by Lola Glass
“I’m never going to forgive you.” Drunk Henley vowed. “So it sucks to be you.”
I leaned back in the seat, still chewing my marshmallow as I stared out the window. Even liquored up, I still felt the pain from Roman changing his mind.
“Sucks to be me too. I’m the moron who cared about you.”
Still wanting to hurt him, I grabbed the bag of stale marshmallows and yanked one out, shoving it at his face. He looked at it like it was the devil.
“Eat the damn marshmallow, health nut.” I barked.
With a sigh, Roman popped it in his mouth. He grimaced as he struggled to chew it.
“They’re better hard.” I defended my marshmallows.
“That’s what she said.” He maintained a straight face until I started cackling. Then his shoulders shook with laughter.
“The Office is a classic.” I declared, popping another one into my mouth. “But I still hate you. We’re not friends.”
“We could still be friends.”
“No. We can’t.” I pulled my knees to my chest and stared out the window.
Even alcohol couldn’t take away the pain of this betrayal.
TWENTY-EIGHT
I texted Jamie on the drive and got her to agree to let me stay at her and Oliver’s place so I wouldn’t have to brave the Alpha house. Roman dropped me off there without a fight, and I thanked Jamie before burrowing into her spare bed for a nap. Between my lack of sleep the night before and the alcohol, I slept like a rock for a solid few hours.
Jamie was in the kitchen when I went out, planning on shifting and spending some time in the forest. It would be easy to avoid Roman out there considering he was constantly dealing with peace-keeping shit during the day.
“Hey.” She was slicing strawberries, and they looked freaking good. “Want some?”
I needed to get out of there, but… strawberries.
My stomach growled. I trudged into the kitchen and grabbed one with the stem still attached, biting into the juicy skin.
“Want to tell me what happened?” She checked.
“Not particularly.” I finished the strawberry and tossed the stem in the trash.
“Arla was yelling at Kyler on the phone for half the drive. Didn’t say a word the second half.” She watched carefully for my reaction, her knife pausing in the air above a strawberry. I schooled my expression, maintaining neutrality.
“I’m free to do what I want.”
“Oh, please. You bit Roman and let him bite you; obviously, you care about him. Don’t pretend you’re not hurting.”
I said nothing. Just grabbed another strawberry and took a bite.
“Most girls would be plotting a way to hurt him more at this point.” Jamie continued.
Tossing the stem in the trash, I headed for the back door.
“There’s no point.” I told her, grabbing the hem of my top and pulling it over my head as my bare feet met snow. “He hurt me, I hurt him, and now we’ll move on. Anything further would insinuate that there’s hope we’ll get back together. I’m mature enough to know better.”
“Having hope isn’t immature, Hennie.”
“Not for you.” I tossed my clothes in a pile, shifting and taking off into the forest. As expected, the place was completely free of Roman’s scent. My wolf side despised that, but I kept a tight hold on enough of my humanity not to go looking for him.
I was out wandering the forest so long the sun began to set. Settling into a comfortable place in a snow-free rocky nook, I shut my eyes and listened to nature around me. There were some deer somewhere to my right and two bunnies off to my left. If I’d had an appetite, I would’ve hunted one of them.
Two familiar scents caught my nose and my head lifted, zoning in on the area they were silently approaching from. Arla and Jamie came running into my area, similarly-shaped dark brown wolves. I growled at them and both females lowered their heads in signs of submission; they accepted that this was a small piece of territory I’d claimed for the time being.
The girls came up to me, unafraid even after I’d growled. They knew I wouldn’t attack them. The only time I’d ever been a threat to someone was when they were trying to hurt me.
Jamie cuddled up against my left side and Arla got comfortable on my right. The women were offering me their support, knowing I was hurt even if I’d decided to hide from the emotions. Frustration poured off Arla and I growled at her. She growled back.
We all scooted closer together.
Wild wolf packs slept close for warmth and comfort. Werewolf packs tended to be too human to sleep like that, but we’d get more out of the physical contact than wild wolves did. It meant more to us.
Surprisingly enough, I didn’t have a single nightmare.
When the sun rose, I woke up to what had to be the most delicious smell on the planet.
Roman.
Did the man have to smell so freaking good?
His big black wolf came close enough to see us but didn’t approach. Posture tense, he watched us for a few minutes. I knew he was focused on me, but I poked Arla in the shoulder with my nose. She made a noise of protest before opening her eyes. When she saw her brother, she licked my face, dodged my swinging paw, and trotted over to him. The wolves greeted with a quick nuzzle before heading off into the forest together.
I tried unsuccessfully to fall back asleep. The bite on my shoulder felt wrong now that I knew Roman had lied to me, and I wished there was a way to remove it. That wasn’t just another mark that made up my tragic backstory; it was a mark I’d chosen, a reminder that I’d been rejected.
Arla had been right. We did things in the wrong order, and I freaking regretted it.
I shook my head of the thought and nudged Jamie until she woke up. We ran back to her house together.
Shifting back, I tugged my dirty clothes on.
“How are you doing?” Jamie checked. Her cheek was streaked with dried mud, hair crusted with the stuff.
