Page 120 of Ensnared by the Pack: The Complete Series (Destined Realms #3)
AUDREY
Bishop arrived a few minutes later with clothes and breakfast and Knox left to report about his hunt to Deacon. We ate and chatted, Bishop’s excitement about the festival bubbling out of him.
A part of me wanted to tell him I’d changed my mind about going. When I’d agreed, I hadn’t known how everyone would judge me like the nasty group in the first aid class or stare at me like they had last night in the restaurant. I didn’t want to face more people like that and from the way Bishop was talking about it, most of the pack visited the festival all five days. It was going to be busy.
Except if I refused to go because I didn’t want everyone looking at me, then I’d be stuck hiding in the Residence for who knew how long, a self-made prisoner. And I really didn’t want that.
I wanted to go out with Bishop not just to the festival but to do other things. Kira had invited me to the restaurant where she was learning new dishes and I wanted to taste them.
If I could get through having everyone stare at me at the festival, most of the pack would learn in one fell swoop that I was plain and boring and a weakling. I wasn’t a threat like Finn and Velora believed… although from the way I’d caught Velora looking at Bishop maybe I was a threat to her.
On top of that, Bishop would be with me the entire time. I had no doubt that he’d keep me safe. All I needed to do was stay close, put up with the stares and the whispered comments, and hopefully soon after that, they’d forget about how interesting I was. I wouldn’t be able to leave the Residence by myself. That was just calling for trouble, but I’d hopefully be able to enjoy future outings.
A couple of hours after I’d convinced myself it was better to go than to stay hiding in the Residence, Knox returned. The three of us chatted some more until it was just before lunch.
We left Knox and returned to my suite so I could have a quick shower. That turned into a longer shower when Bishop offered to wash me and we’d ended up teasing each other with hands and lips, but thankfully didn’t go beyond that since I really was sore from last night.
It also didn’t feel weird like I was afraid it would. I wasn’t uncomfortable knowing I’d had sex with Knox and the next day was making out in the shower with Bishop.
And it was a great distraction from my nerves about the festival.
I wanted to feel feminine and beautiful for Bishop since this was an official courting date, but I didn’t want everyone staring at all my scars so I ended up wearing a green shirt that matched the flecks in Bishop’s eyes and a pair of light, loose, beige pants.
Then we headed to the festival, strolling down the streets while I made an effort to not make eye contact with anyone so I wouldn’t see them staring at me.
From the way the road sloped, I saw the festival before we reached it, the sight stealing my breath for a second. Even from a distance, I could tell there were going to be hundreds of things to see and do because it looked like the market on steroids.
It had at least a hundred more tents and stalls than the market I’d seen before, so many that they poured past the boundaries of Stonehaven onto the grassy plains. Flags and banners fluttered in the summer breeze, adding to the cacophony of colors from the tents and people, some wearing bright colors and others with flower crowns and necklaces, and— Oh! There were more overflowing planter boxes where there hadn’t been before filled with flowers.
As we drew closer, the wind shifted, carrying a mouth-watering mix of aromas, and the voices from all the people grew louder.
I inched closer to Bishop, uneasy about stepping into the crowd with the pack’s most eligible bachelor.
Maybe this was a bad idea after all.
I could already guess what everyone would think about me. The nasty group at the first aid class had made it perfectly clear.
Although not everyone had thought that. The neutral group had been curious, not judging, and Quinn and Zavier had been friendly and inviting. All I really needed to worry about was not embarrassing myself or drawing more attention than I already was and giving Cyrus or his betas more reasons to be mad at me.
We reached the crowd and those closest to us went silent.
Oh, crap.
My pulse lurched and I locked my gaze on the road just ahead of my toes. Everyone was looking at me.
“Look up, Audrey,” Bishop murmured, his voice so low I could barely hear him. “You’ve got this.”
I swallowed hard. I couldn’t spend my life hiding in the Residence from the pack. Even if I could, I’d still have to hide because Velora and Finn didn’t like me. I had to do this.
I could do this.
I raised my gaze and tried to smile but couldn’t stop feeling like I was a strange specimen on display.
“Everyone. This is Audrey,” Bishop announced and those farther down the street quieted and looked in our direction.
I tried to breathe through my rising panic. I didn’t want to be there, didn’t want people looking at me, judging me, seeing everything that was wrong with me.
People glanced at each other, a few said something, their mouths moving, but I wasn’t close enough to hear them.
Were they wondering what I was doing with Bishop?
Of course they were. I was Knox’s mate. I was supposed to stay in my lane and hide from the rest of the pack with Knox.
And boy, right now, I wanted to hide.
Stop looking at me, I mentally begged. Go back to what you were doing. Please.
This was a mistake, a horrible, terrible mistake. I shouldn’t be here, shouldn’t have left the Residence. But that would mean I was trapped for life and I couldn’t accept that.
Except could I accept all these people staring at me?
I glanced at Bishop who was beaming at me as if he were oblivious to the awkward silence, and warmth from our shifter connection warmed around my heart.
Yes. Yes, I could. People were always going to stare at me. I was just going to have to live with that. But really, most people wouldn’t care what I did or who I was with. I was merely today’s curiosity and tomorrow’s gossip. After that, I’d just be Audrey.
