"Hm... Mr. Liam Black, I really like this romantic side of yours. What do you have in mind?"
"I don't know. The usual stuff? Maybe a few dates would be good, for starters."
"I want to go back to eat that cheeseburger," I immediately state.
He chuckles, and puts a quick kiss on my cheek.
"Okay. I want to go back there with you for a real date this time too. What else?"
"More bike rides. Time for just the two of us..."
I lean in and gently kiss him. His beard is growing out a little, just a few spikes on his chin, but it's nice to brush it with my fingers, just this once. Liam answers my kiss without hesitation, and I feel his lips turn into a smile. His hands get a little bit more adventurous on my body too. I feel his fingers under my tank top, caressing my waist. His other hand is on my butt, and I wonder why I don't wear skirts more often so we could get a bit naughty like this...
I have more ground to play with; I caress his back, my fingers brushing down his spine and up to his hairline. I like his broad shoulders I can lean on, and the smell of his skin. Funny enough, he's the one to smell a bit like bark and firewood this time, and I don't hate it. Underneath this, it's still his smell, my Liam and my mate. Something reassuring, something that completes my senses. There's also a hint of salt in our kisses, and something sweet and sour. It makes me a little bit hungry again, but I'd rather have some more of him. Liam must have tasted it too, because he gets even more playful, biting my lower lip, groaning a little as we get a bit more savage.
"You do know there are kids around, right?"
We both stop, a bit guilty, and raise our heads to see Selena, staring at us with a little smile. Liam rolls his eyes.
"Not you, please. With all the times you and Nate asked me to watch the girls so you could get some time off..."
"Hey, there's a time and place for that," she chuckles, "and you two don't even have kids."
Liam and I exchange a look. Hm... We may have been a bit too naughty, indeed. I chuckle, and he sighs, brushing his hair back.
"Fine, we'll... watch it."
As he says that, he still wraps his arms a bit tighter around me like some grumpy kid, making me chuckle. I turn to Selena, though. I don't think she came here just to make sure we stayed kid-friendly...
"Everything okay?" I ask.
She sighs, and comes over to watch the firepit and the others with us, although she crosses her arms.
"I don't know. You know, I always thought of myself as a warrior. I'm definitely a fighter, maybe one of the best in Silver City, those guys included. But... You know, Mara, we already had a war two years ago. Although we survived and defeated the enemy... I mean, Nephera and then all those vampires, it didn't feel like we won it either. We lost a lot of people, Mara. Both humans and werewolves. Sylviana too... I lost one of my best friends. I almost lost Nate. I'm not sure I can say I'm over it yet, and now, we may have more of that shit coming at us. I just don't know how I feel about it, honestly."
I get where she's coming from... Maybe it's easier for me because I wasn't here for their previous fight. To me, it feels like something I'd read in a book, but for them, it was very real, and they still bear the scars today. Not only the physical ones, but emotional ones too. I just need to look long enough to notice it. The way all the wolves move, as if they were constantly establishing some perimeter. The glances Ayesha gets at every move, as do I. How Damian Black keeps his wife and children close. How all the wolves are actually watching the kids. There's never one out of sight, or too far they couldn't reach them. If one of the pups wanders off, another wolf gets up and brings them back to the rest of them. They look out for each other, but not simply in a familial way.
I think I finally get why Nora's house is always so full of people. It isn't just because it’s the Alpha and Luna's house. The wolves need to feel their family is there, the pack needs to stick together. Silver City is such a large place, yet they are all moving around together, no one is ever really left alone.
"...I know this isn't my area of expertise. I think your human friend might be even more prepared than we are, but... I don't know how many of us can endure another fight, Mara. If there is one, I'm not sure how much the Alphas will be able to guide them either."
I take a deep breath.
"...I'm not an Alpha."
She turns to me with a frown, looking confused. I chuckle, still staring at the bonfire.
"It's funny. I spent so much time trying to figure out who I was... No, what I was. And now that I know, and I've come to terms with it, I realize... well, it just might not really matter anymore."
I smile, a sudden boost of confidence taking over, and brush Liam's hair gently with my fingers again.
"I'm an Omega, Selena," I declare with a smile. "I know I also have the aura of an Alpha wolf, but... truthfully, I'll never fully belong to the pack, no matter how much you welcome me. That's a fact, and that's... that's completely fine with me. I don't really need that. I'm fine with whatever I have now. I'm okay with being a freak, and I am okay with not picking a side. I'm a witch and a werewolf. I am Liam's mate."
"For sure," he smiles with a quick kiss on my shoulder.
I smile back at him, but quickly turn to Selena. Her amber eyes are more serious than ever, but now, they just feel so familiar to me. I can see the bonfire dancing in them, and I imagine she sees the same thing I do...
"The packs need someone like you and Nora to guide them, most of the time. You're the Lunas, you're the Royals. You're the perfect leaders for your people. But me? I'm... not really anything like you guys. I'm the freak who will handle the witches and the Dark Magic. I don't want... I don't want to be someone's Alpha. However, I'll come forward and lead anytime you need me. I'll protect this place, these people, whatever it takes. I swear, I'll be there, but I'll be free too. I just have... so much more to find, Selena, and I don't think... not all of it is in Silver City."
