Carter’s lips twitch like he knows exactly what I’m doing, but he plays along. “Born ready, darlin’.”
“I’ve been riding horses for too long,” Seth adds, his deep voice rumbling beside me. “One more competition isn’t going to shake me.”
Kai throws a pillow at Seth’s head, which he catches without even looking. “The man’s made of granite.”
I find myself grinning at their easy banter, the way they rib each other. This is nice. Normal.
Seth pushes to his feet, and the other two follow suit like they’re operating on some unspoken signal. “We hold a ritual before each rodeo. We need to head out.”
“A ritual?” I sit up straighter.
The three of them exchange looks, smirking. Seth’s expression remains stoic, but there’s something playing at the corner of his mouth that might be amusement on anyone else.
“Can’t tell you,” Kai says. “Sacred tradition.”
“Very hush-hush,” Carter adds.
I stand from the couch. “Well, seeing as I’m meant to chaperone you three…”
“Yeah?” Kai’s voice dips, and he takes a step toward me. “You want to join us, doll?”
My knees wobble. Just slightly. I lock them in place and lift my chin. “Someone has to make sure you don’t end up in jail before tomorrow.”
“Such confidence in our judgment.” Kai is close now. The glint of his eyebrow piercing catches my attention, the individual strands of dark hair escaping his tie, the bold lines of tribal ink disappearing under his sleeve. “I like that.”
“Kai.” Seth’s voice cuts through like a blade as he heads for the front door and opens it. “Give her room to breathe.”
Kai steps back, hands raised, but his grin doesn’t fade. “Just getting to know our Omega.”
Our Omega.
I’ve spent years hiding from the world, running from, building walls against. And yet… the words coming from his mouth, from all of them, it doesn’t feel like a trap but more of a homecoming.
Which is absolutely terrifying.
I grab my jacket from the hook by the door, mostly because I need something to do with my hands that isn’t reaching for one of them. “Let’s go before I regain my common sense.”
“Can’t have that,” Carter adds, falling into step beside me, close enough that I catch traces of his tempting scent.
“For the record,” he murmurs, quieter. “I’m glad you’re coming. It’ll be better if you’re there.”
I don’t know what to say to that, so I just tuck a curl behind my ear and follow Seth out into the night.
We pile into Carter’s pickup truck, the massive red beast that looks like it could survive an apocalypse and still have gas left over. I end up in the back with Kai, while Seth claims shotgun and Carter takes the wheel. The space feels smaller than it should, Kai’s broad shoulder warm against mine, his presence filling up all the air in the cab.
“Comfortable, doll?” He stretches his arm along the seat behind me. Not touching. But close enough that I feel the heat of him like a brand.
“Perfectly.”
His low chuckle vibrates through me.
Carter pulls onto the road, and the ranch disappears in the rearview mirror, swallowed by the endless Montana darkness. Out here, there’s nothing but open land and sky so big it makesyou feel small in the best way. Stars scattered across the black like someone spilled a bucket of glitter and decided to leave it there.
Twenty minutes later, Carter pulls off onto a dirt path I would never have noticed. We wind through a cluster of trees until the road opens up to reveal a river, its surface gleaming silver under the bright moon. A few streetlights dot the area farther up, but here, we’re tucked into shadows and starlight.
“It’s beautiful,” I breathe. I step out of the truck with the guys, cool night air washing over my heated skin. The river stretches before us, its surface gleaming silver under the fat full moon. The water moves lazily, catching light in ripples of white and gray. It smells like pine and clean earth. An owl calls out somewhere in the darkness. Fireflies blink along the far bank like tiny green stars.
“An amazing spot.” The moonlight catches Carter’s face, softens his edges. “Found it during our last circuit. It feels right to come back.”
