"You left a forehead print."
"It was artistic."
I laugh. Actually laugh.
"And then," Noah continues, "this new beta guy joined and he's terrible. Like, worse than I was on day one. He keeps going the wrong direction and crashing into people. Last class he took out three people in a domino effect. It was spectacular."
"The instructor made him stand in the back," Jess adds. "For everyone's safety."
"We miss you though," Noah says, his voice softening. "It's not the same without you."
I swallow hard. "I miss you guys too. I wish I could see you."
"We could—" Jess starts.
Alex speaks up from across the table. "Are you guys doing anything for lunch?"
I stare at him.
"Who's that?" Noah asks immediately.
"That's Alex," I say. "He's—"
"Lunch?" Jess interrupts. "Like, today?"
"If you're free," Alex says. "There's a town not far from where we're staying. Has a decent bistro."
My eyes widen. "Is that safe?"
Alex shrugs, scooping another bite of yogurt. "It's a town where no one knows us. Ragon hasn't reported you missing for obvious reasons. No one's looking for you besides him, and hehas no reason to check a random small town forty minutes from where you used to live."
"Wait, you're only forty minutes away?" Noah's voice pitches up. "We can totally drive over!"
"YES!" Jess shouts so loud I have to pull the phone away from my ear. "We're willing! So willing! When?"
"Noon?" Alex suggests.
"I need to check with my pack," Noah says. "Hold on."
The line goes muffled. I can hear Noah's voice in the background, high and excited, and then a deeper rumble that’s probably Jonah.
"I can drive myself," Jess says. "Perks of being a beta. No overprotective alphas required."
Noah comes back on. "Jonah says yes! He's going to drive me. What's the address?"
Alex rattles off the name of the bistro and the town.
"See you at noon!" Jess says.
"I'm so excited I might actually combust," Noah adds. "Okay, I have to go get ready. Bye!"
The call ends.
I set my phone down and look at Alex. "Thank you."
He finishes his yogurt and stands. "Go get ready. We'll leave in an hour."
The hour does not go smoothly.
