“Builds character.”
“My character is fully built, thanks.”
He laughs, then dives, giving me an excellent view of his backside before he disappears. I press my palm to my chest like I can physically hold my heart inside my body. Seth is watching me the whole time, quiet but noticing my reaction.
“So you’re chaperoning us,” Kai says, treading water in the shallows. “But now that you’re out as an Omega, who’s going to chaperone you?”
The question lands differently than he probably intended.
See, in most places, Omegas don’t go anywhere alone. It’s baked into the culture, old as time—unmated Omegas need supervision, protection, an Alpha or Beta escort until they’ve got a mate’s mark and a bond in their chest. Some towns enforce itwith actual laws. Curfews. Travel restrictions. Papers you have to carry proving you have permission to be where you are.
Our town isn’t like that. It’s one of the reasons I love it here, why I’ve fought so hard to stay even when my parents wanted me to join them in Dallas. Here, things are more relaxed. Two of my closest friends are both Omegas, and they live their lives freely—working, traveling, making choices the old guard would clutch their pearls over. The traditional families still whisper about it, call it improper and dangerous andasking for trouble, but nobody actually does anything.
Most of the time.
Carter winks at me under the silvery moonlight. “Guess we’ll have to volunteer.”
“I’ve been taking care of myself just fine.”
“Never said you couldn’t.” Seth’s low voice carries across the water. When I glance his way again, there’s something soft lurking behind his usual hardness. “Doesn’t mean you have to anymore.”
Before I can untangle what that means—before I can process the way those words make my chest ache—I hear the crunch of tires on gravel. Headlights cutting through darkness. And approaching fast.
“Shit.” I push off the tree. “Someone’s coming. You need to hide.”
The three of them exchange looks, smirks playing on their lips like this is all very funny.
I glance at the fast-approaching lights. “I’m serious!Go!”
They dive under, swimming toward the far bank where trees hang low and shadows pool deep. I watch them disappear, then sprint for the scattered clothes.
Boots. Jeans. Shirts. Boxers. I scoop everything into my arms and bolt for the truck, yanking open the back door and tossing itall inside. I slam the door shut just as the vehicle pulls onto the grass, headlights blazing so bright I have to shield my eyes.
The engine stays running, a low hum in the quiet. I squint past the glare, trying to see who’s behind the wheel.
The door of a police cruiser opens, and Tanner steps out in his brown deputy’s uniform.
Offuckingcourse.
He strolls toward me with that swagger I used to find attractive, back before I learned what lived underneath. One thumb hooked over his belt buckle, flashlight in his other hand. The cruiser’s engine hums behind him, lights still blazing.
Once upon a time, I thought he was everything. Tall, broad-shouldered, sharp jaw, deep blue eyes. The way he looked at me like I was the center of his universe.
Turns out I was. Just not in the good way. I was the center of his universe because he wanted to own it.
“What do you want, Tanner?” I keep my voice flat. “Stalking me now?”
He doesn’t look at me, just scans the area with his flashlight. “Got complaints about shouting. Someone thought there might be trouble out here.”
“It’s just me. As you can see, I’m fine. You can leave.”
His light lands on Carter’s truck. “Since when do you drive that thing?”
“Fuck off, Tanner.”
He ignores me, walking toward the river. “Skinny-dipping is public indecency. That’s an offense.”
“Last time I checked, I’m fully dressed.” I gesture at myself. “Don’t you have real crimes to investigate? Jaywalkers to ticket?”
