CHAPTER ONE
Jay climbed out of the lake, landing beside Kristi with a happy grunt. Before them, early morning light glittered off the ripples of the water. As a test of loyalty, the two were allowed to clean up, alone. Neither had the urge to run away. Yet.
Kristi glanced at Jay. Without the dirt caking every inch of his body, he looked less pathetic and his hair shone a bit more brightly, though he had lost quite a bit of weight from being denied sustenance. Her gaze flicked back to the landscape, a sense of pride and relief swelled inside of her. She and Jay could live on the fringes of her pack, but it was still her pack, though Kristi couldn't be sure where this would lead them. For now, she just wanted to relax beside her Mate's delicious body heat.
As if on cue, Jay scooted closer. “It's not dark and you're still beautiful.”
A flush burned at the corners of her face. She rolled her eyes and smiled, unable to bring herself to accept his words. Flattery didn't work on her, but, somehow, the fact that it came from Jay made her core melt into a flurry of hormones and delight.
“I'm serious.” Jay's breath tickled across the juncture of her neck and shoulder. Kristi suppressed a shiver just as his mouth glided across her neck. His warm, soft lips tickled her flesh. The taste of the water mingled on her skin and Jay's tongue writhed along her shoulder, lapping up the water. His lips traversed up her neck, over her jaw, and caught her lips. His fingers threaded through her hair, holding the back of her head firmly as he shifted over her.
She gasped lightly against his mouth, her eyes closing as her arms ringed around his neck. Her fingers crooked against his back, her nails dragged across his skin. Jay grunted against her lips, enjoying the painful pleasure that nipped along his back.
A bush suddenly shook. Kristi gasped, her senses on high alert, as she shoved Jay forcefully off her. She recognized the scents dawdling closer. She crawled for the clothes the alphas had given them, tossing a pair of pants at Jay's head, “Get those on!”
As Kristi struggled to get into an oversized shirt, Jay took the pants and managed to wriggle them on. He didn't know what caused the spike in adrenaline in Kristi. He didn't have time to organize the hectic strands of thought inside his Mate's head.
“Get out of the bushes,” Kristi growled once she made sure the shirt covered all her important bits. She arched, on all fours, waiting for the voyeurs to show themselves.
“Why should we listen to someone who ain't even an omega?” The small voice erupted from the bushes as a young child leered at Kristi. A lanky brunette stepped out from the foliage, their hair matted with sticks and leaves and her face adorned with a multitude of freckles.
She eased, heaving a sigh. Two more children clambered from the bushes. All of them wore dirty, torn clothing that seemed two sizes too big for their bodies.
“You're the Sentinel?” One of the other children--a blonde with brown eyes and missing a baby tooth--gawped at Jay. “My dad said the Sentinels were all scrawny, mangy mutts!”
A child, with blue eyes and dirty red hair, considered Jay with a shrewd gaze, “Yeah, you don't look all that mangy to me.”
“I was a Sentinel,” Jay replied, the words bringing a dull pain into his chest. Was it so easy to renounce his previous alignment? Or did he know, deep down, it was a lie? He mentally shrugged off the concerns.
The first child spoke up, marching closer to Kristi. “What are you going to do now that you're not a Beta, Kristi?”
“I'll be around, Hazel.” Kristi sighed and wiggled on her pants, careful to stay covered.
Two more girls tore from the bushes. They edged toward Jay, both sharing dubious looks of interest as he shrugged on a T-shirt. A sudden awkwardness sunk into Jay's thoughts as the children stared at him.
Finally, one of them spoke up, “So, you're Kristi's Mate, right?”
“Yeah, I am.” Jay mentally prepared himself for a barrage of deprecations from these children.
“She's so lucky,” the other dreamily sighed.
Before Jay could reply, the other one butted back into the conversation, “You're not half-bad, but – I warn ya – if you hurt her, I'll gnaw you to shreds!”
“I will keep that in mind, kid,” Jay laughed and danced backward, palms up, as the pup bared teeth and claws. An inkling of envy flitted through Jay’s thoughts. Kristi had to be a big deal in the pack if even the younger generations cared about her. Faintly, he wondered why she'd give up her status in such a community – for him, of all people.
“Okay, kids,” Kristi's exasperation cut through Jay's curiosity. She pinned the kids with a mock frown and clapped her hands, “Let's get back to the cave. Jay and I have a lot of work to do.”