Callum had returned with the drinks in his hands. He looked tired and worn, his smile barely reaching his eyes.
I took the cold drink from him, quickly bringing it to my lips.
“Callum, are you okay?” Sophia asked, taking her drink as well. It seed like I wasn’t the only one who noticed Callum’s sudden mood shift. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
He blinked rapidly, shaking his head. “I’m fine. Just felt weird for a second.” He ran a hand through his hair, still looking slightly dazed. “Thought I felt... never mind.”
Shaking his head, Callum turned his attention to instead.
“What’s up with you?” he asked. “You don’t look so great either.”
I might have pressed him further, but my attention was still divided between our conversation and the sight of my mates laughing with their forr flas.
“Nothing important,” I murmured, though my eyes betrayed by drifting back to where Liam and Levi were still chatting with the three won.
When I didn’t explain further, Sophia stepped in. “Liam and Levi are over there talking to so girls from Ironhound,” she explained, keeping it vague. “Forr acquaintances, apparently.”
“Oh.” Callum’s voice was careful.
He turned and followed my line of gaze to see Liam and Levi laughing at sothing the girls said. Callum bit his lips, his expression clouding.
“That’s... diplomatic of them.”
I forced a smile. “Exactly. They’re just being good Alphas.” I took a long sip of my drink, relishing the cool sweetness. “Anyway, I’m not going to let it ruin the festival. I’ve worked too hard setting this whole thing up.”
“That’s the spirit,” Sophia said, linking her arm with mine. “And I’m starving. Let’s check out those food stalls near the lake.”
The three of us wandered through the festival grounds, deliberately heading in the opposite direction from where Liam and Levi stood. I tried to focus on the colorful decorations, the laughter of children playing gas, the music floating through the air—basically anything but the nagging insecurity gnawing at .
“These smoked turkey legs look amazing,” Callum said as we approached the food area. The aroma of grilled ats, fried pastries, and sweet desserts filled the air, montarily distracting from my troubles.
“I could eat three of those right now,” Sophia declared, making a beeline for the stall.
We gathered our food and found a small table near the lake. The day had grown warr, and I could feel strands of hair sticking to the back of my neck as I bit into my turkey leg.
“Ugh, it’s getting hot,” I complained, putting down my food and gathering my long hair in one hand. “I need to tie this up before I eat.”
I reached into my pocket for my hair tie, pulling it out and attempting to wrap it around my gathered hair. As I twisted it for the second loop, the elastic snapped, breaking in my fingers.
“Damn it,” I muttered, letting my hair fall back down around my shoulders. “That was my last one.”
“Here,” Callum said, reaching into his pocket. “I might have sothing that could help.”
He pulled out a strange-looking clip unlike any I’d seen before. It was tallic, with an unusual chanism that didn’t imdiately reveal how it was ant to function.
“What is that?” I asked, examining the odd contraption.
“It’s a hair clip,” Callum explained. “Cassandra asked to give it to you, actually. Said it was a gift.”
I raised my eyebrows in surprise. “For ? That’s... unexpected. But I can’t take her clip if she’s not here.”
“No, no,” Callum insisted. “She bought it specifically for you. She ntioned sothing about seeing you always struggling with your hair at the diner last week.”
“That’s... thoughtful,” I said, though sothing about it felt off. Cassandra had never shown much interest in befriending before. Why the sudden gift?
I turned the clip over in my hands, trying to figure out how it worked. It had a curved piece on one side and a straight piece on the other, with so kind of spring chanism in between.
“I have no idea how to use this,” I admitted, looking to Sophia for help.
Sophia took it, examining it with a frown. “I’ve never seen one like this either. Is it so kind of Ironhound fashion?”
Callum nodded. “Cassandra says they’re popular there. Here, let help. She showed how to use it.”
He moved behind , taking the clip back from Sophia. His fingers gathered my hair carefully, pulling it away from my face and neck. The cool air on my skin was an imdiate relief.
“You just twist it like this,” he explained, his fingers working through my hair, “and then the clip locks into place and—”
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
The harsh voice cut through our conversation like a knife. I jumped, and Callum’s hands froze in my hair. Turning slightly, I saw Liam and Levi standing there, their expressions dark with fury.
Levi stepped forward, his green eyes blazing with an intensity that sent a chill down my spine despite the warm day.
“Get your hands off her. Now.” His voice was low, dangerous.
Before Callum could react, Levi reached out and yanked him backward, away from . The sudden movent caused the clip to fall from Callum’s fingers, clattering onto the ground.
“I was just helping her with her hair,” Callum explained, his voice calm despite the aggressive posture of both brothers.
“With. Your. Hands.” Levi enunciated each word through clenched teeth. He still had a grip on Callum’s shirt, his knuckles white.
“What else was I supposed to use?” Callum gawked.
“Levi!” I stood up quickly, my chair scraping loudly against the ground. “Stop it! He was just helping .”
But Levi wasn’t listening. His eyes had darkened to an unnatural shade, his wolf coming dangerously close to the surface. Beside him, Liam looked equally furious, his body tense as if preparing to attack.
“Funny,” Liam snarled, “I don’t see Cassandra anywhere. Yet here you are, with your hands all over our mate.”
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