I protested.
“It’s what your parents wanted, and I can’t blame them,” Neil said simply. “You’re a lone omega surrounded by these three alphas. Anything could happen.”
“Hey, lay off, will you?” Ramsay snapped. “Don’t act like we’re going to hurt Matheson.”
“I don’t know what you’ve been doing to him, and I don’twantto know,” Neil growled. “But from now on, I’ll be his chaperone.”
Ramsay’s jaw fell open in disbelief. “What? That’s ridiculous!”
“For once, I agree with Ramsay,” Eric said in a low tone. “First of all, I never gaveyouexpress permission to be on West Pack territory. Only these two alphas have that privilege. You’re lucky Crystal or my other guards didn’t rip you apart.”
“They looked like they wanted to,” Neil said, sneering at him, “but I’ll admit they paused when they saw these two. In any case, I’m not leaving until we’ve gotten to the bottom of this prophecy. And trust me when I say Lady Lilian and Lord Mitchell will be much more comfortable with an East Pack guard supervising Matheson.”
My heart sank. Why did Mom and Dad send Neil all the way out here? I wasn’t in any danger, and things had been going just fine.
Are they really, though?The dark part of my mind asked.What have you even accomplished besides finding out you have feelings for all three alphas?
I shut my eyes, wanting to snuff out the dark voice in my head, but I couldn’t. I hated to admit it, but Neil was right. I hadn’t accomplished anything. I was the worst chosen one ever.
“Okay,” I said quietly.
Neil’s brows raised. He seemed surprised that I said yes so easily.
“Excellent,” he said. “Then I take it you have a spare room in this house, Eric?”
A blur shot past me. Eric was in front of Neil in an instant, moving like lightning.
“You’re inmyterritory, guard,” Eric growled. “And it’sLordEric to you. Let me remind you once more that I’m the pack leader here.”
Neil stumbled back a step, but his scowl didn’t fade. “Yes. My apologies, Lord Eric.”
Without another word, Eric stormed back into the house. Crystal sat by the door, not taking her eyes off Neil, but at least now her hackles had gone down. The tension was palpable in the air as Neil trudged inside the house.
“Great,” Ramsay muttered. “Now we’ve got a babysitter.”
“I don’t like that guy,” Colton said bluntly.
I sighed. “I know. He can be a pain. But he’s right, you guys.” I rubbed my arm. “And I can’t blame my parents for being worried, either.”
“We’ve got your back, Mathe,” Ramsay said, putting his arm around my shoulders. “We’d never let anything hurt you, you know that, right?”
“I know.” I smiled. “Thanks.”
“Does this mean we can’t have sex anymore?” Colton asked.
I snorted. “No, Colton. Trust me, if Neil thinks he’s gonna hover over me in bed, I’ll be the one to personally kick him in the nuts myself.”
“Oh, good.” Colton smiled, one of his big innocent smiles that always lifted my spirits. It hit me now just how much I’d missed both of them.
