“I’ll pick you up tomorrow night after dinner,” Darren told me as I stood.
“Yeah, sure,” I said flatly.
“It’s a date,” he said.
“Whoop,” I replied with a pathetic fist bump.
Darren laughed behind me as I walked towards Cole.
Cole watched me as I walked to her and turned to leave again as I reached her, leading me out of the kitchen and out of thePack House. As the cold night air hit me from the open door, my jacket was placed over my shoulders.
“Thanks,” I said as I put my jacket on properly. Cole stepped in front of me, shrugging on her coat.
“You and Darren know each other,” Cole said.
“Not really; I’ve only ever seen him at a poker table,” I said.
She made a disbelieving sound in her throat.
“Do you think I was allowed to socialise with any males at those games?” I asked her.
“He’s a beta,” she answered.
“Ashford doesn’t take chances like that with me,” I replied. “He says I’m the only thing he won’t gamble with. Like it was meant to mean something to me. He didn’t even try to stop you from taking me.”
I laughed. I was nothing special to Ashford.
“You’re confident you’re going home?” Cole asked.
“He’ll get the money he owes you, or he’ll get his dad to give you the money,” I told her. I was sure of it. “He hasn’t got much of a choice, has he? If he doesn’t, you’ll confront Alpha Julian publicly. Either way, you’ll get what you want,” I answered.
“What is it you think I want?” Cole asked, looking down at me when I looked at her in response to the question.
There was a question in her eyes, an intensity that caused me to trip as I walked. I laughed as I found my balance. Cole’s hands hovered slightly at my sides.
“Enjoy your trip?” she asked.
“Ha-ha, Dad,” I replied, a little embarrassed at her joke.
“I can’t be your Daddy if you’re dating my nephew,” she said, and I tripped again.
“I’m not dating anyone… what… You’re not… what?”
Cole laughed deeply beside me.
“You might want to let Darren down gently. At this rate, he’ll be asking you to spend the full moon with him,” she said, pushing open the side pedestrian gate to her driveway for us.
“That’s never happening,” I told Cole.
“I feel like I should be offended for him. Said with such finality. What’s so wrong with him?” she asked.
“It’s not a him thing. I mean, it’s part of it; I don’t like men like that,” I groaned in frustration at how awkward I sounded.
I was twenty-three; I had been out for years, and still I stumbled saying I wasn’t straight. Part of it was that I had spent the last three years unable to have any real relationships or friendships where I could be myself. I shook my head. Cole wasn’t my friend; she was an heir of Sandstorm, an alpha that had temporarily claimed me.
“Plus, I don’t shift. So, I’m not spending the full moon with Darren or anyone,” I finished.
“What do you mean you don’t shift?” Cole asked.
