I stare at the profile picture. He’s not handsome, but his smile is wide, and he seems happy, like he’s living the life I would want. I click on his profile and read. He owns his own gardening business and is single. A family man looking to settle down.
“He does,” I say reluctantly.
On paper, he’s everything I should want. Yet, sitting here next to Hazard, I can’t bring myself to feel any sort of excitement for him. Hazard shows me three other dates they’ve organised, and I agree to two of them.
He sends a message to the third, and we watch as the dots appear. A photo shows up, and it takes me a second to comprehend what it is. I blush but refuse to look away.
“You’d be sorely disappointed. He’s definitely out,” Hazard says.
“You should send him one back.”
Hazard’s eyes widen and then gleam. “I should, shouldn’t I?”
I slide my phone to the red-haired wolf. He takes it, stands up and disappears. When he comes back, he hands me my phone back, but my eyes drift to the telltale hard bulge in his pants.
“Well, that was anticlimactic. He blocked us.”
I huff. “Annoying.”
“Want to watch a movie?”
I close the laptop screen and launch myself over his lap, snagging the remote. He grabs my thighs and holds me against him. I struggle harder and crawl up the couch, clicking as I go. The TV flashes with shows, and I get it to romance.
Hazard growls and throws himself on top of me, pinning me to the couch. I freeze, feeling the hardness of his erection grind into my ass.
My breath stutters, and I shift my hips almost without thinking. Our groans are simultaneous.
“What the hell are you two doing?”
I turn my head to Khaos and bare my teeth. “Practice.” I lie through my teeth, but I’ll be damned if I sit through another lecture from him. “Isn’t that what you said? I needed to learn how to be okay being touched, O wise and ancient one?”
Hazard snickers into my shoulder and flexes.
My eyes widen, and I bite my lower lip to hold back another moan.
“Hazard,” Khaos’ voice is livid.
Hazard scrambles off me, and I turn to watch as he stands up and storms out of the house, slamming the door shut behind him.
I stalk towards Khaos and stand in front of him. “That was bullshit.”
He opens his mouth, but I interrupt him again.
“Do you know what kills a soul as quickly as violence? Apathy, isolation, segregation. Don’t do that to him, not in this house. Consider it a rule.”
Khaos stares at me. “You don’t know-”
“He told me, Khaos. I do know. Stop blaming him for what others did to you. Are you a pack?”
“Yes.”
“Do you love him as pack?”
“Yes.”
“Then forgive him.”
“It’s not that simple.”
