Across from us, perched in her own mate’s lap, Cora grinned and waggled her eyebrows at me. She loved when these alphas went all possessive. According to her, no one had ever seen them act this way, and it was definitely stoking the city’s curiosity.
Warrick’s fingers traced across her bare shoulders, and of all the new experiences and knowledge I’d gained during my time here, my favorite was seeing how true quintets and scent matches acted together. Whatever my mom and her pack had going on was wrong and toxic. It pissed me off to no end thatI’d spent years believing that was the norm. It almost cost me everything. It almost cost me the chance to know my mates.
The thought of never meeting the Reeves pack sent sharp pains into my chest, and for a brief second I couldn’t breathe through the panic.
Hunter felt the new tension in my body and wrapped his arms tighter, pulling me firmly against him until I had no choice but to sink into his hold. His hand traced along the outside of my thigh, bringing my focus to his touch andhow damn good it felt.
“No more thinking, baby girl,” he murmured, breath caressing my cheek. “Enjoy the moment. This is your night, and I will fuck up anyone who upsets you.”
Ironic when I was the one upsetting myself, but his soothing touch and soft words did help calm me. Hunter had an uncanny knack of knowing what to say and do to bring me back to myself. I was completely fucking gone on this alpha.
There was no point in denying it, and as badly as I wanted to spin on his lap and straddle him, I couldn’t here, which meant I needed a new focus.
Across the table, Finley sat next to Kenzo, Vanessa, Luce, and Christian. The rest of the team were at nearby tables—this entire area was pretty much dominated by the hockey team tonight. Some had their mates with them, but for the most part, the boys were celebrating their win.
Hunter slid his hand higher on my thigh, lifting the edge of my dress, right as Finley’s gaze snapped in my direction. The bear shifter’s expression remained neutral… but his eyes drowned me in their whiskey depths. Between his gaze and Hunter’s touch, I was about to detonate.
“You’re wiggly,” Hunter mused, his tone light. “What’s wrong, little omega? Do you have a need to share with me?”
This asshole knew exactly what he was doing, and there was no way he’d missed Finley’s focused stare on us. “No ideawhat you’re talking about,” I rasped. “Maybe it’s just that your overabundance of muscles isn’t that comfortable.”
Hunter’s laughter was low and satisfied. “Oh, I think you enjoy myoverabundanceof muscles, Emmeline. You certainly weren’t complaining when I used said muscles to hold you high enough in the shower to eat your pussy.”
Heat flared in my cheeks, and I coughed to cover up my shock. Just the mention of Hunter and a shower had me squeezing my thighs together. I noticed Finley’s nostrils flare, the honey depths of his eyes darkening. My scent match had not missed my burst of arousal as he continued to watch me, that tinge of darkness and curiosity playing in his gaze.
Kellan interrupted whatever fucked-up foreplay was happening here, grinning as he caught sight of me perched in Hunter’s lap. The tray laden with drinks was deposited on the table as he headed straight for me.
Leaning down, he nuzzled into my throat. “You smell like fucking nirvana, pretty mate. I need to eat you right up or I’m going to die.”
Hunter snorted, and removed his hand from my waist to shove Kellan away. “Hold the dramatics, pup,” he ordered. “This is just the prequel. Let our omega have a chance to relax before we devour her.”
Kellan pouted, but complied as he dropped down beside Hunter, reaching out to thread his fingers through mine. To my surprise, Finley was the one who leaned forward and handed us our drinks so we didn’t have to leave our cozy cuddle.
For a second, as he passed me my wine, he eyed up the empty spot on the other side of Hunter, as if he contemplated sitting there too. He didn’t, of course, and I shook my head at that ridiculous notion. “Thanks,” I mumbled, confusion slipping out. To cover it up, I took a large gulp of the fruity, sweet wine. Finleynodded as he held up his beer like a toast, and that was the last time he looked at me all night.
After an hour, Kellan dragged me off Hunter’s lap to dance on the main floor, and when Slade showed up a few hours later, we were still drinking and dancing. The dragon, in his black enforcer outfit, downed two whiskeys in minutes.
He was terrifyingly beautiful, and my currently tipsy brain had mealmostcrawling into his lap where he sat, his long legs and thick thighs relaxed in front of him. Fuck a wolf.
This was why I couldn’t let myself get drunk.
Slade watched me closely, but didn’t invite my touch. He never reached for me, but fuck, that heavy stare felt like it covered my skin and burrowed into my essence. Still, there was no doubt that invading his space to crawl into his lap would either get me thrown to the floor or there’d be a scaly beast destroying the club.
“Emmmmmeeeeeeee,” Cora shouted, swaying into me on the dance floor. She’d danced as much as me, and was as disheveled as I’d ever seen her, curls everywhere and her dress hanging off one shoulder. “We have time for one last dance.”
I took her proffered hand without hesitation, even as my feet ached and my head swirled from the copious drinks. As exhausted as I was, nothing in the world would stop me from having this last dance with my friend.
She pushed me back out onto the main floor, but no one touched us, already understanding that to do so would incur the wrath of our alphas. It had really made our time here tonight run smoothly.
As we danced, I marveled at how much I’d enjoyed hanging out with Cora tonight. It was intoxicating, really, to have a real friend. One I could share my life with and never feel judged. She might not fully understand my reasons for holding out on mypack, but that was my fault, and hopefully one day soon I could share it all with her.
“You might be my soulmate too,” I said, draping my arms around her shoulders. “Platonic soulmates are highly underrated.”
“They totally are,” Cora agreed, flinging her head back as she twirled around me. “Besties for life. We’ll be two hundred years old and I’m going to be glamming your ass and telling you how pretty you are.”
Tilting my head back I laughed, drunk enough to forget my worries and feel all the joy and happiness. “You’re the one who is stunning. I don’t know how Warrick lets you leave the house most days.”
This set Cora off; she bent and laughed until she cried, tiny streaks of makeup lining her cheeks. “You know what, some days he doesn’t.” I wasn’t remotely surprised by this truth.
