Page 33 of Secrets and S'mores
“Sweetheart, your brother is back. Do you want to come see him?” Clove’s voice calls through the door.
All thoughts of Onyx shatter. Jasper and Marigold have returned, which means I am going home. It’s over before we had a chance to start.
My throat burns as I pull on a pair of shorts and stuff the rest of my clothes back into my duffle. Onyx and Cedar meet me in the hallway, looking confused.
“What are you doing?” Onyx asks.
With a steadying exhale, I steel myself. “Jasper and Marigold are back, so I’m going home.”
The look on his face guts me. His lips part and his brows rise. “Let’s talk about this.”
Cedar brushes past us, following their mom out the door.
“We knew I was only here for a couple of days. Since they’re back, I’m going home.”
“Wait,” he says, reaching for me. I allow him to take my duffel and set it by the door. “What if you stayed?”
Frowning, I prop my hands on my hips. “I can’t do that. It wouldn’t be allowed.”
“Fuck that,” he hisses. “It’s your choice. If you want to stay longer, I’ll do whatever’s needed to make it happen.”
His low voice caresses my skin, and I feel my neck arching in submission. He shouldn’t have this kind of power over me, but I love it. Closing my eyes, I focus on what I need to do. And it’s not running away from my life because a hot guy flirts with me.
“Let’s just go see what’s going on, okay?” I say, my voice gentle while I take his hand. He threads our fingers together and it feels so natural that I’m momentarily stunned.
“Promise me you will think about it,” he whispers. His pleading squeezes my chest and goosebumps break out over my arms. He doesn’t know I’ve already been day dreaming of staying with him. That’s how dangerous his influence over me is.
“Alright,” I say simply. Stiffly, I pull my hand from his and he doesn’t protest.
The silence is full of unspoken desires as we walk south, toward my brother and my way out of here.
My mother’s red sports car stands out among the ivories and sage green trucks in the parking lot. Alarm bells go off in my head. Why would she drive them herself?
She’s the first one I notice, with her dark hair in a classic chignon and her eyeliner so sharp she could cut someone. She stands beside Jasper and Marigold who speak with Hazel and Slate, but my mother’s posture makes it clear she is not a part of their group.
Their hushed tones are impossible to hear over the birds chirping and the crunch of gravel under our feet. Onyx’s father, Fisher, and the Gamma, Hawthorne, join the circle, and more hushed words are exchanged. Fisher’s arms cross over his chest as he watches Jasper and Slate gesture while they speak.
Jasper looks up at me and I want to run to him. But the divide between us is too great. Dark circles smudge under his eyes and he looks paler than normal. Beside him, Marigold clutches his hand in both of hers tight against her stomach.
Sienna looks down her nose at Hazel, and the younger Alpha nods. Slate wraps his arms around his mate’s waist, his eyes dark. My instincts whisper that something is wrong. The concerned curve of Hazel’s eyebrows stand in contrast to the polite smile on her lips.
My mother gives a curt nod and turns on her stilettos. She’s back in her car before I can reach them.
“What is she doing?” I snap.
Jasper cuts across my path, blocking me from her car. “Ember, wait!”
“Wait, what–?” My question breaks off as our mother reverses and peels out of the parking lot without me.
“It’s fine,” he says, “you’re going to stay a few more days.” His familiar voice soothes me and it’s all too easy to submit to his will.
I bare my teeth at him, fighting against his influence. “Why?”
My brother stands his ground, facing my growing anger without visible reaction, though his gaze jumps to his mate. Marigold steps closer and takes his arm. “Your mom has a few things she wants to settle before you go home. And we wanted to spend some time with you.”
“Why didn’t she discuss it with me?” I growl, throwing my arm out to gesture toward her tail lights.
“You know how Mom is,” Jasper says dismissively.