“Still pissed. Dying for vodka.”
We walked into the house.
“So what are you going to do about it?”
“I don’t know, egg his car and walk to the nearest bar?” My shoulders lifted.
She shook her head as I picked my phone up off the counter and pressed the button to turn it on. It opened to a picture of Roman laughing with Lilac, standing closer than friends would. The picture had come from a number I didn’t know and there wasn’t a comment beneath it.
Anger and frustration and fiery hatred burned through my veins.
Serves me right for trusting an Alpha.
Hands shaking with fury, I navigated back to the rest of my texts. There were a couple more from numbers I didn’t recognize, but I opened the one from Dr. Grant.
GRANT: I hear you’re back on the market. If the rumors are true, can I take you to dinner? If not, don’t tell the Alpha about this text.
Rather than texting back, I pressed the button to call him. Grant answered on the second ring.
“Henley Clark.” He purred. It reminded me of Ledger and I shivered.
“Doctor Grant.” I hoped my voice didn’t sound as flat to him as it did to me. “I just got your text. How about lunch?”
“Perfect.”
I glanced over at Jamie and the shock she wore like a glitzy necklace.
“It’ll have to be a double-date unless you’re cool with eating in the car. I can’t be out and about on my own.” Honestly, the question was a bit of a test. Any guy I’d ever really consider as a potential mate would rather eat alone with me in a car than in a fancy restaurant with another couple.
“Let’s double. I’ve got a friend who can bring his mate along too.”
There went that date.
“Sweet. Pick me up at noon.” I hung up and flung my phone on the counter.
“You’re trying to make him jealous again?”
I groaned and collapsed in a chair with my face in my hands and tangled, dirt-crusted hair in my face.
“I don’t know, Jame. I feel like the biggest idiot. Roman played me and I actually started caring about him. I’ve been through enough shit that I should know an asshole when I see them but I just don’t. And now I feel like beating Roman to a pulp and pinning him to the ground until he apologizes for being a massive douchewad but then I’d have to be near his mouth-watering scent and I just don’t freaking know.”
“I’m having a hard time making sense of all that,” she gestured toward me. “But I think the gist of it is that you’re hurt and confused and you kind of miss Roman.”
When I didn’t deny it, she continued.
“So go on the date. When you’re with another guy, you’ll either realize that you want to make things work with Roman or there are better fish in the sea.”
Oliver chose that moment to reach the bottom of the stairs. Both of us looked at him.
“Tell him and I’ll rip your throat out.” I narrowed my eyes at him.
He lifted his hands in surrender.
“Didn’t hear a word.”
Jamie and I split apart to shower and met in her room to get ready. I blew my hair dry and swiped on a little makeup before stepping into her closet. How she could ever wear so many clothes was beyond me, although I had seen the way she shopped. Maybe it was more about the buying than the wearing.
I tried on a dozen outfits before she deemed one slutty without being a hussy, which was apparently what we were going for. The top she’d put on me was a simple tight long-sleeve with a high neckline. The tube skirt we’d paired it with was modest on Jamie’s 5’3” form, but it was a different story on my 5’8”.
“Perfect.” Jamie declared. My ass was barely strapped into the thing but I didn’t disagree.
Hearing commotion outside, I stepped up to the window along the wall that looked out over her front yard.
“Holy shit.”
“You’re ready.” Jamie grabbed my arm.
“Look.” I gestured to the window.
We both gawked at the mass of unmated men outside.
The word that I was single must’ve spread to more than just Grant.
Jamie telling me that the pack’s men were interested in me because of my perceived power struck me hard.
“What the hell are we going to do?” I asked. “I’m going to get eaten by an unmated monster today.”
“They won’t eat you.” She chided me. “We’ll go say hi and tell them to take a hike. It’ll be fine.”
“Unmated males aren’t known to retain their sanity around me.” I muttered, walking down the stairs with her.
“We’ll bring Oliver.” She brushed it off.
We grabbed him from his home office and walked out onto the lawn together. It occurred to me as my eyes swept the crowd that many of these men might have gone so far as to challenge Roman to a fight just so they could meet me.
“Are the guys who challenged Roman here?” I asked Jamie. She nodded.
Anyone who cared enough to get in a fight with their Alpha just to talk to me deserved a chance to do it. Alphas were scary.
Including Roman.
“I want to meet them.” I said.
“Line up.” Jamie’s voice rose above the noise of the crowd. Everyone went silent, and I respected her ability to control them. “Those who lasted the longest in their fight against the Alpha at the front, those who never fought him at the back.”
“Roman is going to kill me.” Oliver muttered.
“I’ll cry at your funeral.” Jamie patted him on the chest. I coughed back a laugh as he grinned.
There was hardly any talking as the line formed.
Oliver’s arm wrapped around Jamie’s lower waist. She stilled at the contact.
His eyes bore into the line of men as his nose met her neck, breathing in and out on the sensitive flesh there. Jamie’s eyes were fluttering a bit, and I bit back a grimace when I caught the scent of her desire. A couple groans and growls came from somewhere in the line.
