Page 74 of Scent of Home

I glance around. “Who is messing with us?”

“I have no idea, but it’s weird.”

Shane brings Locke back and wraps his arms around him from behind.

“So, are we cool to resume the activities for the day? Finn is going to play tourist today.”

Finn sighs. “I’m going to try.”

“We’re going to help you,” Shane says in his deep rumble voice.

“Let's enjoy the last day of this festival. I want it over with,” I say with a wink at Locke. “And then the heat party can begin.”

Locke gulps and swallows hard.

Chapter twenty-one

Locke

Shane is grumbling. Heopened his mouth to speak several times and then stopped. I’m not sure whether to push or leave him be. Erin, Bray, and Finn are shifting the furniture in the cabin around. I want to start a fight. I want a reason to storm off.

Why, though?

Karma is sitting beside me, leaning her heavy weight up against my leg. She is the only reason I haven’t lost my shit.

I’m not feeling it today, and there’s a desperate edge to me. A need to run, to escape as far as I can.

I can feel Shane watching me. I can feel all the alpha’s intense stares, weighing and measuring my reactions. It’s oppressive. Under their questioning stares, I’m broken and less.

I’m drowning. I keep the smile on my face, but it’s becoming performative, and I can feel the presence of my nightmare just as the edge of my mind.

I can hear the laughter and my sick fears flooding my body. Memories flash in my mind, and it gets hard to breathe evenly.

I’m jerked out of it when a huge hand lands on my wrist. I turn on the person holding me with a rabid snarl, reacting before I blink the world back into focus, and find Shane staring at me with a concerned frown.

“Enough of this. What’s wrong?”

I shift my weight from foot to foot and glance at the floor.

“Words, Omega,” Shane rumbles in a demand that allows me no ability to refuse.

“It doesn’t feel right!” The words explode out of me, and I flinch, waiting for the anger from the others. Selfish, childish rock star. Selfish omega. I wait for the growls of disdain, for Shane to shove me, for someone to spit hate at me.

Shane purses his lips. I focus on him, blocking out Erin, Bray, and Finn.

“Come with me,” Shane says calmly.

Panic floods my body, and I taste metal. The world goes hazy, and my vision pulses. “Okay,” I barely breathe. How bad is this going to hurt?

He leads us to the car and leans over me, doing up my seatbelt. The gesture is just so kind that the anger and fear leaches out of me, leaving me exhausted. But it returns when he starts the car.

I can hear the others get in the car, but I can’t look at them. I can’t face the reprimand. They’ll just think I’m a stupid, selfish musician. Selfish. Always causing trouble.

I wince at the words. They are so familiar.

We don’t drive heaps far, but it’s further up the mountain and is much more secluded. I almost miss the driveway, but Shane doesn’t.

“Shane, what did you do?” Finn asks in awe.

---