“I’m sure it will be lovely,” I replied respectfully.
I knew full well that even if I didn’t like whatever he had in mind, I would never say anything to him about it.
When we got to the front of the pack house, there was an ATV parked outside. He walked over and picked up a helmet, handing it to me as I stared at the machine excitedly.
I’ve never ridden one of these before, but I’ve always wanted to.
“At first, I thought we could shift to get to the hiking trail,” he said. “But we aren’t in the same pack, so we can’t mind-link. And I didn’t want the entire trip to be silent. So, I thought this might be a good compromise. The helmets have two-way radios in them so we can talk.”
“So, we’re riding together?” I clarified.
Considering that I had been planning on trying to keep some distance between us today, riding together wasn’t ideal. It wouldcertainly make it more difficult if I had to hold on to him for balance.
“Unless you have an objection,” he stated with a sheepish shrug.
It was clear that he hoped that I’d agree, and surprisingly, I found myself wanting to ride together. We would be touching, but I could control how much we touched and try to keep it minimal.
That always sends us down a path that I’m not prepared for, so the less, the better. Plus, it seems like he was really looking forward to this, and I don’t want to disappoint him.
“Okay,” I breathed, slipping my helmet on.
“Great!” he said, beaming as he walked over to the vehicle and mounted it. “Climb on behind me.”
He held out a hand for me after securing his helmet.
I hesitated before taking it. As soon as his palm touched mine, that tingling sensation zipped through me, instantly soothing my nerves. I swung my leg over, settling in behind him as I searched for somewhere to hold onto.
“Where do I put my hands?” I muttered, forgetting there was a radio in the headset.
“You can hold on to my waist,” he encouraged, pulling my arm around him. “Like this.”
My cheeks warmed as I brought my hand around to clasp the other, encircling his waist. The omega in me was mortified that I was this close to an alpha. It seemed too intimate. On the other hand, I really liked the idea of not falling off and embarrassing myself.
“Just like that,” he praised, his voice suddenly strained. “I’m going to adjust your hold a little to a slightly better position.”
I appreciated the warning. It made it less surprising when he grabbed my hands and pulled me closer. My chest pressed firmly against his back, and my nerves skyrocketed as he turned on the machine.
Oh my Goddess. This is way too close. I didn’t realize there would be this much contact if we rode together. How can I put some space between us without offending him?
I arched my body away slightly, craning my neck back so my cheek wasn’t resting on his shoulder. We lurched forward suddenly, and I squeezed him tight, scared for a moment I might fall right off the back.
He laughed. “Take it easy. I’ve got you.”
I sighed, melting into him just a little bit.I shouldn’t be enjoying this so much. It’s wrong. He’s supposed to be someone else’s mate. Sunny’s if we do our jobs right. I can’t be this comfortable around him.
We took off, racing across the more mountainous terrain and toward a flatter part of the pack’s territory where the forest grew particularly thick. I found myself easing into him, growing more relaxed the farther we got away from the pack house, Sunny, and all of my responsibilities.
Caelan made it easier to forget as he regaled me with stories of the different areas we passed. All of them either had some significance to the pack’s history or were part of a tale from his past, often including Taffy, Dillon, and Oliver as the four of them got into some youthful shenanigans.
I found myself laughing as he finished one such story, enjoying myself immensely as we rumbled over the territory.
This is fun. It doesn’t feel like he’s an alpha and I’m an omega. Almost like we don’t have ranks out here. It’s nice. I kind of wish we never had to stop.***
A short time later, Caelan cut the engine, parking beside a small trail.
I quickly hopped off as I tried to ignore the feelings that had arisen during our ride.
I’d always been taught to ignore my urges, to push them down deep and listen to my head above everything else. But desires I’d thought were dormant had flared to life as we drove, and I was struggling to get control over them again.
