Page 42 of Trick or Heat

I roll my eyes. I know it’s the truth. Ever since I met Elsie, all I’ve ever wanted was for her to know how I feel and to feel the same. I didn’t want to lose her to a group of alphas that didn’t want me, or worse—want our friendship to stop.

Now that’s never going to happen. Her alphas are my alphas, and Elsie is still my best friend. But I want us to be more.

“I need to talk to her.”

“Duh,” Reed says. “How did you even meet the alphas, anyway?”

My lips flatten before I admit, “Elsie asked for me during her heat.”

He deadpans and glares at me. “Go fucking talk to her. Now.”

Despite his irritation, I laugh. “You don’t have to tell me twice.”

“Apparently I fucking do. Or ten times, would be more accurate.”

I sneak a kiss to his shoulder and he pushes me away, wiping the kiss off aggressively. “Love you, Reeds. I’ll call you soon to tell you how it went.”

“Don’t. I already know.”

There’s a new jump in my step as I exit the bar. Mean-looking bikers glare at me as I make my exit, but their grumpiness won’t deter me. I’m ready to finally lay this saga to rest.

I need to talk to Elsie, and I can’t wait another moment to do so.

TWENTY

I’m antsy as I sit on my couch, holding a mug of warm chai and watching The Nightmare Before Christmas. I’m still not ready to let go of spooky season, but the world spins on regardless.

A weird energy has been thrumming through me all day, like a weird calm before a freak storm. I’ve been doing self-care all day to try to thwart it off, but it still sits there, vibrating beneath my skin.

What the hell is going on?

Casey’s face flashes in my mind, his grin wide and his hair fluffed. As I think about how silly he looks when he laughs, I find myself smiling.

I grab my phone, my face falling when I realize I can’t text him as easily as I once could.

Things have been weird between us since we found our scent matches. I’ve been avoiding him, but I also feel like he’s been avoiding me as well. I’m not sure why, but a part of me—the self-deprecating part—wants to believe it’s because of what happened during my heat. Maybe seeing me like that was too much for our platonic friendship to bear.

Still, I want him. Friend or not, I feel so deeply for him, and every second things are like this between us is another second where I feel like I’m drowning.

Maybe that’s what’s wrong with me. Maybe I am missing my other half so deeply, my body can feel it even now. Maybe I should just rip the bandage off and tell him how I feel. It’s better than this distance that’s occurred between us.

Fuck it. I’m doing it.

I click Casey’s number under my favorites—where it’s been since we were thirteen after we got our very first cell phones—and pull the device to my ear. It barely gets through the first ring before he’s answering.

“Elsie,” he says softly.

I bite my lip, nervous. “Hey.” It’s silent for a second before I whisper, “I miss you.”

He huffs out a sound of relief. “I fucking miss you too.”

A sigh escapes my lips. I needed those words more than he will ever know. “Where are you? Can I see you?”

“Actually,” he starts, and then there’s a knock at my door. My eyes widen as I get up and rush to the door, my heart beating wildly in my chest.

I open it and see Casey standing there, his phone idle by his ear and his key in the other. His brows are raised, hesitation written all over his face, and I can’t hold it in anymore.

I throw my phone to the side and rush to him. His arms wrap around me on instinct, enveloping me into his body in one fell swoop. I let all the air whoosh out of my lungs, the feeling of being in his arms again enough to cure me on a molecular level.