Made in Moonlight

Seven

"You can open your eyes now," Leyla says.

Slowly, I remove my hands from my eyes and glance around the room. Satisfied that Blake and Thomas have gone to put on some clothes, I finally relax a little.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to that," I murmur.

Leyla laughs. "I thought the same at first, but over time, you will. It's all just skin."

My face heats. Easy for her to say. She's not the one with her naked mate standing meters away from her.

It takes all my effort to shove that image of his bare chest out of my mind. Almost as much effort as it took to cover my eyes before they dared travel lower.

"I mean, why can't it work like the movies? Hasn't someone invented some super stretchy material, or clothes that vanish when you shift?" I ask.

"Unfortunately," Leyla says, giggling, "real life isn't like the movies."

"Well, werewolves apparently exist," I say. "So clearly anything is possible."

Blake re-emerges first, fully dressed. I can't help raking my eyes over his body. His sweater hides his biceps so well. They looked double the size when he was naked.

"Clover," he says.

I warm, realizing he's watching me. He towers over me and Leyla, his expression still angry. Our eyes meet and he softens a fraction.

"You need to get back to training," he continues.

I frown. "What? We're just going to pretend that never happened?"

His jaw clenches and he looks away. "Your training is what's most important right now."

"You heard the Alpha," Thomas teases, emerging from the hallway. He's pulled on a t-shirt and sweatpants, and he crosses the room to stand next to Leyla.

He looks down at her. He's so tall and she's so tiny, that she barely comes up to his chest.

"You alright?" he asks.

She nods and sends Blake a wary look. "Who were those wolves? What did they want?"

Blake stares back at her, then glances at me. I watch him, waiting for an answer. He sighs, giving in.

"Newbies," he says. "You know how teenagers are. They can't control their instincts."

"And their instincts told them to come here?" I ask.

Blake nods. His piercing eyes drill into mine, then flicker down to that silver rope that connects us.

"Some of the pack don't want more Omegas," he says vaguely. His eyes roam down, over my body, then flick back up to mine. "Even more reason to get back to training. You need to be able to defend yourself."

"Is it safe to go back out there?" Leyla asks.

Blake nods curtly. "They won't be back. If they have a problem with the pack rules, they can take it up with me at the next pack dinner."

His icy blue eyes land on me again and a shiver runs through me. He speaks so confidently. A part of me can't believe he would go this far to protect me.

I swallow drily. No. This isn't about me. This is about Leyla and Thomas too. I'm not the only Omega here.

"Let's go, then. Sparring. Me and you, Clover," Thomas says, moving towards the cabin door.

I groan. "Seriously?"

"You heard the Alpha. You need to learn how to defend yourself against scary wolves." He smiles, lifting a hand and curling it like a claw. "Like me."