The Light in Us

13. Wilder

13

Wilder

F ox snarls at me from his position beside the window. “Do not tell me to calm down .”

Holding back my smile, I raise my hands in silent apology and stay where I am, leaning against the door. “Sorry.”

Although it’s nice to see someone other than me losing my mind for a change.

Rowan burrows beneath his arm, and I watch as Fox wraps his arm around him, dragging him in until his face is buried in Rowan’s shoulder. Scent-marking, his teeth closing over Rowan’s bonding mark as if it can calm the panic inside him that fills the room. “He’s just gone for a walk, Fox. He’ll be back soon.”

Rowan’s calm, gentle words pull an answering growl from deep in Fox’s throat. “Then why isn’t he answering his damn phone ?”

“Because he’s a little git?” Fox glares at me over Rowan’s shoulder.

Rowan twists his head to offer me a matching look. He rolls his eyes. “Not helping, Wild.”

Crossing my arms, I wait. Barely a few seconds pass before Fox is spinning back to the window, almost pressing his face against the glass. “I’m going after him.”

He’s not paying attention to the door. But a finger pokes me in the ribs, nudging me out of the way. “After who? And – uh, woah . Smells a bit like overkill in here.”

Teddy looks sheepish – and cold – as he slips into the room beside me. “Sorry. Long story, but I mislaid my phone on the way back. But I met someone—,”

Fox is there within a second, dragging Teddy to him. He takes a deep, shuddering breath. “What do you mean, you mislaid your phone ? I swear to god, Teddy, I’m going to put a damn tag on your ass—,”

His voice cuts off.

Everyone stops.

“Uh. Yeah.” Teddy rubs his neck. He eyes me carefully. Then he steps a little closer. “Like I said. I met someone, and I needed to check if I was right.”

My snort is amused. If he thinks I’ll be able to protect him from Fox, he’s wrong.

And he loves it anyway, so I’m not sure why he’s watching me like that, his brows lowered.

Like I said. Little git . I take a breath, teasing words on the tip of my tongue.

“About what?” Rowan asks.

I have no idea what Teddy says in response to that.

Because the familiar haze sweeps over me in a sudden rush , dragging down over my vision and tinting it with a deep, blushing red. I feel my teeth draw back into a snarl, the part of me that’s Wilder disappearing beneath a wave of sudden, crushing need .

I try to fight it. The same as I always do, try desperately to shove that door closed. But there’s no stopping this .

A roar rings out. A body slams into mine, throwing me off as I launch myself at the omega in front of me, shoving me sideways.

Hands – yelling – pinning me down as I struggle against the hands holding me.

“ Wilder !”

I roar, bucking beneath their grip. They can’t hold me.

Because that scent – delicate, floral, underpinned with a spiciness that goes directly to my rapidly stiffening cock - is digging deep into my lungs, gripping onto my heart and squeezing it – a torturous, clawing desperation that has me bucking them off and barrelling toward it.

Nothing keeps an alpha from their scent-match.

Nothing will keep me from mine.

Mate.

But… it’s wrong.

I bury my face into the neck of the omega, drawing their scent into my lungs. My teeth graze his neck, and he whines beneath me as he softens, his body bending for mine. Hands grip my shoulders, words babbling into my ear. Soothing. Placating.

Pack.

Not my mate.

Teddy. Pack.

The haze is slow to pull away. I stay where I am, sucking in deep lungfuls of that scent even as it begins to fade beneath me.

No . I push into it, my nose seeking it out as my hands tighten.

“Wilder – it’s not him!”

“Get the hell off him right fucking now —,”

“Stop it!” The voice comes from close to my ear, breathless and pleading. “Get back. I’m fine. Wilder – god, I’m sorry. I thought – I didn’t realize you’d think it was me. She’s perfect. She’s so fucking perfect, you’re going to love her, but it’s not me. It’s Fallon. Fallon . That’s your mate. She’s your scent-match. Not me.”

Fallon.

My arms loosen slightly. The omega buries his hands in my hair, running through it with gentle touches. “That’s it. She’s beautiful, Wild. Tall, with these wide amber eyes. And she’s coming back here, so we need to make sure you’re ready. Okay? Deep breath. You can come out of this, for her. Right?”

His touch is familiar. Grounding.

Pack.

Fallon.

My voice is a rasp, rusty speech dragged over razor blades from deep in my chest. “ Mate .”

Tension ratchets up in the air around me, but the hands on my face are soft. “Yes. She’s your mate. But she needs you to be Wilder . You don’t want to scare her, right?”

No. I don’t want to scare her.

But that need – it physically hurts. “ Scent .”

“Yep,” Teddy murmurs. Teddy . He keeps touching me, grounding me with pack as the red tinge in my vision slowly rolls back. “She smells really good, huh? And she loves books, too.”

“Teddy.” A choking sound from behind me. “How did you know?”

“The bond,” he breathes beneath me. “It feels like… like an echo . Weird feeling.”

I become more aware of my surroundings. The room around me is silent, all attention on us. My arms are banded around Teddy, his back against the wall and my hand in his hair, tugging his neck to the side.

My nose is buried in his skin.

Chocolate and marshmallows.

And beneath that… heaven.

I rip myself away, stumbling back as Fox body checks me out of the way and dives for Teddy. “You okay?”

But Teddy doesn’t say anything. He grabs Fox by the back of the neck and drags him down, to the place where I scented her.

Fallon.

My breathing shudders, and I scoot across the floor to put space between us as I watch our pack leader bend to breathe Teddy in.

It’s a position I’ve seen them in hundreds of times. Thousands.

Fox stiffens, his face in the crook of Teddy’s neck.

I’m not sure he’s even breathing.

Hell, I’m not sure I’m breathing. Probably for the best, in case I attack our omega again.

But Fox… he drops, his knees hitting the floor with a solid thump. His shoulders seem to widen, a low growl rumbling through the room as he stares up at Teddy with a dazed expression. And his voice… it’s half ecstasy, half pain .

“ Mate .”