Page 40 of Primal

Right now, Noa needs me to be strong, to be the one to guide her through this. Because thereisa way through this.

Well, there is if both sides of the bond are properly severed.

The reminder of this little fact has me searching out the approaching High Priestess. Amara’s eyes, dark like a cloudless night sky, are already watching me. We both know what she did when she stopped me from speaking up. What I don’t understand is,why?Why would she make this harder for Noa?

If there’s one thing I know, it’s that the High Priestess is someone who can be trusted. She’s proved that time and time again during my time here in Ashvale. And if I didn’t already know that myself, Noa’s trust in the witch is resolute. Thalassa’s steadfast belief in Amara had been just as strong when she was here with us. For this reason alone, I don’t voice the question that’s weighing heavy on me.

Speaking of heavy, Noa, who’s basically the size of a damn sixth grader, is surprisingly cumbersome to carry when she’s knocked out cold and nothing but dead weight. We reach Noa’s green Jeep and the Fallamhain beta female shifts her hold on my best friend and opens the door. Without being prompted, our newcomer jumps into the back seat and reaches out, taking Noa beneath her lifeless arms. Her grip, while strong, remains gentle, but Noa still whimpers, her deathly pale face contorting.

The female’s green eyes are wide when her chin snaps up to where Lowri and I stand in front of the open door. “I didn’t mean?—”

The pack Alpha bedside me cuts her off. “You didn’t do anything. I doubt she’s aware of any external sensations right now.”

“She’s not,” I confirm, stomach twisting in sympathy and the unwanted memory of my own misery.

The stranger shakes her head, and I swear she’s blinking away tears as she gently settles Noa’s head in her lap. My gut reaction when she first dropped to Noa’s side in the grass had been to pull my best friend away, to keep her guarded from anyone who wasn’t one of us. But something instinctual told me this beta was trustworthy, that having her on Noa’s side would be a happy addition. My wolf, who is the least trusting of our duo, had agreed. And that is why I’m not marching my ass around to the other side of the car and yanking her the hell away from Noa by her perfect fawn-colored ringlets.

“We need to get her home,” I insist, heart hurting at the way Noa’s body still twitches in pain. “Being in her own space will help her feel more grounded.”

Confirmed as an omega or not, it doesn’t matter, we all know the truth. We rarely speak it aloud, the subject of her suppressed designation just as sensitive as the topic of her trapped wolf. Her whole world was just ripped out from beneath her, the bond in her chest severed like it was nothing. She might not have a proper nest, but her bedroom is still her safe space, and right now, anything that might bring her even the smallest sense of stability is vital.

Lowri grunts in agreement before turning to join her partner at their red vehicle. Her unspoken nod before she climbs into the passenger seat is her way of telling me they’ll follow us back to the manor.

I look expectantly at the beta who is currently running her hand through Noa’s hair, deft fingers removing the dried pieces of grass from the long dark strands.

Sensing my attention she raises her head.

“I’m going with you,” she declares without a hint of hesitation. I feel my eyebrows shoot up. “Look, usually I’d goabout this in a more polite manner, but we don’t have time for small talk or casual introductions. So, here it is, my name’s Rhosyn Davies—technically it’s Roarke, but Rhosyn Roarke is…well,terrible. The things we do for love, am I right? Anyway, I met Noa the other day when she visited our territory. I was actually the one who got her the meeting with Nick. Rennick. Our Alpha.” The way her green eyes flare with anger at the mention of that absolute twat of a man makes my budding trust in her grow. I might even like her for it. “I was there when she claimed him, and I was there for her afterward. After what just happened…please, let me be here for her now. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I walked away from Noa after that.”

Rhosyn. I recognize the name. Noa mentioned her and her mate when she gave me all the gory details of her time at her old pack’s land.

Speaking of mate.

I sense the alpha male’s approach before I hear or smell his citrusy scent. From across the clearing, I’d thought he was a hulking beast of a man, but with him now looming behind me, I come to the conclusion I’ve greatly underestimated his actual size.

Shifting my stance, I angle my body so I can keep both the alpha and the beta female in the back seat in my line of sight. It’s also a move that ensures he isn’t directly behind my back or blocking me in. If there’s one thing I’ve learned working with our Nightingales, it’s to always be aware of your surroundings. Oh, and never turn your back to an alpha male.

“I’m pretty sure your mate here is going to want you to head back with him,” I tell her, but my attempted dismissal of her idea is shot down by both of them. At the same time.Cute.

“I’m not going anywhere. If I go back there now, I’m going to kill him. I’m staying for her.”

“If my mate wants us to be here for Noa, I have no issue with staying. With your permission, of course.”

Completely caught off guard by their sincerity and the genuine concern they show for Noa—a woman they barely know—I stare at them for a full, stunned minute. My internal debate is cut short when Noa,Goddess bless her soul,lets out the most pitiful, heart-wrenching whine. A noise my chaos-soaked brain recognizes as being inherently omega, but that’s something we can address at a later time.

It’s the way Rhosyn cups my best friend’s face with a tenderness rarely shared between strangers that first sways me toward accepting their help. But ultimately, it’s the sound that comes fromher mate—the second-in-command ofhispack, the man who should be unwaveringly loyal tohim—that makes the decision for me.

He growls.

Not at us, not at the situation, but in direct response to Noa’s distress.

It’s an instinctual action that proves their presence here isn’t just out of pity or obligation. It’s something more. It’s anger. It’s disappointment. It’sdisgusttoward the man they are supposed to follow without question.

“Well…shit. Okay, then.” Without wasting another second, I spring into action, unwilling to leave Noa out here in this vulnerable state any longer. After shutting the door with his mate safely inside, I turn to the towering Alpha. “The only reason I’m letting you into the house is because Noa already told me she felt comfortable around you. The manor is usually a penis-free zone. So don’t make me regret this, big guy.”

Chapter 18

Noa

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