I drew in a slow breath and squared my shoulders.
I’d faced monsters and survived. I could face normal, everyday shifters.
“Someone needs some flowers,” a woman with a basket of flowers said, breaking the awkward moment and everyone else burst back into action as if they’d been frozen in the moment just like me.
“Bishop, you’re losing your game,” another man called out making those around him laugh.
A few more people started ribbing Bishop while others laughed, and while I could see there were still a lot of people staring at me with a mix of negative expressions varying from concern to disgust and outright hate, there were those, now that the shock of the moment was gone, who were a mix of curious or friendly.
See, it isn’t everyone. And a few was a lot better than none. Maybe I could have a place in this pack.
“You’re Knox’s mate,” a teenaged girl said as she held out a crown made of bright yellow flowers.
“I am. I’m sorry,” I replied, looking at the flower crown. “I don’t have any money.”
“Don’t be silly.” She reached up and put it on my head then her expression turned sad. “Mom and I heard you’re from far away and all by yourself. We made this one special for you to welcome you to the pack.”
My throat tightened and tears pricked my eyes.
“My mom also says—” She glanced at Bishop before looking back at me and sighing the kind of sigh girls in the movies sighed when they fell in love “—that you and Knox are fated, which probably means you and Bishop are fated because they’re twins and all. It’s just so romantic.”
The woman with the basket pushed past a couple of men still teasing Bishop and tugged on the girl’s arm. “Welcome to the pack, alpha.”
My pulse lurched. Was everyone going to call me that?
“Come on, Everly, before those old men rope the alpha into something he can’t get away from. I’m sure these two want to enjoy the festival.” The woman gave me a warm, welcoming smile and not-so-accidentally bumped into the man beside her. “Donovan, have you gotten your wife a flower crown yet?”
“No,” he replied.
“Then you should pick one now before all the good ones are gone.” She gave me a wink and nudged the other two guys talking with Bishop.
Bishop grabbed my hand and gave me a brilliant smile. “See? Nothing to worry about.”
“Yeah,” I replied, pretending I didn’t notice the others hanging back and watching me. “Nothing to worry about.”
We strolled down the street, drawing attention, the same mix of concerned and welcoming looks as before. The streets were packed and a lot of people greeted Bishop. He smiled, nodded, answered quick questions, and introduced me.
But the whole thing with almost everyone staring at me and talking to people I didn’t know and didn’t know that I could trust started to make me nervous again. It didn’t matter how hard I tried to embrace those with welcoming smiles and friendly words, my insides were getting tighter and tighter.
As if able to read my mind, Bishop stopped introducing me and held my hand, letting me shyly hide in his shadow while he talked with people. I was sure it didn’t make as good an impression as me trying to smile and returning people’s greetings, but it felt a lot safer.
I’d never been in such a large group before and it was getting harder and harder to ignore all the things Merrick had drilled into me about no one wanting to see me or hear what I had to say. It made me furious and frustrated that I couldn’t get him out of my head, but it was also a good reminder that I couldn’t break my programming in a single day.
It was going to take time and I needed to remember to be kind to myself.
We made our way down the street, looking at booths and tents, drawing closer and closer to the actual market until we reached the playground beside the market where I’d sat at a picnic table a month ago watching kids running around and playing
Three of the picnic tables that had once been scattered around the greenspace had been pulled together creating one long table. It was covered with craft supplies, and half a dozen kids of various ages sat on the benches, working away on their projects, while Quinn sat at the end, talking with one of the older kids.
A few feet away, at another picnic table, sat a handful of adults, half of them watching the kids and half chatting among themselves. Behind them, more kids enjoyed the playground, running and laughing, supervised by a few more adults, and to the side, under the shade of a big tree, was a baby and toddlers play area with a handful of teens and a few other adults taking care of the littlest ones.
It looked so idyllic, like I was in the middle of a movie. Everyone was happy and relaxed, and the kids were having a great time. And this time, watching normal children do normal children things, I didn’t feel jealous and sad like I had the last time I’d been in the market. I was happy for them, happy that they were allowed to play and that they weren’t afraid of the playground — which could have happened since the playground had been ground zero for the grimalkin attack.
The wind shifted and the amazing smells from the food vendors washed over me, making my stomach rumble, which made Bishop glance at me and laugh.
“I’d say that smells like lunch,” he said just as Velora pushed through the crowd and rushed up to us. She flashed Bishop a saccharine smile that made my stomach churn, grabbed his free arm, and pushed her breasts against it.
“Otis and Rex are going at it again. Will you sweet talk them into behaving?” She fluttered her lashes and I was pretty sure she didn’t mean the action in a sarcastic way. She actually thought it would attract Bishop and make him interested in her.
He sighed and glanced at me, a hint of frustration in his eyes that he kept from bleeding into his expression.
I forced a smile knowing everyone was watching, and at least a third of them, probably more like a half, were judging if I’d get in the way of pack business.
Velora sneered at me as if asking Bishop to do his job was a win for her and I struggled to keep my expression pleasant. If I got upset, I’d just be proving her and anyone who doubted me right. And I was not going to prove her right.