Our heads snap up at the sound of soft footsteps in the hallway, and it takes us all by surprise, side-eyeing each other to assess their reactions. Heightened senses are something we’re used to dealing with come sundown, usually sleeping through the worst of it at night; not experiencing that state constantly. It’s going to make being in a city pure agony during the day.
Our entire existence has been optimized to make our lives as hellish as possible with the exception of the one bright spot, our saving grace that makes it all worth enduring; Sabrina.
Cheeks flushed, dressed in a soft blue, airy sundress, our mate steps over the threshold. Damp hair hanging loose around her shoulders, small rivulets of water trail down her collar, the thin straps leaving ample skin on display despite the modest cut. I track each drop as if it were the last trace of water on earth and I were a step away from death, imagining tracing the path with my tongue.
Fuck, she was made to bring men like me to their knees. The picture of innocence without even trying, bringing every protective instinct to the surface, while her vanilla and espresso scent has my mouth watering, desperate to tear that dress off of her with my teeth.
She might be an even bigger threat than I am, but it’s hard to remember that when she’s standing there freshly fucked and practically glowing. When she’s shyly looking between the three of us, making me want to wrap her up in a blanket and tuck her away from the world so it can’t touch a hair on her perfect head.
“Are you guys coming with me to work again today?” She rubs the heel of her hand over her chest and a matching ache blooms in mine. “Not sure if it's a wolf thing or you just made a good impression on my vagina, but if you aren't busy, I’m not opposed to a little overbearing hovering, even if it’ll piss off Jonathan. Want to come?”
Always want to come when you're involved.
“Absolutely,” Slade declares smoothly, crossing the room to kiss her cheek. “Give me fifteen minutes to gather what I need and transfer some things to my phone?” She smiles, and with a quick peck on her lips, he's out the door.
Bo leaves his brooding post to cup her jaw, staring at the girl like she hung the moon. “Is that even a question? Of course I made a good impression on your vagina.”
She bursts out laughing, rising up on her toes as he bends down to kiss her. “Cin’s rubbing off on you.”
“Not the only one he’s rubbing off on,” he mumbles, grinning as she blushes a deep crimson.
Fuck, if she doesn’t kill me, the perpetual hard on will.
“I’m going to have to take a rain check, angel.” Crossing the distance between us, I drop a kiss on top of her head so that I don’t wind up throwing her back on the bed. “I’m going to take Hunter and Kaige to do some recon on the surrounding packs. I didn’t like what I saw when we arrived, and from the sound of things, it’s going to get worse before it gets better. If we’re sticking around for nearly a month, we need the full picture of what we’re working with so we can prepare.”
A worried crease appears between her eyebrows that I itch to smooth away, a low whine stirring in my chest at the sight. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? There’s only three of you, and-”
Unable to stop myself, I tug her away from her beta bodyguard, cupping the back of her neck and resting my forehead against hers. “You said there was something wrong with the wolf that attacked you. I intend to figure out what it is.”
Her voice is soft. “Maybe it was my fault. Now that we saw what I did to your-”
I cut off that line of thinking with a hard kiss and a fierce declaration. “You do not corrupt whatever you touch. I’ll be fine, so you just worry about kicking this project’s ass. You have five mates, beautiful.” As she opens her mouth to object, I press a finger to her lips. “Because anyone with eyes can see that the quiet twin is yours already, no mark necessary. So as I was saying, you have five mates that have all grown up dealing with the intricacies of pack drama. Let us handle this part. That’s one of the only two things that make any of this wolf nonsense bearable; the fact that we’re not in it alone.”
“And the other?” she whispers, a guilty edge to her voice.
“You. You’re everything to me, Sabrina, and I plan to prove it by any means necessary.”
***
“Why the hell have theyput up with this shit?” Hunter’s voice drifts through the phone, as harsh and condemning as usual.
I hold it away from my ear, grimacing at the sensory overload. The crowd is thick this time of day, and the steady thrum of chatter mingles with car horns blaring, the ungodly loud screech of brakes, and the scent of pollution. It isn’t even that large of a town, but a constant state of heightened senses is a brutal adjustment, let alone being away from Sabrina is making me irritable.
“Their pack was what, nine people before we arrived? Three of which were women? It’s a miracle they’re even alive.”
My target takes a left turn and I make a point of waiting a minute before following. It’s not like it’s any effort to find the beta I’m tailing in a crowd, so as long as he doesn’t pick up on the fact that he’s being followed, this is seriously one of the easiest jobs I’ve done in my life. It’s kind of pathetic, in all honesty. The man’s so cocky he isn’t evenattemptingto sneak around.
Hunter scoffs. “There shouldn’t beanywomen in a pack that small. We should just slit their throats and be done with this charade, get your mate back home where she belongs.”
Leaning against the side of a brick building, I do a cursory scan of my surroundings, but nothing is registering as even worth noting. Sarcasm dripping with every word, I drawl, “I’m sure Sabrina would take that so well, she’d throw her panties at you in thanks.”
“I’m not after your mate,” he bites back. “But she’s safer back home than around these animals.”
I perk up at that, not calling him out on either of the blatant lies. “You figure out what Callahan’s into, then?”
A grunt. “Nothing exciting. Loan sharking, mostly. Embezzling. But there’s something about these guys that doesn’t sit right with me. They remind me of,” he trails off as I round the corner and return to stalking the Stonewood beta.
“Wilder’s pack, yeah. Me too. Can’t put my finger on it exactly, but it’s something in the eyes, I think. They aren’t like the typical posturing assholes with overinflated egos, they’re-”
