“Why?”
I saw Ramsay and Colton staring at me with wide eyes, but I didn’t back down. I wanted to know Eric was acting like this all of a sudden.
“Because,” Eric said slowly, “there’s things I need to do.”
I didn’t break my gaze. “And those things are more important than fulfilling some unimportant prophecy, right?”
Eric stood, his chair scooting backwards with a sharp scrape, and he put his hands firmly on the counter. “Matheson, you’re not the only one with responsibilities. Maybe you’re not aware of this, but there can be more than one--”
He cut himself off, but the damage was already done. I didn’t care what the other half of his sentence was. I was pissed.
I got up and stormed to the door. Colton and Ramsay seemed torn behind me--like they wanted to follow, but not while there was an obvious storm brewing the middle of the kitchen.
“Just go with him,” Eric muttered to them, waving a dismissive hand. “Come back before it gets dark.”
I curled my lip at his command, like he was my parent and I was a petulant child being given a curfew.
“Let’s go, you guys,” I growled.
When Ramsay and Colton reached my side, I didn’t look back at Eric before I left the house.
* * *
We walkedin stiff silence towards the shore. Even though Eric wasn’t with us, everybody in West Pack knew the chosen omega and his other mates, so we weren’t bothered--which was fine by me.
Ever since leaving the house, my head buzzed like it was filled with wasps, and my skin tingled with hot frustration.
“So…” Ramsay began somewhere behind me. “Nice weather, huh?”
Nobody replied to him, and he sighed.
“Mathe, are we gonna talk about what happened with you and Eric?”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” I mumbled.
Ramsay took a few long strides to catch up with me. “Sure there is. You seem angry. He seems angry. And to be honest, I think your blowup in the kitchen spooked Colton a little.”
I glanced sympathetically at Colton, whose head was lowered.
“Sorry,” I said. “I just can’t help the way I feel when someone I love acts like an asshole.”
“But didn’t you know Eric was kind of an ass before you fell in love with him?” Ramsay asked.
I scowled. “Yeah, but I don’t want him to be an ass tome!He was being so condescending. And I don’t like that he’s obviously lying to my face. To all of our faces, actually.”
“He’s not so much lying as hiding something,” Ramsay suggested. “Obviously something’s buggin’ him, yeah.”
“Exactly!” I said. “So why is he keeping it to himself?”
Ramsay shrugged. “Maybe he doesn’t think it’s any of our business. He is a pack leader, Mathe.”
I whirled on Ramsay in desperation. “But he’s my mate! He shouldn’t have to hide things from me!”
Ramsay sighed and touched my back. “I understand. But who knows? Maybe it's really nothing and he just doesn’t want you to get worked up about it.” In a mumble, he added, “Which obviously didn’t work, but you know.”
“He had dark bags under his eyes,” Colton said quietly. “He’s worried.”
I nodded. “What he said. Eric wouldn’t be gone all night and show up the next morning looking like hell for no reason. Something’s wrong.” I grunted in exasperation. “Why doesn’t he just tell us?”
