I took a deep breath as we stepped through the doors, the warmth of the room hitting my skin immediately. My arm stayed looped through Sean's as we walked in, and I felt the eyes before I saw them — heads turning, gazes settling on us as we moved deeper into the space. My fingers tightened around Sean's forearm without meaning to. It wasn't too late to turn around.
Sean covered my hand with his. "You got this. Just walk."
I swallowed and kept moving. People were dancing to a slow song in the centre of the room, and you could tell the mated pairs just by watching — there was a kind of easy synchrony between them that couldn't be faked. Sean steered me through small clusters of people, pausing whenever someone called his name. Being a Gamma meant people deferred to him naturally, which helped with the anxiety, though I was fairly certain my grip on his arm had broken the skin at least twice by now.
"Loving the change of scenery." A voice came from behind us.
