Filed To Story: Secret with Betas Daughter: Skylar Story Series
I smile over at Sierra who is laughing at something Sam was saying. Before Dakota could reply to me, Sierra jumped in.
“It was not a hostage situation, I was just being a good friend and highlighting all of your amazing assets.”
I rolled my eyes at her. She wasn’t wrong though. She found this amazing blue coat that accentuated the grey of my eyes and the eye make-up she did made my eyes glow almost silver. She then pulled my blonde hair into a high ponytail and added soft curls to it making me look taller and more confident. I still had my jeans, t-shirt and black combat boots on from school today. She didn’t do a lot, but what she did made me look like a different person.
I don’t know how long we stood there talking to the guys, but we seemed to have their undivided attention. My brother and even Oliver joined in the conversation after a while. I found out Oliver was actually really smart and took a ton of extra math classes. He and I had a long discussion that went over the heads of everyone else, at least one of them likes school, it makes me feel less weird. Cameron and Dakota were talking about a few of the things their dad wants them to consider since they are becoming co-Alphas and some of the other pressures they had to think about. My brother even talked about the pressure dad put on him to be the best beta. We found out all five of them were into sports and training. They have all tried almost every outdoor sport there is to try, several I would love to join them on. I think Sierra just has that charm about her, it draws you in and if she chooses to pull you in you can’t resist. These guys have never had these kinds of conversations around me let alone with me.
Dakota walked by me after getting another beer, stopped right next to me and looked straight down into my face. “You really are tiny, Tiny. What happened? Was Mateo given all the height and nothing was left over for you?”
He stood towering over me, his six foot and growing frame required me to tilt my head all the way back to look at his face. It should have intimidated or frightened me to have him this close, but I didn’t feel anything but safe around any of these guys.
“I guess I never realized how small you are, Smalls.”
Cameron added. My head was so far back, I only had to shift my gaze slightly to notice he was right behind me. Not touching, like Dakota, but close enough to feel the body heat radiating off of them.
Still not intimidated, I responded the only way I could think of, like Sierra. “I guess some of us needed less time to reach perfection. Some of you are still working out the rough edges.”
They both smiled at me.
“Like a fine wine, Little Bit, we are only getting better with age.”
Sam chimes in, his arm firmly grasped around Sierra where it’s been for the last hour or so since she switched to beer. We all laughed at him.
“Do either of you have a variation on short you would like to throw in for good measure?”
I look at Oliver and my brother. They both chuckle and I attempt to use the moment to get out of the twin sandwich I am in.
But they just move as I move, so I stopped trying to get away and looked around to Oliver as he said, “Let me get back to you, Bite Size, I’ll come up with something clever.”
I rolled my eyes at him and Sierra just laughed.
“And you?”
I look at Mateo.
“Right now, Shorty, the only thing I get to call you is the take down champ. Dad is never gonna let any of us live that down.”
Everyone chuckles at the memory. He reaches for me between the twins and wraps an arm around my neck and pulls me close in a gentle headlock type hug, a gesture he has never done before. I don’t know if it is the beer slowing down his uptight faculties, although I didn’t think beer really did much to werewolves, and he hasn’t had a ton, but who knows, I’ve never had any and he stopped the guys from giving me any tonight. They all offered multiple times as we mingled. Or was he uncomfortable with how close the twins were to me. He’s never been protective before, but I guess I haven’t given him a reason to be, we don’t hang out. Hell, I don’t hang out, with anyone, this is all new for me and he probably knows it.
The moment seemed to go unnoticed by the others and they all started discussing this morning’s training, while we all moved over closer to the fire and found seats on logs or the ground. Mateo didn’t take his arm off my shoulder until I sat down and leaned against one of the logs. Sierra sat by me, but Sam sat on the log behind her, placing her in between his legs. My brother sat on my other side, leaving Oliver, Cameron and Dakota on the next log that was angled towards us.
“Don’t remind me. I was on the receiving end of that particular beatdown.”
Sierra mumbles. I was worried for a minute that maybe she was irritated with me for the way I beat her during training, but when I look at her, she doesn’t look upset. She actually looks amused. They all laugh again and I take a deep breath and join them.
Man, was that training only this morning? I feel like so much has happened since then. I did notice as we changed our location many more people had shown up too. I was so caught up in our own group, I didn’t even notice. I guess Sam was right, everyone came whenever and just hung out as long as they wanted. The fire was really nice, It was more chilly than I had anticipated. I wasn’t cold, but I would take warmth over cold weather any time.
“The Alpha told us that all the warriors tried to match or better her time using the takedown today and no one could do it.”
Sierra supplies to our group. “Including all your dads.”
she added like an afterthought taking a pull from her beer, but I think she was rubbing salt in the wound.
“Really? Damn! Well I don’t feel so bad then, if none of our dad’s could beat it either.”
Sam says.
“How many training sessions do you go to?”
Oliver asks in his low growl, I can see his brain doing some kind of calculation. “I know you’re at all the mandatory pack training and you train with Luna Ava at advanced training, but what else?”
He seemed genuinely curious as he took a slow drink of his beer.
“All of them.”
I shrug, keeping my focus on the fire. I don’t know why, but I feel uneasy saying that outloud. Until today I didn’t hang out with anyone, so outside of getting my homework done I trained. It was the only time I left the house and Kaley left me alone. I was not going to explain that to them though. I was just starting to feel a little normal.
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
On her wedding anniversary, Alicia is drugged and stumbles into the wrong room—straight into the arms of the powerful Caden Ward, a man rumored never to touch women. Their night of passion shocks even him, especially when he discovers she’s still a virgin after two years of marriage to Joshua Yates.