“Any news about Luis’ dream?” she asked Kilian softly, the sudden noise of the movie allowing her to speak freely.
“Cian is getting similar warnings about death, more or less,” he whispered back, as Theodore pulled her legs into his lap. “But we have no idea what it is or when it’s going to happen, which usually means it isn’t going to happen today.”
“What are we going to do?” she whispered.
“We’re sticking close together until the end of term. One of us always needs to be with at least one other Alpha, and we have to answer Mikel’s check-in messages in the group chat as soon as he sends them. So make sure you can always see or hear your phone, even while you’re dancing.”
What about everyone else? She wanted to ask the question. It was on the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed it back. She couldn’t even protect herself, and she suddenly had more than herself to worry about.
A Tether couldn’t survive without an Anchor.
If something happened to one of the Alphas, what would happen to her?
Theodore had been brushing his thumb along the arch of her foot, but he suddenly dug his nail into the sensitive skin of her ankle, drawing her attention to him with a snap, her lips parting in shock. He widened his eyes, giving her that innocent look he used to be able to pull off so well.
Not so much anymore.
“He’s pretty sure nothing is going to happen tonight.” Theodore wrapped his hand around her ankle, squeezing it in reassurance. “Try to relax. There’s nothing more we can do about that problem tonight, so let’s focus on this problem instead.”
She schooled her face into a blank expression. “What problem?”
“Yeah,” Moses drawled, his hands tucked behind his head, his dark grey gaze fixed to the screen. “What problem?”
“There’s a problem?” Niko managed to sound confused and genuinely concerned.
“Wow,” Oscar drawled, also refusing to shift his eyes from the screen. “You just called your little girlfriend a problem. Real smooth, Theo.”
“Wallis is a problem?” Gabriel asked distractedly, walking back into the room with a tub of ice cream, a bowl, and a handful of spoons.
“Wallis is actually quite tall,” Elijah added, directing the statement to Oscar.
“This conversation got problematic real fast,” Kilian mumbled against her temple.
Gabriel shot him a look, holding the tub of ice cream out to Isobel. He jiggled it when she didn’t immediately reach for it. As soon as it was in her hands, he quickly scooped some out into the bowl, then dropped a spoon into the tub for her, handing the rest out to the others. The bowl was for him, of course. There was no way he was going to double-dip that spoon of his.
Theodore leaned over her legs, digging his spoon into the frosty, creamy concoction.
“You all suck,” he said, after licking choc chip and mint cream from the cold metal.
11
Kinky Sour
Cuddled up in the cocoon of Kilian’s arms, Isobel felt something settling inside her that had felt uneasy for months. She was swamped by his calming scent, with Theodore gently tracing his fingers over her calves and the rest of the Alphas spread out around them. For a precious half an hour—with random, muscled arms reaching over her lap to steal chocolate or candy—she felt like she belonged somewhere.
It didn’t really have anything to do with her, though.
It was the way the Alphas were with each other. The easy, warm camaraderie they possessed. The inside jokes that sprang to their lips effortlessly, causing familiar groans and chuckles in response. It was the tension that had dissolved completely from Moses’ face, the easy smile that crept over Niko’s, and the way Oscar closed his eyes and kicked his legs up onto Gabriel’s lap—who immediately shoved them off with a retaliatory kick.
They seemed to be so comfortable with each other that they had almost forgotten she was there at all. Just another warm body on the couch, another sweet scent mixing with Theodore and Kilian’s aroma to create a light, harmonious fragrance that balanced itself out perfectly. They acted more like brothers than friends or roommates, their bond so obvious that it warmed her even though she wasn’t a part of it.
Cian, Niko, and Moses had moved to the floor right in front of her, resting back on cushions they had dragged from the couches and armchairs, their long, toned limbs spreading out in every direction. Moses had a hand tucked behind his head, one of his legs bent, swinging side to side to collide with Niko’s leg in a casual touch that didn’t even seem to be intentional. Niko’s foot was jiggling as though he would rather be doing something more active, but he laughed in a relaxed way whenever Moses muttered something sarcastic beneath his breath.
Cian’s shirt had ridden up and he was absently stroking his own skin, his thumb passing back and forth across the hint of a black tattoo curling up from the waistband of his pants. When Niko hit his chest, he sat up quickly, sucking in a breath, and Elijah looked down at them in disapproval.
“Careful, it’ll get infected,” Gabriel grumbled.
Cian cupped a hand over where one of his nipples would have been, pouting at Niko. “I just got that one done, asshole.”
“Is there anywhere left you haven’t just gotten done?” Niko tossed back casually. “You’re really milking this special permission thing. Weren’t you only supposed to get one tattoo finished?”
“Surrogating is hard.” Cian’s pout deepened, but it only made him look delightfully sultry, instead of truly pathetic. “No offence,” he added, tipping his head back to glance at Isobel.
“You have my sympathies,” she returned dryly.
“Appreciate it, doll. And”—he swung his head back to Niko—“for the record, I definitely have a few places left.” He waggled his eyebrows.
Niko rolled his eyes, turning back to the screen. Isobel pulled out her phone, peeking over at Theodore beneath her lashes as she considered the message she wanted to send.
It was his birthday today—his and Moses’—but had they celebrated it the night before? It didn’t really seem like they celebrated anything. They just performed for the cameras and then went to sleep.
She pulled up a message to Theodore, but then found herself stuck, realising that if she sent a private message to Theodore, she would have to send a private message to Moses. She switched to the group chat.
What should she say?
Kilian’s chin brushed her head as he looked down at what she was doing, and she completely lost her nerve. There were a dozen things she wanted to say to Theodore, but not too many sentiments for his brother.
She dropped her phone with a small huff, glancing over to Elijah, who was jotting things down on his tablet with an electronic pen, flicking his attention back to the movie every now and then. He was sitting closest to her on the perpendicular couch, his elbow notched on the armrest, close enough for her to reach out and tap hesitantly.