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He’s quiet, lost in thought as he replays something in his mind.
After a moment of hesitation, he finally speaks up. “Micah’s complicated, London, and I owe him so much. We owe him our lives out here. I don’t think we would survive out here without him.”
A surge of adrenaline rushes through me as I recall Micah’s fingers inside me, with no hesitation, despite my relationship with Maison. It seems as if he feels entitled to me because of it.
“You shared her with him, didn’t you?” I ask pointedly.
His lack of anger or concern tells me everything. He knows something happened with Micah and me, but he’s too scared to ask about it. I want to be furious at him, but the look of utter sadness on his face gives me pause.
“It’s complicated, baby,” he whispers, wrapping his arms around me. “My relationship with Micah is complicated, but just remember whose sweater you’re wearing right now. You’re mine, London. What happened with Olivia was a mistake, and she’s in the past.”
“Did you hurt her?” The words fall out of me before I can think about it. “Before she died, she had bruises… That’s why they were trying to charge Micah, isn’t it?”
His eyes narrow. “Why would you ask that?”
Because I know the truth, and I’m spying on you.
“Answer my question, please. I need to hear you say it.”
He pulls my head into his chest. “I would never hurt anyone, especially someone I love. Micah would never hurt anybody, either.” He presses a kiss into my brow. “Neither of us are going to hurt you, baby.”
It takes every ounce of control not to rip my clothes off and fuck him on the forest floor. Any ounce of desire for Micah from earlier is gone.
Maison is everything.
I press my lips to his; I nibble on his lips, his neck. He gives me his full attention and his hands drift to my lower back.
“London,” he whispers. “Can I ask you something?”
I turn my head up at the very serious look on his face. “What is it?”
“I want you to be my girlfriend.”
I nearly choke on my spit, and I can’t help but laugh. But then I realize he’s being serious and my heart fills. “I thought I already was?”
“I want to make sure you know it.”
The smile on my face hurts. “Yes, Maison, I will be your girlfriend.”
He wraps an arm around my shoulder. “Good answer. I’ll do anything to protect you, baby. I hope you know that.”
Happiness swells in my chest as we head back to the others. It’s a small sliver in the pit of my belly that upends the full bliss of this moment. My lies still haunt me.
As we make our way back, we see Micah sitting by the fire, his silhouette flickering in the glow of the flames. Holding hands, we approach him, and he looks up. His eyes linger on my hand, tightly laced with Maison’s. His jaw flexes as he grabs a stick and starts making another one of his damn spears.
I was right about Micah; and I won’t trust him merely because Maison tells me I should. Maison obviously has a blind spot when it comes to his brother and the loyalty is clearly not reciprocated.
For whatever reason, he is trying to drive a wedge between me and Maison. Olivia’s death may have been unintentional, but he’s far from innocent.
Micah study’s me, and he flashes a smile, reminding me how I nearly fucked him a mere hour earlier, and worst of all, how much I liked it.
It’s a good night.
Despite Serena’s longing glances at Maison, I’m glad to have the rest of the group with us. Having more people means more help, more intelligence to keep us safe, and a bigger divide between Micah and me and the other members of the group I don’t like. I truly admire James and his leadership qualities that our alpha and everyone else here are lacking. Respect mainly.
The others finished the beginnings of their shelter, while Micah and Naomi prepped and cooked supper for everyone. Nigel and Ezra were even helpful and didn’t complain about using extra energy. I also noticed the two of them talking more in general, in a friendly way, that makes my skin crawl. We are all together for the first time, gathered around the fire eating, consuming the necessary fat and protein to prevent feeling miserable for the next few days. Although, hunger still holds a constant place in my life.
After we eat, Maison and I cuddle in our usual spot where I sit between his legs and lean my head back into him with our blanket wrapped around us. My gaze drifts to the stars, casting a faint glow across the clear night. Jade pops over to chat with Maison for a few minutes, telling us all about how she helped Thomas construct the new shelters. The rest of the group appears worn out after their trek today, but there’s an undeniable sense of energy that’s pulsing through us—the highest it’s been since we arrived. Though there’s a hint of frost in the air, I feel warm as I lie still, my attention solely on Maison’s heartbeat as I watch and listen.
