“I’ll have to think about it,” Kira mumbled.
“He might not be coming. I can let you know if he does, so you can decide then,” Gwen offered.
Kira lifted one shoulder and dropped it. “I don’t want to disappoint Lianne. I’ll come. Just because Joshua is there doesn’t mean I have to interact with him at all.”
“That’s true.”
Few people were aware of the history between Kira and Joshua. Even with all the improvements the three men had brought to the pack, Kira couldn’t be happy with Joshua being here. It still made her chest tighten and her face heat when she thought about the way he looked at her, as though she was scum on his shoes, less than an hour after she gave him her virginity.
She’d still been lying in the sleeping bag as he washed up in a nearby stream. It was early morning, and they’d come to her favorite spot in the woods, the place she always wentwhen she needed some time to herself. As she watched him, the blissfulness of what they had just done swept through her. His back was to her.
She had gotten out of the sleeping bag and joined him, shivering at the chill of the water.
“So what happens next?” she’d asked shyly, giddy with excitement. She had always wanted to find her mate, and now she had.
Joshua didn’t even look at her. He grunted once, said, “Nothing,” and shifted to his wolf form. He trotted out of the water, grabbed his clothes, and took off into the forest. He didn’t look back once.
There was only one person Kira had told about what happened, and that was Gwen. Chelsey didn’t need to know. Kira wasn’t going to put that burden on her.
“The thing is, I am grateful to him for coming back,” Kira said slowly, trying to get her thoughts in order. That much was true. How could she see the work he’d put into the pack and town and not be grateful? Even if he’d rejected her so callously, he wasn’t a cruel man. Not like the former Alpha, Randall Buchanan, had been. “He has spearheaded lots of our social reforms. It’s only because of his scholarship program that Chelsey is able to get her education.”
Gwen nodded, her expression sympathetic. “I know how difficult it is with these men.”
The difference being that Rafael had proven himself worthy to be Gwen’s mate. He hadn’t been with anyone since he and Gwen were together, for one thing, and when she came back to the island, he’d taken care of her and protected her and their daughter. Joshua, on the other hand… There wasn’t a month that went by that she didn’t hear something about his romanticescapades. He’d bedded at least half the women in the pack if rumor was correct.
Rumor might not be correct, but even if it was an exaggeration, he certainly had a lot of partners. Kira wasn’t a stranger to testing out casual relationships. In the end, they weren’t for her. She made do, taking care of herself until she could meet someone who shared her same desires.
Which was especially difficult to find, since she didn’t know what she wanted.
Joshua Woods, though, was utterly off-limits. He had approached her once within the last few years about another one-night stand, but he’d been so drunk that Kira didn’t think he remembered. She had stayed at his house just long enough to make sure he wasn’t going to drown in his own vomit, then snuck out before anyone could see she was there.
Since then, he hadn’t given her a second glance. He didn’t lack for feminine company, and she was so angry and hurt that she simply avoided him. Everyone knew; she made no secret about it. The only thing was that now she had a second-hand connection with him through Gwen, and it wasn’t quite so easy.
“Any plans for the rest of the day?” Gwen asked as they slid into Gwen’s car. “I’m taking the day off from studying, thought maybe you would like some company while you cook.”
Kira buckled herself in, biting her lip. Her magic had recently come in, allowing her to start casting spells rather than just making potions. She wasn’t able to do much yet, and it always drained her, but she was improving slowly. Gwen and Chelsey were the only ones who knew about Kira’s magic, and Kira wanted to keep it that way. So they always spoke in code. ‘Cooking’ was Kira practicing her magic.
“That might be a good idea,” Kira said, nodding slowly. “It’s going to be lonely at the house and I—”
She cut off as they passed by a tree-lined park. Joshua Woods. His blond hair glowed golden in the sunlight, and he was shirtless, revealing a heavily muscled back complete with elaborately designed tattoos. Her mouth watered at the sight of all that exposed skin. Her eyes raked down the line of his spine, enjoying the sight.
A slim hand wrapped around his waist, and Kira jerked back to herself. He had a woman pinned to the tree. Her hands were all over him. Kira’s stomach swooped. Joshua’s shoulder hid the woman’s face from her, but it didn’t matter who he was making out with. She turned quickly back to the road, hunching herself down in the seat.
“Kira? What’s—oh,” Gwen mumbled. She sped the car up just a little bit.
“It’s fine,” Kira said quickly. “I don’t care who he’s kissing.”
Gwen was quiet for a moment, then said, “I don’t think they’re kissing.”
“I don’t care.”
Kira folded her arms over her chest, scowling at the gleam of sunlight on the windshield. She didn’t care. She wasn’t going to let herself care. So what if her heart ached? So what if her sinuses were prickling? Her lips pressed together tightly. And if her eyes darted to the side mirror, staring at the shirtless figure of Joshua Woods and the woman, it was only because she wanted to prove Gwen wrong.
The woman’s hands were on his shoulder. Were their arms in such a position that they were at arm’s length? His headwasn’t slanted to the side like it ought to be if they were kissing, but maybe his partner was doing all the work. Her stomach twisted as she watched them. They were standing too close not to kiss. Especially when he was shirtless, for Moon’s sake!
Gwen cleared her throat, and Kira snapped her attention back to her friend. Heat rushed to her face as she realized how long she’d been staring. Drawing herself back up, she adjusted the position of the seatbelt and let out a small, shuddering breath.
“It doesn’t matter who he runs around kissing,” she said aloud. “He’s an adult and I’m not his mate. So I don’t care. But it’s indecent to do it right in plain view of everyone. What if there were children around?”
