“You two okay in there?” Orion’s deep voice comes from the other side of the door. He pops his head in a moment later before we can respond.
Raven looks from me to him and sighs. “Look, it’s fine. It’s all in the past. Let’s just forget about it.”
“You’ll give them a chance?” I ask, hope swelling my chest.
“No.” She shakes her head, and all that hope pops. Her eyes look glazed and damp, or maybe it’s just a trick of the light. “I don’t think so,” she tacks on, offering back a little of what she stole with her quick refusal.
Orion catches my eye, a silent plea passing between us. He doesn’t want to let this go either. I give him a brief nod, my agreement, my own prayer. Maybe he can make this right where I couldn’t.
“How about one dance?” he asks Raven. “Vann and Tanner had a chance to apologize. Give me one dance.”
Raven pierces her lips, contemplating for a long second before she shakes her head. “I can’t do this.”
That’s all she says before she shoulders past me and Orion, running away from us again.
My packmate wraps his arms around me, an attempt at comfort, but I push him off. “I can’t believe I fucked up again.” I slam my hand against the bathroom stall, the noise ringing in my ears.
“We all knew this would take time,” Orion says, looking past me at the closed door.
“What if we don’t get another chance?” I stare at Orion, trying to convey just how desperate I am. “Go after her. She’ll listen to you more than me. Please. I need…weneed her.”
He nods once, presses a firm kiss to my lips, then leaves.
“Make her ours,” I call out just before the door closes.
It takes every ounce of self-control and trust I have to stay behind and hope Orion can win over the woman I’ve secretly loved since I was sixteen.
28
RAVEN
It’s too fucking hot in this club. How did it get so much worse in just the few minutes I was in the bathroom? I’m suddenly acutely aware of how many alphas there are, and it’s way too many. Too many pheromones.
Too many memories.
I can’t believe they’re here, that they want my forgiveness.
My skin crawls as I push through the writhing bodies on the dance floor, avoiding eye contact with everyone until I reach the front of the club. Cold air blasts into my face when I shove the door open, nearly running into the Alpha bouncer in my desperation to flee.
I forgot my coat, but I don’t care. The cold air feels nice, bringing back my focus and clearing my head. Somehow, I still feel like I’m overheating. Snow crunches under my feet, and I’m glad I at least wore boots. A streetlight flickers out. The stars feel like they’re mocking me with this messed up fate.
Tanner’s apology echoes in my head as I walk aimlessly down the street. He looked so desperate and sincere, but how can I trust him after how miserable he made me?
I don’t know where I’m going, I just know I need to get away. Goosebumps decorate my flesh as the sweat from dancing cools on my body in the night air. I need the slap in the face from the biting wind or else I’ll run right back in there and make a massive mistake.
Forgiving them is too much to ask, but with how delicious they smelled, my omega is ready to lose her good sense and climb all four of them like a tree. Every instinct screams that I’m going the wrong way, that I should be with them.
It was hard to pick up on their exact scents in the crowd, but once we were alone in the bathroom, it was clear Vann hadn’t been lying or playing a trick on me.
Scent matches. It’s all I’ve ever wanted. Someone perfectly made for me. Someone to care for me, to truly see me. Someone loyal and protective to support me so I can let down my walls, release some of this burden I’ve been carrying for so long.
And they ruined it.
Why did it have to bethem? I’d largely gotten over the hurt and anger from those days back in high school when they poked and prodded and pushed me past my limits. Even before I presented, I felt an inexplicable draw to them. Until they took my interest and stomped it into dust.
Especially Tanner. The way he looked at me sometimes, made me think he held feelings for me, too. Or could. But then that kiss happened, and everything went to shit.
“He still loves you, you know!”
