Page 28 of Stuck with my Pack
It’s a fever crawling under my skin, hot and consuming, and I feel like I’m pulling that need toward me like a magnet. My breath hitches, turning ragged, and I see it—the way Ethan stiffens, his nostrils flaring ever so slightly.
Oh God. He knows.
I can feel the slick pooling between my thighs, my instincts betraying me in every way. Ethan’s jaw tightens, his hand gripping the cider cup harder than necessary. His Alpha is responding to me—I can sense it in the rigid control radiating off him, in the way his eyes darken as they lock onto mine.
The air between us crackles, charged and primal, and I can’t stop the overwhelming urge rising inside me. The need to rip off his clothes, to bare myself completely, to drop to all fours andpresent myself to him right here—it’s so strong, so visceral, that I have to ball my fists at my sides to keep from reaching for him.
Ethan takes a step closer, his broad frame blocking out the festival crowd behind him. His voice drops an octave, low and rough. “Sophie, are you okay?”
I swallow hard, unable to look away from him. My body screams no, but I force myself to nod. “Fine. Just…hot.” My voice wavers, the lie thin and unconvincing.
His eyes narrow, scanning me like he can see every thought running through my head. “You don’t look fine.” His tone is sharp, edged with something possessive, something that makes my knees weak and my heart race.
I don’t hear Lily return until her hand brushes my arm, snapping me out of the moment. “Soph?” she asks softly, her face a mix of concern and understanding.
I tear my gaze away from Ethan, the intensity of his stare suffocating. Suddenly, the urge to escape is overwhelming. I need space—anywhere but here, anywhere away from him and the inferno he’s inside me.
“Well, I think I’m going to…going to…um…go and see what I can see,” I mumble, leaning into Lily and softly saying goodbye. My voice sounds distant even to my own ears, my words rushed and flustered.
Lily gives me a quick, reassuring squeeze on the arm, but I catch the flicker of concern in her eyes before she plasters on a supportive smile. “Okay. Just text me if you need anything, all right?”
Ethan steps forward as I turn to leave, his presence commanding, his Alpha pushing against my senses like a wave. His hand brushes mine, and the contact sends a jolt straight through me.
“Sophie.” His voice is quiet but firm, laced with something deeper—an unspoken command that makes my Omega stir, instinctively wanting to obey.
I hesitate, glancing back at him, and for a moment, the tension between us feels like it might snap. His expression is unreadable, his jaw tight, but the way his eyes linger on me speaks volumes.
I turn to leave, not ready to face whatever his presence is promising. But before I can take another step, his hand wraps around my arm, just above the elbow. His grip is firm but careful as he gently pulls me back, spinning me to face him.
He draws me closer, so close that we’re almost touching. I’m drowning in how he smells, all Alpha, all promise, all passion.
My Omega stirs, the instinctive need to lean into his presence battling against the frustration bubbling inside me. Slick pools between my thighs, betraying my conflicted feelings.
I can feel his Alpha’s displeasure in the slightly bitter edge that sharpens his mouthwatering scent.
“You shouldn’t wander off alone,” he says, “not feeling like this.”
His voice low, edged with that familiar command and protectiveness that always seems to border on possessive. “It’s not safe.”
“I’m not alone if I’m with Lily, Ethan,” I snap, my cheeks flushing, my hackles rising. “And I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”
I feel like I want to fight or fuck.
“I’ll be fine,” I say quickly with more heat authority than I feel, pulling my hand away and taking a step back. My body screams at me to stay, to let him take me, but I force myself to turn and walk away, my heart pounding in my chest.
As I weave through the festival crowd, my skin still burns where his hand touched mine. I feel his gaze on me, heavy and unrelenting, and I know this isn’t over. Not by a long shot.
The lanternsalong the dock sway gently in the breeze, their warm golden glow reflecting on the dark, rippling water below. The soft rhythm of the ocean fills the quiet night, and I finally feel like I can breathe.
I walk slowly, the wooden planks of the dock creaking beneath my feet, each step pulling me farther from the oppressive weight of Ethan’s scent and the way it wrapped around me earlier like a vice.
The air here is different—clean and crisp, carrying the faint tang of salt and the soothing hum of the waves. It’s grounding, pulling me back from the edge of the storm that’s been brewing inside me all day. I tip my head back, letting the cool breeze wash over my flushed skin, trying to will away the heat that simmers just beneath the surface.
But it’s still there, relentless and maddening. The pressure under my skin, the aching need that I don’t fully understand, grows heavier with every passing moment. I’ve never felt like this before—this restless, this out of control—and it terrifies me.
My body feels foreign, like it’s no longer entirely mine, as if my Omega instincts have taken the wheel, leaving my rational mind scrambling to keep up.
I wrap my arms around myself, my steps faltering as I glance out at the horizon where the ocean meets the night sky. The vastness of it is calming, a reminder that the world is bigger than the chaos in my head.
