Bianca forced her attention back to the woman in front of her, which was no easy feat. Her mind always seemed to be elsewhere these days. Actually, it was always in the same place, and that was on Pack King. IfBianca wasn’t actively spending time with them—scheming with Dante, training with Daniel, verbally sparring with King, laughing with Callum—then she was thinking of them.
Which is why she found herself at a Fair Weather Manufacturing fundraising event, trying to pay attention to Dawn Fairmount’s enthusiastic chatter. Bianca was busier than ever and so she’d started to skip compulsory social events more and more often. She’d only decided to come to the Fairmount fundraiser because Dawn was less annoying than the rest of their circle and Bianca needed to maintain appearances. If she must show her face in high society, she could at least choose her battlegrounds wisely.
“Sorry, I haven’t had nearly enough caffeine today.” Bianca smiled, shaking her head as though that would help clear away the daydreams. “What were you saying?”
“We missed you at Burn Barre last week,” Dawn repeated cheerfully. “There was this super cute alpha updating the gym’s computers to increase their cybersecurity or whatever, but he totally kept finding excuses to peek into our class, so we were trying to look extra sexy and not like we were sweating our asses off. You should’ve been there!”
A chill ran down Bianca’s spine. Suddenly her attention was completely focused on Dawn. A cute alpha IT guy lurking around the studio where she took classes every week?
Surely it wasn’t Robert. There were plenty of other alpha tech guys in the world. Bianca was just being paranoid.
“I’m sure I wouldn’t have been interested.” She shrugged dismissively, hoping she appeared more unaffected than she felt. “What did Mr. Handsome look like?”
Dawn gazed dreamily into the middle distance, smiling moronically. “Blond hair. Blue eyes. A jawline that could cut glass. Classically handsome.”
Bianca’s stomach dropped. There were probably lots of alpha tech guys who fit that description. It was just a coincidence. Though Frank’s hair was more of a dirty blond and his eyes a darker blue than Robert’s, the two of them were carbon copy dude bros, the type that came a dime a dozen on frat row at college campuses around the world. Dawn’s description could’ve fit either of them.
“Did you catch his name?” Bianca asked, trying to sound nonchalant despite her heart being lodged in her throat.
Dawn screwed up her face in concentration. “Umm…let me think. I didn’t talk to him, but I did try to eavesdrop on his conversation with the owner. She called him Robin. Or maybe Roger? I should ask her next time. I’m pretty sure he was single.”
Dawn babbled on but Bianca had stopped listening. Robert had definitely been at her gym during a fitness class she frequented. He’d been loitering around the classroom where she should’ve been sweating alongside Dawn. He’d looked in more than once, as if searching for someone.
It might not be a big deal. Maybe Robert was just checking out all the sweaty women, which was sleazy but not criminal. He’d indicated he was in Smyrna City on business. The Burn Barre job could just be an unlucky coincidence.
But it was the second time his job had brought him into direct contact with Bianca’s social circle. And there was that glimpse of a familiar face at the masquerade ball, the same one that had shown up in the background of Alicia’s brunch photo. The hair on the back of her neck prickled. Shetook a deep breath, trying to calm the surge of anxiety clawing at her belly.
“I know you have better prospects, and better sense than to fall for a working guy. You and Alicia and the others are all so clever.” Dawn interrupted Bianca’s thoughts again, her voice uncertain and a bit sad. She looked down at her hands contemplatively for a few moments before brightening again. “Anyway, how are those distinguished gentlemen I saw you with at the ballet? They were obviously sooooo into you. I don’t think anyone has ever looked at me that way.”
Bianca was distracted from her anxiety by a pang of sympathy. She’d always thought of Dawn as being clueless, but it was obvious she was quite aware of her shortcomings, and more affected by them than she appeared. Maybe she wasn’t as naïve as she seemed.
“If I was so clever, I’d figure out how to attract mates who are richandyounger than my grandparents,” Bianca quipped dryly, surprised again by the urge to show a little vulnerability and kindness. “Pack Willoughby is exactly what they’ve always been: polite, extravagant, and dull as dish water. I’m hoping their days left on this earth are numbered.”
Dawn snorted a startled laugh. “Bianca Bonnycastle! You’re so naughty!”
Bianca couldn’t help but think of Callum as she replied. “Darling, you have no idea.”
Since their departure, Pack Willoughby had maintained communication with Bianca primarily via ostentatious gift-giving. They’d sent her at least one present a week, including a pair of diamond earrings to match her watch, a designer handbag, and a bouquet of rare Juliet roses. Aside from the handwritten notes accompanying each delivery, they sent the occasional email or text message, which Bianca dutifully answered with more enthusiasm than she felt.
“There’s something different about you lately,” Dawn mused, head tilted curiously and a gentle smile playing around her lips. “You seem…lighter somehow. Less terrifying.”
Bianca laughed, surprising herself yet again. Shefeltlighter, like an oppressive veil that had long blanketed her in suffocating dimness had finally lifted. She didn’t want to think about why she felt that way. And she certainly didn’t want people to think she’d gone soft.
“If you say that in front of anyone else, I’ll destroy everything you love,” Bianca deadpanned, taking Dawn’s arm and steering her toward the bar. “Now come on. Let’s get a drink.”
If anyone had told Bianca a few months earlier that she would ever find herself enjoying Dawn Fairmount’s company, she would’ve laughed in their face. And yet, that’s exactly what happened. The two women talked about nothing over a couple of espresso martinis, and Bianca found that Dawn’s inane prattle didn’t aggravate her like it once did. Occasionally, she even found it amusing.
When Dawn was called away to play hostess, Bianca decided to call it a night. Before she could signal to Daniel, however, a woman sidled up to the bar beside her. Bianca immediately recognized the strikingly beautiful, endearingly familiar face.
“Chloë Clifton-Merriwether, what a pleasant surprise,” Bianca greeted the gorgeous omega with a nod.
“It’s Chloë Breckenridge now. I recently decided to take my pack leader’s name.” Chloë had a husky voice and a dry manner that were very different from her brother’s exuberant sarcasm, but she had the same mischievous amber eyes. They sparkled now as she openly studied Bianca. “Don’t tell me you’re leaving before we’ve had a drink. You wouldn’t be friends with Callum if you couldn’t hold your liquor, so I assume another espresso martini wouldn’t hurt?”
Bianca let herself smile. She’d tolerated Chloë whenever their paths had crossed in the past and had found her to be less vexing than most people. She was smart and driven, qualities Bianca appreciated, and she didn’t talk unless she had something intelligent to say, which was a rarity in their circles.
Chloë had avoided most of the rich omega social scene by showing her tech talents early and making herself invaluable to her family business. The Clifton-Merriwethers were as rich and traditional as the Bonnycastles, but they had the good sense to let go of the gender and designation norm nonsense when they realized their daughter’s brilliance could make them a fortune. Thus, Bianca didn’t know Chloë well, but she respected her. Knowing that she’d stood by Callum after their parents sent him away, and that she’d influenced them to lift his exile, had raised her further in Bianca’s opinion.
“Make it a dry martini and you’re on,” Bianca countered, nodding at the bartender, who’d been close enough to hear. “I’ll be up half the night if I have another espresso, and I need my beauty sleep if I’m going to keep up with your brother’s shenanigans.”
