We drive in tense silence for a minute.
Then Kai starts laughing again. That slightly hysterical edge that comes from almost dying. It’s contagious.
I try to hold it back, and fail, a bark of laughter tearing out of me as the adrenaline crashes.
“I can’t believe that just happened,” Kai manages between breaths. “We almost got murdered by cattle.”
“That would’ve been an embarrassing obituary,” I say, still laughing.
“The most embarrassing,” Kai agrees. “Taken out by horny driving and satanic livestock.” Kai wipes his eyes with the back of his hand, still grinning like an idiot. “And the last words would’ve been me screaming about June.”
The laughter fades in slow waves, leaving the night quiet again.
We find the right turnoff eventually, and the ranch appears ahead, lit up warmly against the dark Montana sky. But there’s a figure on the porch, Seth, sitting on the steps with a mug in hand, staring at the stars like he’s waiting for them to tell him something useful.
Seth glances up as my headlights sweep the yard, and even from the truck, I catch the smirk forming. We park, climb out, and Kai immediately runs a hand over the passenger door where the horn scraped it, finding only a shallow dent.
“We got off lightly,” he mutters. “Little buff, little polish. Your princess will live.”
I snort a laugh as we head for the house like nothing happened, and Seth watches us cross the drive like he’s been waiting, all quiet patience and judgment. He doesn’t say a word until we’re close enough to smell the coffee in his mug.
“You two look like you’ve been through something.”
“We’re fine,” I say on instinct, because it’s the only answer a man is allowed to give.
Seth’s eyes flick over us, slow and unimpressed. “Uh-huh.” He tips his chin. “How’d the photo booth go?”
Kai drops onto the porch steps beside him with a heavy exhale, elbows on his knees like he’s trying to wring the night out of his bones. I stay standing, leaning against the railing, one boot hooked on the bottom step, still keyed up from the fair and the drive and the fact that June is now lodged in my chest.
“It went well,” Kai states. “Too well. June got her shots, and she looked…” He trails off, mouth twitching like he hates how much he means it. “She looked fucking incredible.”
“And then we didn’t stop there,” I add, because if I don’t say it out loud, it’ll keep buzzing in my head. “We ended up staying. Games. Rides. That stupid race.”
Kai lets out a short laugh. “Carter bought out half the carnival tickets like he was trying to win the whole fair.”
“Don’t exaggerate.” Yet, I can’t help the grin. “She kept lighting up every time we handed her something. Like it mattered. So yeah. We kept going.”
Seth watches us a second longer, then takes a slow sip of his coffee like he’s savoring this. “You two sound smitten.”
Kai’s head drops back against the porch post. “That’s not a word I’d use.”
Seth’s smirk deepens. “Seems accurate, though.”
I scratch at my jaw, glancing out at the dark pasture like it has answers. “We got close to her. Spent hours with her. And her scent…”
Kai’s posture shifts immediately, all humor fading into something sharper. “It got stronger as the night went on.”
“Much stronger,” I confirm. “Like whatever’s muffling it was slipping.”
Seth’s eyes narrow, that same look he had last night. “I told you.”
Kai nods once, jaw tight. “Yeah. You were right.”
“It’s not just attraction,” I say, because that’s the part that keeps catching in my throat. “It’s… obsessive. Possessive. Like my instincts decided something before I did.”
Kai’s laugh is short and humorless. “No Beta has ever done that to me.”
Seth sets his mug down, the sound soft on the wood. “Because she’s not a Beta.” He looks between us. “I’m sure of it.”
