You&Me: Book 4

Chapter 13: Secrets (Archer)

"I want to go."

"Saigon chewed me out for asking you to go last time," replied Willow.

"He's not in charge of me, and he's not even here to get in the way." I pressed my hand to my chest. "I want to go. I don't care what he told you."

She glanced at her friends, who stood on either side of her. "Look, Archer, we have a good thing going and Saigon could ruin it. If he told Darius what we were doing, we'd probably get demoted and stuck with his toxins."

The girl beside her cringed.

"Saigon won't tell," I stated. "Hell, you're safer if I go."

Willow arched a brow as she folded her arms.

"If he tells on you guys, I'll get in trouble, too. He won't do that. Saigon is my best friend. He wouldn't risk getting me demoted."

Willow nodded. "True. But if you come, you have to swear you'll make sure Saigon keeps his mouth shut. If he tells the alpha and tries to leave you out it, we won't." She motioned to the others. "We're all in this together."

"I'll handle, Saigon. I promise."

Willow smiled and looped arms with me. "Alright then, let's go."

***

(Saigon)

I tossed a stone into the pond below the hot pools as I sat on the shore. I attempted to skip one and did it wrong on purpose. "Show me how you do it again?"

Cricket sighed and wandered over from his tower of rocks. "You gotta flick it." He demonstrated. "Like this, see. With your wrist." He rolled his hand in a circle before skipping a stone across the water. "See, like that."

I did as he said and the rock bounced once before disappearing under the water. "I'll never be as good as you."

"You have to practice. That's what the beta says. If you practice, you get good at it."

"Is that why you're so good?" I pulled the pup to my side.

"Yeah, I practiced a lot." He put his arm around my neck. Cricket knelt down and started piling up the sand. "How long are you going to stay?"

"I have to go back tomorrow night."

The boy's shoulders sank. "And you won't come back for a long time again."

"I'll come and say goodbye before I go to school."

Cricket shoved a rock into the center of his mound. "I don't like school."

"Was kindergarten that bad?" I laughed.

"Yeah"—he let out a dramatic breath—"I'm going to be a first-grader. They have to stay all day. That's so long."

"You'll have more time to play with your friends, though."

He dug his finger in the sand. "I don't have any friends. No one wants to be friends with an omega."

"Lies."

Cricket flinched and turned to me.

"We're friends."

He smiled.

"Want to know a secret? Come here."

The boy scooted closer.

"I'm going to be the beta," I whispered in his ear. "Don't tell anyone. It's a secret." I pressed a finger to my muzzle.

Cricket nodded. "I won't." He wrung his hands in his lap. "Could I maybe tell a little bit?"