Page 32 of Welcome to Bone Town

“Do you have a shovel in there?” Archer asks Jax again.

“Nah, but I got enough food to get us through a few days. If no one minds protein bars.”

“A few days?” Cora gasps. “We can’t stay down here for a few days.”

“Place looks big.” Jax stares at the endless corridorthat curves slightly to the left. “Might take a while to find our way out.” He almost looks excited by the prospect.

“And what if the original entrance was back there?” I point to the caved-in passageway we just escaped.

“Let’s hope it’s not,” Cora says quietly.

“Well, we best get walking, then.” Bear marches forward, taking the lead.

If it’s a choice between standing here next to Jax or following Bear, I’m choosing Bear. Even if I’m not thrilled by what may lie ahead.

28

This is the discovery of a lifetime. The walls are stone, and tapestries hang in-between each torch—or the remains of them. Though this temple has been hidden away, nothing is untouched by time. Colors fade, threads fall apart, but what's left is still breathtaking. And more well preserved than it should be.

The panels tell us stories of what life was like thousands of years ago, what this place really means. I wish I had time to study each and every one, but that will have to wait, I guess.

The hallway is wide enough that we can all walk side-by-side, but we don’t. Bear and Archer take the lead, with Roman and I a few paces behind them. Jax keeps attempting to pull up beside me, but every time he does, Roman growls at him, and he begrudgingly falls back.

“Is that really necessary?” I hiss under my breath.

“Necessary? The man should be in handcuffs, nottaking a stroll by your side.” Roman barely makes an effort to stay quiet.

“Doyouhave a scent match, Roman?”

He scoffs as if it’s the most ridiculous idea he’s ever heard, and I realize it’s a sound he hasn’t made toward me in a few days. Maybe we really were getting somewhere as colleagues, and maybe even friends. Today has certainly undone any of that progress.

“If you don’t have a scent match, then you can’t understand what it’s like. I honestly…” How do I explain it? I mean, I have that bandana tucked in the small bag slung over my shoulder right now, right beside the puzzle box. I haven’t been able to let either of those two things out of my possession. It’s not hard to imagine why Jax would have “stalked” me. I might have done the same if I was the one who knew about him.

There’s only one thing I don’t understand, and it makes my heart twist. Why didn’t he introduce himself? He could have come up to the camp during the day and just… I try to imagine it and fail. No, I guess he couldn’t have done that. If Roman’s hostility is any indicator, an entire camp of people at acloseddig site certainly wouldn’t have let him get past the first tent, much less to me. I sigh, casting a glance over my shoulder at the man in question.

He gives me a crooked smile that’s oddly both playful and seductive. He’s handsome, in a rugged, unkempt kind of way. Wild. That’s the word to describe him.

Something in my core tightens, skin tingling. Would he unleash some of that wildness with me? Something tells me I may like it if he did.

The thought is immediately followed by another, much less pleasant one. Will he still want me once he knows I’m not like other omegas? What alpha would want an omega they can’t bond, even if they’re a scent match?

Turning my attention back to the path ahead, I quicken my steps. All the more reason to discover what secrets this temple holds. If there’s any chance the accounts of Lunara’s relic are true?—

“What’s it like?” Roman whispers, cutting off my thoughts.

“What’s what like?”

He hesitates, his Adam’s apple bobbing down his throat. “What’s it like having a scent match?” His voice shakes, all of his normal bravado gone.

“Um… I’m not sure I can say. It’s pretty new. But… It’s not just that I find the scent appealing. There’s a pull, an impulse, deep in my gut. My instincts say he’s safe.”

He snorts, and I glare at him.

I think for a moment, trying to put it into words. “It’s like coming home after years away. The town may have stores you’ve never seen, you may have new neighbors where your best friend used to live, but there’s already a level of comfort and recognition when you arrive. You can relax knowing that this isyourtown, but you’re still excited to learn its nuances all over again.”

He stares at me in a way that makes it clear he doesn’t understand. I’m not sure I understand myself.

When I just shrug, he strides off to join Bear and Archer.

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