Within moments, she’s all over him—kissing his neck, hands slipping under his shirt, tracing the contours of his bare chest. And he doesn’t stop her. He welcomes it.
A part of me wishes I could do the same. Wishes I could shut off everything and lose myself in the way they do.
But I can’t.
That doesn’t mean they loved Ash any less, though. It just means they’ve learned not to let anyone in. These girls—they can have their bodies, their time. But the moment they expect anything more, they’re discarded just as quickly as she was from my lap.
I stalk over to the side bar and pour myself another shot of whiskey. It burns as it slides down my throat, a raging fire that makes my breath catch. I let the warmth settle in my chest and scan the crowd down below, watching the bodies move and sway on the dance floor. Then, my gaze freezes. I spot a familiar head of dirty blonde hair, and something in me locks onto it. I can only see her back, but I know. I know her. Every fiber of my being feels it—Ashlyn.
CHAPTER 6
Ashlyn
The music pulsesthrough me like a second heartbeat. It’s Primal Pulse. Even here, even now, I can’t escape them. Todd’s raspy voice wraps around me, intimate and unrelenting, his lyrics dripping with heartbreak and loss. It’s like they were written for me, exposing every raw nerve I thought I’d buried.
The bass line thrums deep in my chest, the drums pushing the tempo until it crescendos into something more. And then, West’s voice cuts through, smooth and rough, melding with Todd’s in a way that sends a shiver racing down my spine. The two of them together are intoxicating—hauntingly familiar and achingly real.
And after today, almost too much of a reminder of everything.
Around me, the dance floor surges with the beat, a sea of bodies moving as one. The lights dim, strobes casting flashes of silver over the cages suspended above. Lilah twirls in Rafe’s arms, her laugh a bright contrast to the dark mood simmering beneath my skin.
I ache for what they have. For something simple. Easy. Real.
As if summoned by my longing, strong arms wrap around my waist. Long, ringed fingers grip me tight, pulling me flush against a solid chest. The scent of whiskey mingles with my strawberry perfume, the heat of his body burning into mine. A low, guttural growl rumbles against my neck, and warmth pools low in my belly in response.
Alpha.
Panic and desire collide, the realization hitting like a bolt of lightning. I haven’t reacted to an alpha like this since?—
“Ash, you still smell as sweet as ever.”
West.
His voice slices through the music, rich and dark, a perfect match for the way his grip tightens on my waist. His words pour over me like molten honey, their weight inescapable.
My breath catches, a shiver racing through me as his hand splays wide just below my t-shirt, searing into my skin. His touch tells me he’s really here, yet it still feels like a dream.
“West,” I manage, barely a whisper, but he hears it. His fingers curl against me, possessive, branding me as his other hand rises to encircle my throat. Not tight—just enough to make me hyper-aware of his power.
My eyes flutter shut as a traitorous purr rises in my chest, answering his growl.
He groans, the sound vibrating through me, and his lips brush the sensitive curve of my neck. “Purring for me, Ash? After all this time?” His breath is hot against my skin, his voice laced with sin. “I bet you’re wet too.”
My cheeks burn. He’s not wrong. Slick gathers between my thighs, betraying me, as if I’m not already painfully aware of how my body reacts to him. My heart races, hammering against my ribs, every instinct screaming at me to stay still, to not give him more than he’s already taken.
West chuckles, low and sinful, right at the shell of my ear. A shiver runs down my spine as his breath ghosts over me, carrying his words like both a promise and a threat. “I can feel your heart pounding. I like it. Will you scream for me when I sink into you and knot you?”
His words strike like a match tossed into dry kindling, igniting a flame within me before my mind can even protest. God, yes.
“Interesting,” he murmurs, his teeth grazing my neck as if tasting my fear and desire. “I don’t remember you being a cheater. What would your boyfriend think of you rubbing yourself all over me?”
His words land like a slap, cold water dousing the heat coursing through me. “What?” I jerk away, twisting from his grasp and stumbling back.
“Oh, now you remember him,” West says, his gaze laced with cruel satisfaction. He steps closer, his fingers tilting my chin upward so I meet his dark, unrelenting eyes. “At least I know I’m not special. You don’t just fuck and forget me—you do it to everyone who loves you.”
I suck in a ragged breath but refuse to pull away. A fierce mix of fury and desire sears through me; I need to prove him wrong. If I retreat, if I shut down, he’ll take it as confirmation.
“I never forgot you,” I confess, the words tearing themselves out of me as if wrenched from my chest.
