Thane’s eyes fall to her lips as the corner of his mouth curves up. “Never have I ever submitted to an Alpha.”
The three of us collectively moan, and Sophia throws a palm in his face. “Who invited this guy?” she says, drawing a laugh from all of us. “Oo, I have a good one!”
“Wait, what about taking turns?” Kole whines.
“Well, do you have any ideas?” Sophia asks, and Kole just shakes his head, slouching back down in his seat. “Alright then, never have I ever been attracted to a human.”
“Gee, thanks.” I roll my eyes, putting down a finger so that I have two left.
“Really, Kole?” Sophia nods to Thane. “He has the bond of the mark, but what’s your excuse?”
Kole rakes a hand through his hair, keeping his eyes locked on the floor.
“Well, at least tell us who she was,” Sophia presses.
Kole exhales a weighted breath. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Jeez, she must’ve done a real number on you,” Sophia quips, taking a sip of her beer. “At least she’s dead now.” Thane releases a low growl as his eyes dart to me. “Shit. Sorry, Grey. I didn’t mean—”
I shake my head with the wave of my hand. “It’s fine.”
“The brothers only have one left,” she says to me. “You got anything that can take one of them out?”
A wicked grin spreads across my face as I look at Thane. “Never have I ever had a human for a pet.”
Kole chokes on his bourbon, breaking out into a coughing fit, and Sophia falls back on the couch, laughing hysterically. While the two of them fight for their lives, Thane and I remain locked on each other. I half expect him to be seething from the comment, but instead, there’s almost a playful energy passing between us as he shakes his head, putting down his last finger. I lean back, swirling the glass of wine in my hand, only offering him an innocent shrug.
That little gesture seems to be his breaking point, because a full-on smile spreads across his handsome face. Any sign of his Alpha asshole demeanor fades away, and for the first time since I’ve met him, it feels like I’m seeing the real Thane.
“I’ve had a long day, so I think it’s time for me to call it a night,” Sophia says, as she stands up and stretches her arms above her head.
What started out as a game of Never Have I Ever turned into three hours of drinking games and storytelling. Finding out that Sophia has known the two of them for fifty-two yearscertainly explains why she’s so comfortable around them. Even though I’ve had years to adjust to the idea that these people have lived long lives while barely aging, I still can’t fully wrap my head around it. I mean, I can’t even imagine all that they’ve seen and experienced. They say time moves differently for them, but shit. The idea of living that long seems a bit terrifying.
“Shall we?” Sophia pulls Thane up from the couch.
“Goodnight, you two,” Kole says, as Sophia leads Thane away.
For a few hours, I was able to pretend that she was just some friend that had come to visit, but as I watch her guide Thane away by the hand, that bitter feeling comes creeping along again.
“You look jealous,” Kole says, eyeing me from behind his glass of bourbon.
“I’m not jealous!” I snap, unable to control the emotions ramping up inside me.
Kole sets his glass on the coffee table and walks over to me.
“Good,” he says, taking my wine glass and setting it down. “Because she’s got nothing on you.”
“Right.” I scoff. “She’s every man’s dream.”
“Not every man’s.”
I know he’s only saying that to make me feel better, but I don’t bother calling him out on it. Instead, I swallow the lump of envy in my throat and head to my room, hoping that tomorrow this feeling will be gone, and I can go back to not giving a damn about who Thane spends his time with.
Thane
The plan to have Sophia here as a distraction is completely backfiring. Anytime she kisses me or touches me, I find myself wishing that it were Grey instead. In fact, it almost feels wrong to have another woman’s hands on me. It feels like a betrayal, which is completely ridiculous because Grey doesn’t even want me.
I mean, fuck. She can barely even tolerate me.
