Page 197 of Alphas Like Us

Back on the beach, Loren Hale scours the competition like his son just did. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Losays.

I turn my head and try to peer around all the famous ones and distinguish the sand structures. The Cobalts are going the traditional route and building a huge castle. Complete with four turrets and the structure has motherfuckingwindows.

“Is that a moat?” Lunaasks.

Sure enough, Eliot and Tom dig a hole towards the ocean, and Team Hale watches as the water fills up the tunnel that surrounds the Cobalt’scastle.

“We’re screwed,” Kinneydeadpans.

Next to Team Cobalt, the Meadows family compacts sand in the shape of a mermaid. Since they only have four team members, they were given a head start. Winona uses a twig to draw scales on the tail, and Sulli places seaweed as a bikini top. Their parents, Ryke and Daisy, make the mermaid’s hair withseashells.

All the Hales look back at our sandcastle. The mound of sand resembles a mound ofsand.

“I kinda like our sand thingie,” Lunamuses.

Xander nods. “It’s more like the mountain of Hogwarts without thecastle.”

“Hogwarts Mountain,” Kinney saysflatly.

Maximoff pats the sand mound. “Better than their muggle castle.” He looks over at me like he knows a word that I don’tknow.

He’s always such a fucking dork. And I actually skimmed a fewHarry Potterbooks after his mom gave them to me when I was on her securitydetail.

I’m about to tell him that he doesn’t know more than me, but his gaze suddenly shifts towards his dad. Lo just stood up, and his attention is cemented ontome.

“Farrow, walk with me.” Lo brushes sand off his hands. “The rest of Team Hale can build HogwartsMountain.”

I look to my boyfriend, and Maximoff shakes his head like he’s unsure of what this is about. I roll onto my knees, and seamlessly rise to myfeet.

Maximoff is about to stand, but his dad quickly tells his son, “I’ll bring him back in one piece. Sit. Relax. Eat a sandwich, you lookpale.”

He’s not pale atall.

“Thanks, Dad,” Maximoff says, sarcasm thick, and his brows scrunch at me like,see you later, and you’ll tell me every damnthing?

Iwill.

Butlet’s be honest, he’s going to be agonizing over every second when I’m gone. Wondering what the hell his dad is talking to meabout.

And truthfully, I don’t have a goodguess.

I follow Lo, step-for-step with him, and I rub my palms together, trying to scrape off the wet sand. We pass Team Cobalt, and their ridiculously large castle. Nine people are building thisthing.

Lo edges closer and purposefully steps on one of the turrets. Demolishing it flat to theground.

“Cheater!” most of the Cobalts boo andyell.

“Loren!” Rose yells above her seven kids. “You’ve reached a new level of low. Ruining the children’ssandcastle.”

“So now they’re children?!” he yells back. “Because for two decades, I thought you’ve been calling themgremlins.” She does call her kidsgremlins.

It’s widelyknown.

Rose curses at him, and he walks off,smiling.

At first glance it might look like Rose and Lo hate each other, but they’ve teamed up for most of the yacht trip. They raided the teenagers’ cabins for cigarettes, and they’re planning to toss all that shit into the beach bonfiretonight.

As we pass the sand mermaid, Ryke gives Lo a hard stare. “Don’t even fucking think about it,” Ryke warns hisbrother.