𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐫 || 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐊𝐰𝐚𝐧

Chapter 7

After the embarrassment that was brunch, and then ditching the alpha instead of helping with the dishes, Seungkwan was surprised when Vernon approached him the next morning with an invitation.

“The harvest festival is in town this week. We were planning on going this afternoon, if you want to come. Might be nice to get away from the cottage for a few hours.”

Seungkwan hesitated. After the past few days, he wasn’t sure he trusted himself to act with care around Vernon and his friends.

“It’s not much,” Vernon added. “A few stalls, a few games and rides, popcorn and cotton candy. Might not be of much interest to a city guy.”

It sounded… wholesome.

“I guess a break from sweeping might be nice,” he joked, indicating the brush which was resting against the stable wall.

“Great,” Vernon said, turning back toward the cottage. “Dress casual, unless you want to stick out like a sore thumb.”

“But I left my cowboy costume at home,” Seungkwan called back. It was true enough: none of his clothes were really suited to yard work or mucking out.

He’d made do with what he had.

Vernon turned around, an amused grin on his face. “I can lend you a plaid shirt. Maybe a cowboy hat?”

Seungkwan laughed, picturing himself swamped in checkered plaid and stumbling around with the hat covering his eyes. “I’ll keep that in mind, thanks.”

In the end, he went for dressed down. Just a plain pair of jeans and a T-shirt with some sneakers. He emerged from his room, and Vernon looked him up and down from his vantage point by the front door.

“Will I pass muster?” Seungkwan asked him.

“You look like a college kid home for the holidays,” was all the alpha said, but Seungkwan didn’t miss the way his gaze lingered.

“Is that good or bad?”

“It’ll do.”

They climbed into Vernon’s truck, rolling down the windows to get a breeze going as they drove. It was good to feel the wind in his hair, blowing away the many cobwebs that had wrapped themselves around him in recent weeks. Soon he’d have a clean slate, a chance to start over. The past would be forgotten once more.

“The others are meeting us there,” Vernon said, turning on the radio and flicking through the stations until he found something with a beat.

“How many of you are there?”

“With the kids, a lot. But Seokmin’s cubs are too young for the festival, so I think he and Joshua are staying home with them. The others you met at brunch should be there though.”

It didn’t escape Seungkwan’s notice that Vernon had sidestepped his question. But then again, he was the protector of his pack. It made sense that he might not want to give details about them out to just anyone. And that’s exactly who Seungkwan was: just anyone, practically a stranger.

Vernon pointed out a few places of interest as they drove, but there wasn’t much to see. They really were out in the sticks. Whatever that meant.

“Did you always plan to live outside of the cities?”

“No,” Vernon said. “Always thought I’d find a mate and settle down in the suburbs.”

“What changed?”