Page 45 of Rivers and Roads

He was probably right, but it was hard to imagine them showing any mercy to any of us. All the same, I was trapped and thinking about it only made me feel like the walls of the town were closing in on us. With a breath, I reached for the door handle, and I was grateful when Orion followed me out.

We made our way into a little clothing shop. It was boutique style with over-priced items geared toward people who worked in offices. But we managed to find a small selection of jeans and shirts—comfortable enough to wear around, and with enough give that we could run if we had to.

Wolf clothing was made to tear apart with a single swipe of a claw in order to shift and escape, but these would have to do. I watched Orion sift through the racks, his face displaying his disgust at what they had so openly, I almost laughed.

And then, I almost crowded him back into the dressing room and dropped to my knees to suck him off. He must have felt that in the bond, because his head whipped to the side, and his lips were parted.

“Sorry,” I murmured.

He shook his head, but he stiffened just as I heard the beat of a heart behind me. I turned and saw a human woman with green eyes and dark hair, her pale skin contrasting sharply against her black dress. I could scent curiosity and fear in her as she stared between us, then she cleared her throat.

“Is there anything I can help you find?”

Orion stiffened, but I stepped in front of him. “Thank you. We’re on vacation and forgot some stuff. I think we’ve got it, though.”

She nodded, her lips twitching, then she took a step toward us. Instinctively, I moved myself further in front of Orion, and I felt his irritation even as her eyes widened.

“You’re mates,” she said, then blushed. “Sorry, I just… I’ve heard they uh. They do that.”

I glanced over my shoulder at Orion, but his face was unreadable. “Yes,” I finally told her. It wasn’t true in the most literal sense, but he was under my skin the way any mate would have been. “It’s nothing personal. We just haven’t been on the best of terms with humans.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I uh…I was part of the integration club at school. They never did let Wolves join. At least, not while I was there. But they’ve started accepting them now.”

I bristled. Such small steps to make up for such horrific atrocities, but I wasn’t about to start a philosophical argument with a young human in a clothing store. “Thank you for your support. Uh…we’ll take these.” I shoved the clothes at her, and she hurried off with her arms full.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Orion grabbed my arm. “Seriously?”

I flushed and bowed my head. “I didn’t mean to. It’s the bond, and you’re still…Omega enough that I can’t help it.”

His eyes narrowed. “Alpha pheromones made you do it?”

I swallowed thickly. “More like…I’m still not entirely myself. I still feel…” Animalistic. I didn’t say it though, but I didn’t need to. His face softened, and he gave me a short nod.

“I get it. I won’t take it personally.”

But he also deliberately walked in front of me on the way to the register, and I tried not to smile at the open display that he wasn’t submitting to me on anything. She seemed to understand she’d overstepped a little because she was a lot quieter during the transaction, and I thanked her as I took the bags and led the way back to the car.

“It’s going to be a pain in the ass like that everywhere, isn’t it? They’re all going to see us and think they fucking know what we’re like,” he spat.

I sighed as I glanced up the street where there were a few restaurants and a small supermarket. “Probably. It’s all still new for them. A year isn’t enough to…”

“To get them to stop treating us like zoo animals?” he barked.

I carefully pressed him against the door of the car and nosed his neck, letting my scent wash over him. It was maybe a little unfair, but he melted into me anyway, even as he growled and nipped at my ear.

“Stop fucking doing that.”

“It only works because you want it to,” I pointed out, and he bit me again, though much more playfully this time. “Why don’t we shop for food, and I can cook us dinner. Then we can…entertain ourselves.”

He sucked in a sharp breath and urged my head up. “Entertain ourselves?”

I grinned, showing just a hint of fang. “Trust me, when I want to, I can get very creative.”

Chapter

Nineteen

ORION

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