“And they’rewrong?”
“Well, yeah. Noteveryone’sout to get them. The dudes are Neanderthals. Hot Neanderthals, but Neanderthals nonetheless. What would myvery evolvedpack need with any of them?” She downed the rest of her coffee, then set her mug down next to a half-empty bottle of water. “They don’t have anything we don’t alreadyhave.”
“They’re allmales.”
She frowned. “So?”
“They’re all stronger than Iam.”
“Just because your muscles aren’t as big doesn’t mean you’re weak, Ness.” She tapped her index finger against her temple. “This’ll sound corny as shit, but the greatest strength comes fromhere.”
I pursed my lips, not because I thought she was wrong, but because I thought she was idealistic. It was easy to be idealistic when you possessed everything—from riches to security to status to family. I had none of thosethings.
She tipped her head to the side. “Here I thought you were this self-confident, arrogant girl, but you’re not, areyou?”
“I make a good first impression, don’t I?” I raised a smile I wasn’t really feeling. “You’re also surprisingly different than I assumed. You’re actuallynice.”
“Ha. I think you’re the first person to say that.” She twisted her long curls in a makeshift bun that held by itself. “Can you please tell my mother that on Saturday? I’dlovea front-row seat to thatreaction…”
My smile turnedgenuine.
Sarah’s stomach growled long and hard. “I need food. Want to grab somelunch?”
I glanced at the glowing red digits on her bedside clock. “It’s 4:30.”
“Perfect time for lunch.” She walked over to another doorway and slid it open. Behind it sprawled a white marble bathroom. “So? Youin?”
“Sure.”
While she showered, I delicately pulled the dress off and folded it neatly, then put on my denim cut-offs and navy t-shirt that felt incredibly ratty in comparison. I asked her twice more if she was sure about the dress. Both times won me headshakes andyeses.
We had food at Tracy’s, where I expected to run into some member of the Boulder Pack, but instead we ran into a couple Pines. Thankfully none of them were JustinSummix.
When I mentioned his name, Sarah wrinkled her nose and leaned over, burger suspended in midair, meat juice dripping onto her creamy coleslaw. “He’s theworst.”
I liked her more after that. And I already liked her quite a bit, so that was saying a lot. How I wished she were a Boulder wolf. But then I wondered why I wished she were part of a packIwasn’t even part of. And what did it matter anyway? In the end, she was a wolf like me. Just because we didn’t answer to the same Alpha—I answered to none for that matter—didn’t mean we couldn’t befriends.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Although we’d madeplans to hang out mid-week, Sarah had to cancel for some wedding stuff. The bored sound of her voice told me she wasn’t looking forward to whatever her family had planned forher.
I stayed in most of the week, shifting into my wolf form only once to go for a run. I didn’t stray too far up the mountain, but I did pound the earth from sundown to twilight, exerting my pent-upnerves.
All week I’d tried to call Everest for news, but he didn’t answer his phone. I was beginning to think he didn’t want to talk to me. Maybe he thought that associating with me was shameful considering what I’d done to his Alpha. Whatever his reasons, I added his silence to the long list of things that perturbedme.
I spoke to August a few times—always steering the conversation toward him. We talked battle strategies and hot deserts, grenades and religious indoctrination. Lightheartedsubjects.
At the end of our last call, I asked him when he was coming home, and he asked me if I missed him, and it triggered a painfully awkward stretch of silence, which he put an end to by saying he needed to get geared up because his squad was waiting for him in aHumvee.
Truth was, I did miss him, but I tacked that up to being a lonely pariah. It was probably better that he was away. If he’d stayed, he might have hung out with me out of pity, and I would’ve hatedthat.
When Saturday rolled around, my stomach roiled with nerves. I’d been too nervous to eat, too nervous to do much of anything besides the chores Lucy had assigned to me. I’d asked Evelyn if she wanted to go for a walk, but she told me her head washurting.
Before leaving for the wedding, decked in my red gown, I stopped by her bedroom where she was watching Law and Order reruns. She blinked up at me from a flowered armchair that seemed as old as the inn, then her eyes glittered and she repeated, “Que linda” so many times, the tips of my ears glowed as bright as mydress.
“How are youfeeling?”
“How areyoufeeling?” She narrowed her black eyes atme.
