Page 19 of Dance Omega Dance

Maddie placed her hands on her hips. “Doesn’t she get a say in this?” she said.

Zach’s grin grew even larger, if that was possible. “Of course she does, but I already know what her answer will be.” He turned to me, placed the tips of his fingers under my chin, and lifted it so I faced him. Bending down, he leaned forward until our lips were almost touching. His hot breath cradled my lips as I urged forward, aching for more. “You need us too, don’t you Summer?”

“I...” he leaned forward, the tip of his tongue tracing a line over my bottom lip, pushing inside ever so slightly. “Yes,” I said, chewing my bottom lip, tasting him.

He pulled back and kissed me on the cheek. “See.”

Maddie’s eyes were narrowed. “Are you sure about this Summer? They’re Alphas, honey.”

Zach’s hand flew up to his heart as though her tone had shot him right through it. I smirked, shaking my head at him. “Yes,” I coughed. “Yes, I’ll be fine with them.” Zach smiled and walked away. “I think, well, I’m sure that... that they’re my scent-matched pack,” I whispered to her. “Can you believe it!”

Her jaw dropped, and eyes widened. “What, all three of them?” she asked. I nodded. “Even him?” she pointed at Zach, who was goofing around with a young child, while Anders helped pull out the young boy’s dead mother. I nodded at her, watching Anders and Blake try to revive the young mom, to no avail. Zach pulled the boy away before he could see anything and took him to be transported with the rest of the lonesome survivors.

Anders walked towards me; sorrow absorbed into his skin. The death toll was getting to him. “Another one,” he said, sighing.

It felt like we’d been here all day. The sun was waning, letting the darkness in, and I yawned, feeling both tired and hungry. Anders sat down and patted the broken bench beside him. I joined him, but not before hugging Maddie before she left.

I had to budge up towards Anders. The cracks on the other side of the bench were threatening to give way if even the daintiest of persons sat on it, and dainty, I was not. I had muscles in all the places any ballerina would need.

I stared into the dust-ridden street, thinking of my home. Letting out a soft sigh, the weight of realization hit me harder than I expected. My tiny sanctuary was gone.

Slowly, tentatively, Anders reached out, his fingers brushing where mine rested on my knee. A spark seemed to leap between our skin. His hand curled around mine, his palm warm and inviting.

"Rest," he urged softly. "Just for a moment. I'll keep watch. I won't let anything happen to you."

I believed him. Despite every wall I'd built and every vow I'd made, I believed him. And as I sat there amid the dust and despair, my hand cradled in his like a promise, I felt the first fragile stirrings of hope unfurl in my chest.

Chapter Eight

The moon shone, blanketing the dust and debris, bringing the deepest of shadows to life. Blake walked over. “It’s time we took you home,” he said, smiling.

“My home no longer exists Blake,” I almost cried.

“It does Summer. It’s just in another place now.”

Biting my lower lip, I paused, unsure but certain at the same time. Was I ready for this?

His eyes met mine, stormy blue, and earnest. "Our home is your home, sweetheart," he urged softly. "We have plenty of space, and you'll be safe there."

I recoiled instinctively, old fears and older scars ravaging through my mind. Go home with three Alphas? Put myself at their mercy, in their territory? Every survival instinct I possessed screamed in protest.

But beneath the fear, a traitorous whisper of temptation unfurled. To not be alone, to have someone to lean on...

"I... I don't know if it’s the right idea," I hedged, torn between the need to belong and the ingrained need to run, to protect myself at all costs.

"Please, Summer?" Anders' gentle voice joined Blake's, his tone soft and coaxing. "You're injured, and you've been through a tremendous shock. Let us help you. Let us keep you safe, at least until you're back on your feet."

I wavered, his concern melting my resistance.

"Yeah, princess, don't be stubborn. You already said yes." Zach appeared by Anders' shoulder, his smile a little too bright, a little too sharp.

I turned toward him, and his scent hit me. Deep cedarwood, with a trace of warmth that reminded me of home, of something safe. I groaned, frustrated by the involuntary attraction that stirred in my chest.

Zach smirked, sensing my reaction. He stepped closer, wrapping his arm around my waist in a confident, almost possessive gesture. “I take that as a yes,” he said, his tone teasing yet reassuring.

I shouldn’t want this. Itriednot to. But when he pulled me close, the steady beat of his heart against mine, the scent of him, both warm and familiar, something inside me cracked. That flutter in my chest, that slow, simmering heat... it betrayed me. It whispered that maybe, just maybe, I didn’t have to keep standing alone in the wreckage.

The word stuck in my throat.Don’t say it.But the moment I met his eyes, soft with something that looked too much like hope, the resistance slipped away.

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