“I will come, too,” Noah offers. “No one knows the place better than I do. Well… minus my siblings.”
The three of us look through the whole building again, until Noah stops us. “Silly question, but did any of you check outside?”
His suggestion makes me slap my forehead. “I am such a dunce. Of course!”
“Yeah, he might have gone outside to catch some fresh air,” Ava agrees.
Together we step outside, the fresh air hitting me immediately. I didn’t realize how hot it was inside, but it’s so refreshing to be outside. I let my gaze wander around until I spot a person leaning against the wall of the house, in the furthest corner of the garden. He is talking with-
“Isn’t that the girl who came with him?” Ava asks.
“Yes, Josie.” It’s not just Josie, but some of her friends. Maddox is there too and has his arms crossed, leaning with his back against the wall. He doesn’t really seem to be involved in their talk.
I don’t know why the sight hits me so hard, or why it’s upsetting me. It’s not the first time Brandon has hung out with them, hehasto. But today I feel something in my chest churn, while an alarm bell in my mind goes off. It’s probably the reason why I step forward silently until I am within hearing distance.
“What’s going on, Brandon!?” Josie asks him.
Maddox raises his gaze, his eyes landing on me. Fuck, he’s seen me! To my surprise, he doesn’t comment on my presence, instead he keeps his eyes on me. “Are you suddenly really into her?” he asks Brandon.
Brandon and the others look up, surprised even, as if they didn’t expect him to talk to them.
Ava grabs my arm, startling me. Her eyes are wide, but I shake my head. I want to hear the answer, or maybe Ineedto hear it. “No way,” Brandon laughs. “She is not my type.”
Josie says something I don’t quite catch; something about a plan and how he wasn’t supposed to drag it out for so long.
“I am just in it for the fun,” Brandon says. “You know that, Josie.”
“She is right,” one of the guys says. “You were supposed to play with her. That was the plan.”
My heart rate picks up speed, my cheeks flaming up in shame, while at the same time, tears start to burn in my eyes. He has played me all along. Daniel was right!
And he probably doesn’t feel a mate bond to me either, not that I truly believed it, but I wanted to.
Fuck, I am pathetic.
“I am just hanging out with her because she is a bit clingy,” Brandon says.
At that, my mouth drops open. The audacity! I am not clingy; he is the one always insisting on meeting me and complaining when I have other things to do.
“But you are sleeping with her,” Maddox points out calmly.
“Yeah,” Brandon shrugs. “She is a good fuck.” He turns to Josie. “She is just human. I wouldn’t seriously date her.”
“Prove it,” she demands.
He takes her hand and tugs her closer. When she wraps her arms around him, my heart sinks even further. He plotted this together with the people who bullied me all my life, with thosewho look down on me. He is not just acquainted with them, like he told me, he is friends with them; he probably had me as a side piece while being with Josie.
Goddess, I just didn’t notice because I am barely around the pack.
“I don’t like to share,” Josie says against his lips.
Brandon wraps his arms around her, saying something I can’t quite catch. I have heard enough anyway. I am not sure if I loved Brandon, but I definitely liked him. I trusted him. My heart stutters at that thought, my throat going dry. But besides the hurt and the humiliation, there is something else burning inside me.
I look up again, noticing that Maddox has disappeared. Good. Moving away from my hidden spot, I grab the drink Noah is still holding in his hands and walk right to the little group. They finally take up my scent, turning around to look at me. By their surprised expressions, it’s obvious they didn’t notice I was around. Before Brandon can even utter a single word, I empty the drink right in his face.
Brandon growls, but has himself under control enough not to do something rash, instead, he just glares at me. “What did you just do?! Are you crazy?”
“You are pathetic,” I spat.
