Page 27 of Stuck with my Pack
I glance at her, startled by the sincerity in her tone. “Glowing?”
“Yeah,” she says with a soft smile. “Like you’re full of life. It’s good to see.”
Her words catch me off guard, and for a moment, I let them sink in. “Thanks,” I murmur, meaning it. I don’t feel like I’m glowing. I feel restless and overwhelmed, but somehow, her words ease the weight on my chest.
Lily nudges me gently with her elbow, her arm still looped with mine her grin returning. “And for the record, you’re allowed to want this, Soph. To want them.”
I swallow hard, the words sticking in my throat as my pulse quickens. “I don’t even know what I want,” I whisper.
She squeezes my arm, her voice firm but kind. “You’ll figure it out. Just don’t fight it so hard. Let yourself feel it.”
As we continue walking, her words linger in my mind, settling deep in a way I can’t shake. The festival around us is bright and loud, but all I can think about is the storm of emotions inside me—and the Alphas who are at the center of it all.
She snorts, breaking the tension. “You know pregnancy is weird… at first it’s all love and butterflies and now I’m sweaty and swollen and It’s always a long walk to pee,” she says as she lovingly caresses her belly.
We laugh, falling into an easy rhythm, and I realize how much I’ve missed this—missed her. The guilt bubbles up before I can stop it, and I blurt out, “I’m sorry.”
Lily looks at me, her brow furrowing. “For what?”
“For everything,” I say, my voice quiet but steady. “For leaving the way I did. For not being here when you needed me. For being a crappy friend.”
Her expression softens, and she squeezes my arm. “Sophie, you don’t have to apologize. I was mad, yeah, but I get it. Life’s messy, and sometimes it pulls us in directions we don’t expect.”
Tears sting my eyes, but I blink them away, nodding as we stop near a small vendor selling hot cider. I hug her tightly, holding on longer than I probably should.
“Thank you,” I whisper. I’m about to thank her when I feel it—a shift in the air, a familiar heat prickling at the back of my neck. My entire body snaps to awareness. I glance up and freeze.
When we pull apart, my gaze snags on a familiar figure approaching us. Ethan.
12
SOPHIE
The sight of him stops me in my tracks. Ethan stands there, a cup of cider cradled in his strong hands, his dark eyes flicking between me and Lily like he’s trying to unravel a puzzle only he can see.
The air between us crackles, and my heart slams against my ribs, memories of the barn flooding back with searing intensity—the heat of his touch, the raw need in his voice. It’s like the world tilts, narrowing to just him, and I can’t decide if I want to run toward him or bolt in the opposite direction.
“Hi,” I manage, my voice tight.
“Sophie,” he replies, his tone unreadable, his face a mask of indifference as he hands Lily a cider.
“Thanks, big brother,” she says, clearly picking up on the unease.
The tension between us feels thick enough to cut. Lily glances between Ethan and me, her brows knitting slightly.
She clears her throat, her hand resting lightly on my arm. “I’ll, uh, grab that churro now,” she says with a knowing smile before waddling toward the vendor a few feet away, leaving us alone.
Ethan stands there, his gaze unwavering, the weight of it pressing down on me. I fidget under his scrutiny, crossing my arms over my chest as if that could shield me from the storm brewing in his eyes.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, my tone sharper than I intend. My Omega is starting to squirm, torn between making me throw myself at him in the middle of the street and running away.
Ethan shrugs, taking a slow sip of his cider, his movements deliberate, measured. “It’s a festival. Everyone’s here.”
“Right,” I reply, my voice sharper than I intend as I fight to mask my irritation. Embarrassment creeps into my tone, and my cheeks burn.
The barn incident is still fresh in my mind—the way he touched me, the heat of his hands on my skin, the way his scent wrapped around me like a cocoon. And then, the way he left. Like I’d burned him.
His smoky cedar scent is making my mouth water. I can smell how much he desires me. I want him. Desperately.
