I manage a feeble smile of politeness and soak up the welcoming ambience while taking a sip. The servers talk loudly, one teasing a couple seated nearby who nicely asked for mushrooms in their carbonara. They seem to know everyone by name. It’s a far cry from the restaurants where my father made me meet potential packs over the summer—places where portions are the size of your palm and look like pieces of art yet taste of nothing.
I smooth down my hair, reattaching the pins to make sure the bun at the base of my neck is perfectly intact before checking my compact mirror. The tip of my nose is all pink, and my lip gloss could definitely do with a reapplication.
After using the restroom to touch up, I instantly spot Ezra at the bar, the silver beads on his locs glinting under the orange light. A beta woman laughs up at him, pawing one of his forearms, his other arm resting on her back. My hands curl into fists as a surge of anger floods through me, watching how Ezra chuckles along with whatever she’s saying. What could bethatfunny?
The comforting smell of Italian food now feels overwhelming. The plates of piled-up spaghetti suddenly remind me of worms, making my stomach roll with nausea as Ezra continues to flirt shamelessly with this random woman. Why did I expect anything else?
I have no right to feel angry. He made it clear from the moment we met that he was only looking for casual fun, yet my chest still tightens, like someone’s gripping my heart.
Pulse racing, I purse my lips and stride through the busy restaurant, not allowing my emotions to show on my face. If itweren’t for my coat and scarf left at the bar, I’d have walked straight out without having to face him.
“Kady?” Ezra’s smile falls from his face. “What are you?—”
I snatch up my belongings, bundling them into my arms. “I’m just leaving.” I turn and almost bump into a server carrying an armful of dishes on my way out. “Sorry!”
Coming here was a mistake.
“Kady!” I hurtle out into the night, Ezra right behind me. His delicious scent slices through the air, stalking me. “Wait!”
My pulse hammers, but I don’t look back. My shoes clip-clop on the smooth pavement as I hurry away, my scarf and hair streaming behind me.
“Are you really going to make me run?” he calls after me.
I ignore him, a cool drizzle beginning to fall from the skies. Awesome. A ruined blowout and soggy books is what the universe has in store for me. Can’t a girl catch a break?
Ezra’s footsteps slap the ground, his pace quickening. His long legs catch up with me effortlessly as he breaks into a jog.
“Come on, Kady!”
I whirl around, narrowing my eyes. “You shouldn’t run out on a date.”
“A date?” He rubs his face with his hand. “You mean, the woman I was speaking to?”
“You looked pretty close.” I lift my head to meet his gaze.
A twinkle of mischief lights his brown eyes. “Are you jealous?”
“Jealous?” Tingles skate up the back of my neck. “Of course not! Why would I be?”
“I thought we were on the same page about what happened between us.” His hand brushes my shoulder, sending a shiver of desire through me. “That it was just…” A different look crosses his face, almost wistful, before whatever it is extinguishes. “Casual.”
I step back, my shoulders knotting with a new tension. “Yes, you made that perfectly clear.”
His gaze softens. “Kady, I?—”
“You made it!” As Riven’s overjoyed voice rings down the empty street, Ezra’s head whips around to see him waving. “Surprise!”
Three imposing figures approach us, all swaddled up in warm clothes.
“Kady?” Hale squints through the drizzle. “What’re you doing here?”
Seeing the entire Valen Pack is definitely not what I need right now, especially when my emotions feel so out of whack.
“I’m heading back to campus.” I cast a pointed look at Ezra. “I’m on my way to the bus stop.”
“There’s not another bus to SVU for,” Calder checks his watch, “an hour.”
Sighing, Riven’s bulky shoulders slump in his green jacket, which makes him look like a huge tree. “I thought we were getting pizza?”
