Samson looked confused. "Why wouldn't it be?"
Maybe because the last time they'd gone to the bar, he'd had to knock someone unconscious moments after they'd walked through the door.
"I just don't want to cause any trouble," Cassidy said.
"Too late for that, sweetheart." Samson laughed. "Besides, you know you don't have to worry. I can handle anything that comes up."
Cassidy didn't doubt that for a second.
After she was finished cleaning up, she went into the bedroom to change. She picked out a dress that Mia had loaned her while Cassidy's old clothes were being shipped up to the Boundarylands. The dress no longer fit Mia now that she was pregnant and she’d told Cassidy to keep it as long as she liked.
The dress was beautiful—a deep scarlet color that Cassidy would never have picked out for herself. Well, not during her old life anyway.
But now she liked the way the silky fabric clung to her body and swirled around her hips. The cut and flow made her feel as pretty as Samson insisted she was.
Once they were in his truck, Cassidy snuggled up close to his side, wrapping her arm around his and letting the warmth and comfort of his body wash over her.
Damn, she was happy.
She knew there was going to be trouble in their lives. There was trouble in everyone’s.
There would be people—alpha, beta, and maybe even omega—who wouldn't understand their relationship. Who would jeer and condemn and make things difficult, but together they would make it through.
They would have each other…and that would be enough.
Cassidy kept her hold on Samson’s arm as they entered the bar. This time the conversation didn't stop when they stepped through the door.
It wasn't perfect, of course. The tension in the place did kick up a notch. A couple of alphas glanced at them through narrowed eyes from the far side of the room, but at least this time, no one said a word. At least not to Samson's face.
Samson guided Cassidy to a stool at the bar, and Ty came over right away. He gave them both a friendly nod before automatically starting to pour Samson a beer.
"And what are you drinking, Cassidy" Ty asked with a grin. "Beer or some of that special whiskey you like?"
Was Ty…teasing her?
Well, if that wasn't progress, Cassidy didn't know what was.
"I heard she likes bourbon," a feminine voice said from the hallway that stretched past the back of the bar. A second later, Mia poked her head out. "I was wondering when you'd make your way back here."
"Sorry," Cassidy said, getting up to hug her friend. "I've been busy."
"I bet you have," Mia said, winking suggestively. Cassidy winced as the omega wrapped her arms around her shoulder.
Mia sucked in an excited breath. "Oh, my God. You did it, didn't you?"
Cassidy didn't have to ask what she meant. No one in the place did. Looking around, she could tell that all the alphas already knew. They had probably sensed it long before she'd even stepped foot inside Evander's, picking up more than just the scent of her healing flesh, but the signs of Samson's deepening devotion.
"That's wonderful," Mia exclaimed, not caring who heard her or what they might think about Cassidy and Samson's new situation. "Are you happy?"
"Absolutely," Cassidy assured her, blushing. "Except for the fact that I still have bite marks. It's taking forever to heal. Meanwhile, you can barely see Samson’s anymore."
"Ouch," Mia said. "Do you want Gail to take a look at it? She was training to be a nurse when she came here, you know."
"No need. It's fine." Cassidy shook her head. "Just sore."
"Well, if it takes much longer to heal, promise me you'll go see her," Mia insisted. "I'm so excited to have you here in the Boundarylands with us for good. I'd be upset to lose you even for even a couple days to a beta doctor."
"You’re not the only one," Samson grumbled.
"Guys," Cassidy laughed. "It's a couple of scratches, not a gunshot wound. I'll be fine. I might not be as robust as you, but I'm no delicate flower either."
Mia laughed. "You're right. How quickly I’ve forgotten what it's like to be a beta."
After that, the bar went back to its normal hum of daily alpha life. Samson drank his beer, Ty served the rest of the alphas, and Mia and Cassidy chatted. It was almost like the old days.
The old days. Ha!
The ‘old days’ were only a week ago, when Cassidy had still been a graduate student making research trips, concentrating on keeping her head down and her eyes on the floor. Now when she asked questions, they were of Mia. And her friend answered them without reservation, spilling the intimate details of her life like they were the most mundane things in the world.
And to her, they probably were. But not to Cassidy. And definitely not to the rest of the beta world once she was done with her paper.
The minutes ticked by quickly until Cassidy slowly noticed the mood in the room starting to change. She looked around to see every alpha shifting slightly on the floor. Their muscles tensed. Their eyes were glued to the door.
Cassidy slid over toward Samson.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"Betas." Samson frowned. "About a dozen of them. All nearing the parking lot." He threw his head back and tested the air. "Ian is with them."
Ian?
There was a name she hadn't thought about for almost a week. Why the hell was he coming back here? And why had he brought so many others with him?
Fear and anger swirled inside her. What was that idiot thinking? He was going to get himself killed coming in here. More than that, he was going to get everybody else with him killed too.
Even now, murderous thoughts were burning bright in Samson's eyes. He'd seen Ian as a threat to Cassidy’s safety a week ago. Back then, she'd been practically
