“SEBASTIAN SOL!”
His shoulders tighten, but when he turns, looking past me, his expression is pure mutiny.
“You were matched, it is Sully approved,” Lorelei snarls.
“The freaking seagull approved this match? Are you high?”
Lorelei slaps his arm, hard. “Child of mine, you are walking a thin line.”
“What are you going to do? Give me a timeout? Ground me?”
Her eyes flicker with a temper matching his. Right now, I can see that both of them are going to blow, so I do what I always do: I step in and deflect his anger back to me.
“Oh, Bas, that would be too easy. She doesn’t need to ground you; I’m still dying to see your baby photos.”
His eyes narrow and turn to that golden hue that promises everyone pure trouble. It can look hard, like it does now, but I’ve seen it molten, too. Once.
“You will not.”
He shifts his body towards me, almost forgetting his mother is there. Sebastian is too alpha for this town; I don’t know why everyone else can’t see it. He’s drowning here.
I flick my hair and give him a taunting smile that I know will rile him up no end.
“I do what I want, Bas,” I draw his name out, and the air around us crackles.
“Sorry about this, Katsu, and…” Lorelei says with an embarrassed huff.
“Fenix, Omega. My name is Fenix, though only my dad calls me that, call me Fox. You can all call me that, if you want.” He’s speaking to me, and I can’t remember what I was doing, only that this alpha is staring at me like I might be the only drinking water in the whole ocean.
I forget Sebastian for a moment, remembering in horror why these two look so horrifically familiar.
My stomach bubbles, and I step back and then again.
“Uh, look, I have to…”
I flinch hard, cocking my head to the side, unable to make sense of what I’m seeing.
Gale walks confidently up to Fox and lowers his head, almost begging. Fox startles and turns fully around.
“Oh, my god!” Katsu mutters in exasperation.
Gale nickers and stomps a foot.
“Well, aren’t you the prettiest boy to ever make Main Street look so pretty.”
The alpha and horse almost fall into each other as he hugs Gale’s neck and starts giving my damn escapee of a horse scratches and all the murmured whispers that I suddenly want.
“Gale!” I admonish.
He lifts his head, snorts and turns, dragging Fox with him, and presenting me with his wide rear end.
“You traitor!” I snap.
Sebastian is shaking. When I turn to look at him, he’s laughing so hard he’s almost in tears.
I snarl. “When was the last time you tried to pat him and didn’t get bit?”
That shuts him up.
