Page 30 of Dance Omega Dance

I rolled my eyes.

As they bantered, I began to relax. It felt natural, somehow, to joke and tease with them, to let my guard down just a fraction as we sprawled out and enjoyed the dappled sunlight filtering through the oak leaves.

I had just leaned back on my elbows, content to close my eyes and bask, when Anders' touch sent a jolt through me.

Heat flared beneath my skin. His fingers, gentle but confident, found the tense knots in my shoulders and began to knead. An involuntary hum rose in my throat as he worked at each knot.

“You’re so tense,” he murmured, his breath warm against the shell of my ear. “I thought this might help.”

I couldn’t find words. Just nodded, the world narrowing to the movement of his hands and the slow, delicious unraveling happening under my skin. It had been too long. Too long since anyone touched me like this, without demand, without expectation. Just care.

My body softened beneath him, tension melting away, my muscles yielding to each stroke.

Then his lips brushed the sensitive spot just below my ear. Barely a touch, but it struck like lightning, sharp and electric. My breath caught, nerves crackling awake.

Heat surged through me, unmistakable and wild, blooming beneath the surface. I didn’t need to see their faces to know they could scent my pheromones rising thick in the air.

I heard their indrawn breaths, sensed the sudden tension that rippled through the alphas like a shockwave. When I opened my eyes, they were all fixed on me, pupils blown wide and dark with unmistakable hunger.

Blake's hands clenched into fists, his knuckles going white as he fought for control. Zach's nostrils flared, a low growl rumbling up from his chest. And Anders... Anders went utterly still behind me, his fingers digging into my shoulders just shy of painful.

"I..." his voice was a hoarse rasp, barely recognizable. "I need to let go now," he said with gritted teeth.

He withdrew as if burned, leaving me yearning. Part of me mourned the loss of his touch, craved more of that searing pleasure. But another part, the rational part that had kept me sane and whole all these years, whispered that it was for the best.

Disappointment and relief warred within me as I drew a shaky breath, trying to compose myself. The alphas were still watching me, their expressions a mix of concern, confusion, and desire. I could sense their struggle, the effort it took to rein in their baser instincts, and felt a pang of guilt. I hadn't meant to affect them, to strain their control.

"It's fine," I managed, forcing a smile. "Just... unexpected. But still fine." The words felt inadequate, too simple to encompass the maelstrom of emotions swirling inside me, but they were all I had.

Zach, bless him, seized on the opening, breaking the tension with a grin that only looked slightly forced. "Fine, huh? Soundslike Anders has some magic fingers. Maybe I should get in line for a massage."

I laughed, easing the tightness in my chest. Picking up the frisbee I jumped up. “Anyone fancy it?”

“Oh princess, I thought you’d never ask!” Zach jumped up and grabbed the frisbee out of my hands, running away with it.

The frisbee sailed through the air in a perfect arc, flashing red and white against the bright blue sky. I ran in its direction, catching it before it hit the ground.

“Ready?” I yelled to him.

“Heck yeah,” he yelled back. So, I gave it everything I had and sent it veering in the wrong direction. Laughing, I watched as Zach ran for it, then leapt to catch it with a graceful twist of his body, landing lightly on the grass as he let out a whoop of triumph. "Did you see that?" he crowed, turning to grin at me. "I'm basically a pro."

Laughing, I shook my head at his antics. "I don't know," I teased. "I think you got lucky."

His eyes sparkled with mischief. "Oh, it's like that, is it? Guess I'll have to keep impressing you then."

And he did, with acrobatic catches and dramatic dives that had me laughing until it hurt. Even Blake laughed at Zach showing off, while Anders watched with amused affection. The frisbee sailed between us, easy and unhurried, laughter spilling into the warm afternoon like it belonged there.

I reached for a strawberry from the picnic blanket, the juice sweet on my tongue, and leaned back on my elbows, sun warming my skin.

Of course, it couldn’t last. Peace never did... not for long.

We were folding up the blanket, packing the last of the fruit into Tupperware, when I heard it: loud voices, laughter that didn’t feel light. It was sharp-edged and grating. I looked up andthere they were, half a dozen alphas stumbling into view, their swagger sloppy, their words slurred and crude.

My stomach dropped.

I edged back without thinking, the fine hairs on my arms rising. My body knew before my mind could catch up—danger. The kind that smelled like liquor, testosterone and past trauma.

Drunk alphas. I’d been here before. Too many times.

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