I didn't join black ops to prove myself as a strong warrior werewolf just to be packaged like a fragile thing to a Lycan Prince in Europe.
Caught between wanting to make my parents proud and finding my own happiness, I end the call with my father and drag my feet back to the group, now hanging near the snack table on the outskirts of the Moonshine Pack main hall.
Listlessly picking up a donut, I stuff my mouth with the sweet goodness, not wanting to focus too much on the troubles I'm facing.
But trouble seems to follow me when I spot Hunter at the opposite end of the snack table, his eyes flickering to me as he tries to remain discreet.
My walls come up again, my spine straightening and my chin rising. I can't let my sorrows and concerns affect the party, especially when our close-knit group of ex-ops members is meant to stay the night in Portland at the guesthouses.
I need to conserve my energy to stay strong against the thought that Hunter is breathing the same air as I am. The air Ibreathe is fiery hot, fueled by the grudge I have against him for ever rejecting our mate bond.
Perhaps it's that fire I need to get through this nonsense with the prince.
Chapter 2 - Hunter
Through my periphery, it's impossible not to notice the way Delilah is munching on that donut, a crumb caught on the corner of her mouth.
While Sean says something to Dominic, my full attention goes to the only one from our friend group who hasn't given me an ounce of attention tonight.
Except when she went to the outside bar to refill her drink. Delilah might have been far from where we'd been standing, but I noticed her stealing a glance back as if she wouldn't be caught.
I’m staring, of course, unable to tear my gaze from her when she's so close, imagining simply touching her golden skin or running my fingers through her smooth, silky, raven-black hair that always looked best cascading across a pillow.
I wonder if Delilah remembers our time together, or if she's avoiding those memories. It's almost as if she's pointedly ignoring me when she thinks I'm looking, treating me as if I'm nobody and nothing to her.
I can't help but feel like that's how she truly feels, especially since I lost the alpha trials in Bloodclaw and have now decided to live out my days as a lone wolf.
Being packless hadn’t been such a bad idea when I thought it meant shedding the woes of my past, dusting off the last remnants of it, and walking away for good. I've made invaluable friendships on my way, and the family I found during black ops is irreplaceable.
No one brought up the loss of the trials or my decision to be a loner. Yet, the way Delilah has been acting since I arrived with Sean and Emily has me feeling like an outsider.
Now that I have the liberty of watching her discreetly as she obliviously eats her sweet treat, I'm ogling her again, ignoring her shunning me as time feels like it's slowing down. My eyes narrow to sharpen my vision, training on the crumb on the corner of her mouth as her tongue pokes out to gather it. A stroke of saliva glistens on her lips, beckoning to my inner wolf with such intensity that I almost take a step forward.
The air leaves my lungs as my gaze roams from the lips that ignite a hidden need to the body that sends blood rushing to my core. Hugged by a thin silk dress that whispers over her curves the way my lips should be, awareness grips me and keeps me prisoner.
My eyes flit to the thin streak of gray hair tucked behind her ear—a reminder of how extraordinary she is as a werewolf and witch whose magnificent, mystical powers helped us through many missions in black ops. My heart swells with the warmth of those memories, and I lose myself in the remembrance of our time together.
Until Sean taps my arm and snaps me out of my daze, out of the memories of Delilah that seem to consume me when I'm not paying attention and staying alert. Tearing my gaze from her, I recall her hostility since I arrived in Portland and sigh as I turn to my friend.
“I think the festivities are coming to an end,” Sean chuckles as he nods toward Nicholas at the bar, who's flirting with a Moonshine she-wolf. “Before he does something he'll regret, we should retire for the night.”
I nod thoughtfully, and Dominic calls his pregnant mate over with a gentle wave of his wrist. It's a strange scene, seeing him be softer and kinder than he'd ever been during our time in black ops. Even though he'd been the last member to join the squad a year after its formation, he was the toughest cookie to crack, but Cecelia seems to have cracked the code when Dominic pecks her on the lips.
I turn my face away, not out of disgust, but purely out of regret. It's a feeling that still lingers after rejecting Delilah before we retired from black ops, rejecting her claim that we were fated mates, calling the passion we shared “fun”.
I had to minimize it to something so meaningless, so unpleasant, when I rejected her. That was the only way I could let her go, the only way she'd ever let me go.
It's not like I'd be able to protect her if I took on the responsibility of being her mate….
Clearing my throat to stop myself from falling into the clutches of my self-loathing, I look up just as Dominic and Cecelia bid their final goodbyes before they leave. I shove my hands into my pockets, following Sean as he separates from the group to get Nicholas.
“Wolfsbane….” I snicker as I sniff the air around Nicholas. He turns to me with a charming smile, green eyes pulsing with mischief.
“It's a wedding. Tyler can't be the only one having fun,” Nicholas drawls, and Sean and I chuckle as we shake our heads.
“He had the balls to do it,” I say earnestly, sparing a moment of thought for the distant memory of a conversation I once had with Tyler.
He sure had guts to accept his mate bond with Arianna and act on it, since he'd agreed with me that no physical relationship is worth losing a life over. We all witnessed firsthand what dangers lie outside the boundaries of our packs, and sometimes, those dangers come poking their noses into our territories.
