Dean doesn’t let it go. “It’s not about trust. He’ll use her, and when he’s done, he’ll move on to the next thing. That’s what he does.”
Dee leans in, her tone light but pointed. “If he’s a jerk, Lakelyn’s smart enough to figure it out and kick him to the curb. Maybe faster than a squirrel on roller skates.”
I stare at her, momentarily derailed. “That doesn’t even make sense.”
She grins. “Doesn’t have to. I’m still right.”
Dean doesn’t smile. He doesn’t relax. He just stares past us, jaw clenched.
CHAPTER 11
Chad
We drive around aimlessly,the hum of the car filling the quiet between us. I glance over at Lakelyn, her profile softly illuminated by the dashboard lights, and something settles deep inside me—she pickedme. She could’ve stayed with Mason, but she walked out of that coffee house withme.
My thoughts drift back to the kiss. The way her lips felt against mine, the connection that sparked between us—instant, electric. I’ve kissed a lot of people, played the game long enough to know when it’s just for fun and when it’s something more. With her, it felt…different. Like the world narrowed down to that single moment, and for the first time in a long while, I wasn’t playing a role. I was justme, and that seemed to be enough.
But then Mason showed up. The way he stared at me back there, all tension and fire, like he was two seconds away from throwing a punch or pulling me from the booth and kissing the shit out of me. It shouldn’t have gotten under my skin the way it did.
But it did.
Something about the way he looked at me, that spark of awareness between us as we squared off, felt like a differentkind of connection. I’ve never felt that from an alpha before. Not like that—if you don’t count Dean, and we definitely don’t count Dean.
I shake the thought away as we pull off the road, the tires crunching on gravel as we wind up a secluded path. The air’s cooler up here, and the night wraps around us, thick and quiet. We park at the top, and when I kill the engine, the silence settles in like a blanket. Lakelyn leans forward, peering out through the windshield.
The view’s stunning. The dark mountains stretch out in front of us, rolling shadows against the sky, and dotted across the landscape are tiny pinpricks of light—houses, cabins, lives unfolding out there in the distance. The lights sparkle like stars fallen to earth, and for a moment, it feels like we’re the only two people in the world.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispers, her voice soft, almost reverent.
“Yeah,” I murmur, my gaze shifting from the view to her. “It is.” I’m not sure anything can compare to her beauty. At least to me.
She leans back against the seat, her hair falling around her shoulders, and I can’t help but smile at the ease of this. It’s not forced. We’re just here, at this moment, and it feels right. Cozy, intimate, without the pressure of anything more. Not that I wouldn’t be open to it—hell, I am—but I’m not about to push. Not with her. Not when it feels like we’ve known each other forever.
“So,” she says, breaking the silence, her voice soft but curious, “what brought you back to Blue Ridge? Feels like a long way from the Big Apple.”
I chuckle, leaning back in my seat. “Honestly? I was lost. New York was… a lot. It felt stifling, like I couldn’t breathe anymore.” I glance out the window, the lights from distant homes twinklingin the darkness. “Living at my parents’ mansion isn’t exactly the dream either, but I didn’t know what else to do.”
Lakelyn’s eyes stay on me, listening without judgment, and it makes it easier to keep going. “I needed space to figure things out. It’s quieter here, you know?”
She nods, a small smile playing on her lips. “I get that. Sometimes you just need to get away.”
“Yeah.” I turn back to her, feeling that same pull, the comfort in just being around her. “And now… I’m glad I came back. Didn’t think I’d find something—or someone—worth sticking around for.”
Her eyes flicker with something I can’t quite place, and she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “How long are you planning on staying?”
“I don’t know,” I admit, my voice quieter now. “I didn’t have a plan when I left New York. But now that I’m here… I think I’ll stick around for a while. Maybe even get an apartment instead of living with my parents.”
The corner of her mouth lifts in that way that makes me feel like we’ve known each other forever and not just a little over a week. “I’m glad you came back and we met.”
“Me too.”
The air between us feels warm, cozy, and for the first time in a long time, I don’t feel lost.
“If you’re goingto be staying in my house, Chadwick, you are not staying in bed all day,” my father says, his voice gruff as he sets down the morning paper. His eyes finally settle on me, a mix of impatience and something else—something that’s been there since the day I presented as an omega.
Disappointment.
I grip the edge of the doorframe, fighting the urge to roll my eyes. “I’m not in bed.”
