He growled in frustration. “You’re unbelievable, Sage. Nobody talked about it because nobody needed to. Everybody knew why I was gone. Except you, apparently.”
My tail drooped again and this time I didn’t pick it up. “I don’t get it.”
“I was in heat,” Remington snapped. “Okay? I had to bealonefor a while.”
“Why?”
For a second Remington looked so frustrated I thought he was going to cuff me over the ear. “Are you joking?”
“No, I’m not,” I said honestly. “I’ve never had a heat, so I don’t know what it’s like.”
A flash of shock flitted across Remington’s narrowed eyes. His face softened. “Oh. Right.” He ducked his head. “Sorry, I forgot that you…”
When he trailed off, I shrugged. “It’s okay.” I nudged him, trying to lighten the mood. “Don’t worry about it, okay? We’re still on our epic book quest.”
He smiled, a little shy and a little embarrassed. “Right.”
As we headed down, the sun began sneaking towards the horizon. The bright gold faded into pink and violet twilight. When I finally saw the town nestled at the base of the hill, I gasped. “Wow! Is that it?”
Remington nodded. “We’ll be there soon. Remember what I told you.”
“Uh huh.”
I followed Remington, who slunk low to the ground and approached from what seemed to be the back of the town. A black gate stood on the opposite side, likely the front. The town was built in such a way that it was tucked into the valley, giving it natural protection. Humans needed it, I figured. With no animals to shift into, they were kind of fragile.
When we approached, a huge looming building grabbed my attention. It was black and ominous, with spiky decorations, but it looked run-down.
I stayed safely behind Remington. The after-scent of his heat still lingered, like a distant flower. Was this the smell alphas went crazy over? I couldn’t imagine it. It smelled nice, sure, but I didn’t get what the big deal was. Maybe I didn’t understand since I was an omega.
A flicker of doubt ran through me. I was an omega like Remington, but unlike him, or Len or Morgan, I’d never had a heat. Ever. Was I different from them somehow?
A darker thought edged into my thoughts: was there somethingwrongwith me?
“Careful here,” Remmy said. He slipped between two black vertical bars. Spikes adorned the tops. “There’s glass on the ground around here.” He scoffed. “Stupid people must know the manor’s abandoned and like to play around in it. We should be careful.”
“Abandoned?”
“It’s my old home,” he mumbled. “But nobody lives here anymore. The only thing inside is furniture and old books now, and I don’t think anyone’s gonna steal those.”
After I slipped through the narrow bars, Remington stopped me. “Shift.”
“Huh?”
“I told you it’s not safe to be seen as a wolf.”
I frowned and looked at him. “But you’re in your wolf form.”
“I know my way around better than you. Besides, my wolf is black. I blend into the shadows. You’re bright yellow.”
I sighed. “Okay.”
The shift took over me, ancient magic reshaping my body until I stood as a man. When I went to walk forward, Remmy stopped me again.
“You’re naked. You didn’t bring any clothes?”
“Er, I didn’t think I’d need them.”
He grumbled. “I’ll bring you something. Just… wait here, okay?”