I hadn’t expected Oliver to go and mark his territory, but I’d become something of a fangirl for their relationship so it was awesome.
“Keep things civil so we don’t have to involve the Alpha.” Oliver warned the unmated men, his arm staying on Jamie’s waist.
“Alright, guys.” Jamie’s voice lifted to the crowd. “This is the Henley Clark round of speed dating.”
I coughed at her description.
What the hell? Speed dating?
“You’ll get one minute to catch Hennie’s attention and if you do, she’ll give you her phone number. You walk away without another word if you don’t. Leave if you don’t like the rules. Oh, and if anyone touches Henley without her permission or does anything else she doesn’t like, the next three guys in line will escort him from my land with a good punch to the face. Any questions?”
I’d just planned on saying hi to all of them so yeah, I had questions.
She scanned the crowd. As an enforcer Jamie could channel Alpha power if she needed to, but I’d never been around when she did it.
The first guy stepped up in front of me. He was almost as big as Roman, though his face was much prettier. His dark hair was artfully-sculpted in a swoop above his head. Pretty guys had never been my thing.
I tried not to compare him to the Alpha, I really did, but that was a fail.
“I’m Arthur Drake.” He held his hand out to me with a charming smile. I didn’t shake it.
“I don’t touch people I don’t know.” I folded my arms. Arthur’s eyes gleamed.
“That’s a good quality to have in a female.”
I bit back a snort.
Asshole.
“I’m a medical attorney working with a hospital in Manhattan, I’m sure you’ve heard of it. I make about five hundred thousand a year and have invested money wisely enough to make three times that in investments.”
I coughed back a laugh.
Was he seriously trying to win me over by telling me how much money he made?
“My mansion here is worth three million on its own, and my properties in the Bahamas are worth almost that much as well. I’m a self-made millionaire, and—“
The alarm on Jamie’s phone went off. She whispered in Oliver’s ear, and he jogged into the house, coming back with a sharpie so I could write my number on any guy I was interested in.
Arthur held out his arm with a knowing smile.
“Thanks for coming.” I folded my arms with a firm hold on the sharpie, making my lack of interest clear.
Shock and then fury crossed his face. The next guy stepped around him. He was built similarly to the guy before. A glance at the line showed most of the buffest guys at the front, only a few normal-sized ones mixed in; those were the dudes with the training to last the longest against Roman, I assumed.
Not that I was thinking about Roman.
“Terrence Splan.” He didn’t offer his hand so that was a nice change. “I’ve got twelve million in the bank and I manage a large real estate company. What do you do for fun?” he asked.
A question for me? That was new.
“Mostly Netflix. I read, sometimes.”
His lips twisted upward.
“My sister owns a paint-your-own-pottery studio. It’s geared toward little kids but can be fun. Would you want to go with me sometime?”
My eyes swept up and down Terrence’s face and top half. He had a good shape, and I liked that his hair was long but not over-styled. Plus he wasn’t prettier than me, unlike some of the guys. I was definitely petty enough to care about that.
Plus I hadn’t done many exciting things in my life, and I wanted to do more.
“That sounds fun.” On a whim, I grabbed my sharpie and uncapped it. He held out his hand and I scribbled my number small enough that no random people would read it and text me.
He strolled away, oozing confidence.
Roman had enough confidence to fill the entire skyscraper.
…But I still wasn’t thinking about him.
Why was I a sucker for cocky men?
The next guy walked up and listed his job, salary, and the number of people in his family. He invited me to a romantic candlelight dinner, and I turned him down. I’d always thought romance and candles were for people who were already together, not people who didn’t know each other.
We cycled through three dozen more men. A couple of them got my number because they offered me a date idea that sounded like fun and wasn’t something I’d ever done before, and the others got nothing. Every one of them told me what their job was and how much money they made as well as how much they had in the bank. I didn’t give a shit about how much money they had but didn’t tell them that.
Number thirty-something was somewhere around the middle of the line. He looked familiar, and it struck me that he was a famous actor.
How did I not know we had a famous actor in our pack?
“Hello.” He swept my hand up and lifted it to his lips. I yanked it away from him, glaring hotly. He had to have heard the warning not to touch me. The guys in line next growled at him, and tension skyrocketed from a solid twenty to a hundred.
“Don’t touch me.” I warned.
“You said you don’t want to touch people you don’t know, but everyone knows me.” He shot me what was likely a billion-dollar smile. “I’ve been waiting to meet you since the moment I caught your scent.”
“Good for you.”
“Obviously you know I’m Sterling Porter, movie-star and singer. The sum of my bank accounts, properties, and investments is in the multiple billions. I just signed a twenty-three million dollar movie deal, so when you mate with me we’ll be moving to Hawaii for the next few months.”
The level of his pride was disgusting.
“Give me your phone number and I’ll take you on a tour of the movie set for Treerise.”
Honestly, I was excited for that movie. It was the third in a trilogy I’d read before the books became movies, and I was dying to see the final installment. A tour would be freakin cool. But no way in hell would I let this guy think I was in any way interested in him.
The alarm went off.
“I’ll pass. Thanks for coming.” I made no move to give him my number. He stilled.
