Page 74 of Alphas Never Hide

“Howcharming,”Pawssaid, although from whatIknew of the cat creature, it sounded like something he would say too.

“VanorDilloncould confirm that, if you want some reassurance about the matter,”Gagesaid. “Theycan seethe strength of someone’s magic when they take their beast forms.Theywould have assessed your strength when they met you in the woods the other night.”

Jakestepped forward and slipped his hand into the crook ofGage’sarm. “Idon’t know who my father was, but we suspect he might have been mundane too.”

“Butyou’re an oracle.”Oracleswere powerful and intrinsically connected to theEternalMagic.

“Yes,Iam.”Jakenodded.

“Isee.”Iblinked, unsure what to say to that.Haydenhad tried to tell me the same thing, but it just seemed too fantastical to be true.Hadmy whole life been a lie?Iadjusted my glasses again.

Itlooked like maybe it had.

Ihated my old herd, now more than ever.IwishedIcould take my brother away from them before they destroyed him like they had tried to destroy me.Sure, they weren’t bigoted toward him since he was a full-bred faun, but it didn’t matter.Theydidn’t deserve him.

Mystomach growled again.Jakesmiled and stepped forward and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “Comeon in.We’llnever eat if we don’t start cooking food.”

Andjust like that, everyone went back to their tasks like no one cared one little bit about me only having one supe parent.I’dlived with supernaturals before, butWillowLakewas just so different.Ina good way.Inthe best way.Maybehis pack really could accept me for whoIwas and not see me as a burden.

Isucked in a shaky breath.

Iwanted that.Iwanted that more than anything.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

HAYDEN

Thespot in my hair with my mating mark didn’t feel any different from before, so why didIkeep touching it?EverytimeIdid, someone would smile at me like they thought it was cute.Itwas not cute.Iwas not cute.Iwas a grown wolf shifter, not some pup scampering along and tripping over their paws.

Therehad to be a few ball caps kicking around the shop.Supplierswere always giving us shit like that.Ishould grab one, so people would stop looking at me like they wanted to pinch my cheeks or pat me on the head while using words like adorable or precious.ExceptIreally didn’t want to hide my mating mark from anyone.Iwanted the whole world to knowRyleywas my mate.

“Ican’t believe they organized this whole thing overnight,”Ryleysaid.

Wewere standing besideWillowLake, looking out over the water.Mostof the town was out here.Asfar asIcould tell, the only people missing were the mundane humans who lived alongside us.

Theonly humanI’dseen today wasParker, who’d been confused and, ifIread his face correctly, hurt no one had invited him.Leviushered him away.He’dtextedGagethat he’d stay withParker, so he didn’t venture out again.Butwas it too late?HadParkerseen under theEternalMagic’sglamour?We’dfind out soon enough.Iwasn’t worried if he had, becauseParker’sresistance toGage’smagic was telling.IfIwas right, thenParkerwasLevi’smate, and this was another sign of that.Iwondered how long the big minotaur could stay away.Thatshould beWillowLake’snext pub bet.

Everyoneelse was acting like an impromptu municipal holiday for supes had been declared.Businesseswere closed, including the garage.Peoplekept arriving with dishes for a potluck.Ateenager was making balloon animals for the few kids who were running around.And, in the park behind us, food of every description was sizzling on a long line of barbecues.

Theweather this time of year was hit and miss, but we’d lucked out today.Thetemps were warm for a random day inSeptember.Thesky overhead was a rich blue with not a cloud in sight.Thelake was calm, well, except for the splashingBrodieandWestonwere doing as they shot through the water.Ididn’t know whereHenriettaandGaryhad disappeared to.Assoon as they’d taken their octopus forms, they sank beneath the surface of the water and hadn’t been seen since.

“I’ma little surprised myself,”Iadmitted toRyley.

AlthoughIshouldn’t have been.Everyonewas in ajovial mood after that whole alpha pack moment last night.It’dbeen a long time since they’d had an alpha.Alot of supes in the world lived outside a pack environment, but studies showed how supes were healthier in packs.Itwas something to do with the persistent stress of knowing you were on your own, always having to hide from the mundanes, and feeling like there was no one to take care of you if something went wrong.Ofcourse, anyone who lived inWillowLake, even beforeIaccepted the role of alpha yesterday, should have known they weren’t alone, but having my role formalized seemed to have everyone walking with more bounce in their steps and bigger smiles on their faces.

Ialmost regretted resisting it for so long.

“Whatdo you want to do after this?”Iasked.

Ryleybit his bottom lip and twisted his hands together. “Iwas thinking about signing up for the hide and seek competition.”

“Really?”

Heswallowed. “Iknow the doctor said he doesn’t want you using your magic today, so you can’t participate, butIthought this might be an opportunity to…”Hiswords trailed off and he shook his head. “Youknow what?Nevermind.ForgetIsaid anything.Itwas a bad idea.”

“Hey, this is just about having some fun.Youcan try if you want to, but don’t feel you have to.Issomeone pressuring you to take part?”Ilooked around to see ifIcould pick out who might bullyRyleyinto this.Hedidn’t have to prove himself to anyone.Notnow, not ever.

“Nothinglike that.It’sall my idea.Ihaven’t mentioned it to anyone.”