What the fuck was that? Did Luke seriously just completely reject me and then get up and walk away?
This is so not happening right now! I do not get rejected! Who the hell does he think he is?
There wasn’t a wolf in this pack, besides the two mated idiot brothers, who wouldn’t take me out into the woods and screw me senseless given the opportunity.
Sitting there completely flabbergasted, I replayed the night’s events in my head. All the right signals were there. He stared at my tits for well past the appropriate amount of time with a hunger in his eyes that spoke volumes. We laughed, flirted, innocently touched each other… One second he looked at me like he couldn’t wait to run his hand over every inch of my body and then the next he acted like he couldn’t get away from me fast enough. How could he just walk away? More importantly, why? Maybe this wasn’t going to be as easy as I’d hoped.
Suddenly my chest tightened, and I had to fight the urge to take off into the woods, strip, shift, and run until I couldn’t run anymore. Run until I wasn’t pissed anymore. Run until I was too tired to care enough to be pissed. It’s not like I even really liked Luke, but having him practically run off when I was sure he was finally going to make a move made me feel like a complete idiot.
No, that wasn’t true. Damn it! Who the hell was I trying to fool? Myself, obviously. I did like Luke. And that was the problem.
I watched as Aiden and Teagan walked hand in hand in my direction and cringed a bit inside when I realized they were planning to sit next to me. I could only hope the evidence of Luke’s rejection wasn’t written all over my face. Trapped smack-dab in the middle of completely new territory, I wasn’t sure how to handle the feelings brewing inside of me. I always got what I wanted—who I wanted. I never dreamed Luke Stanton would be any different. His reputation preceded him; he might not be a fan of relationships, but that didn’t stop him from making girls swoon right and left. Hell, they knew what Luke was like but that never seemed to stop the revolving door of girls from ending up beneath his perfectly sculpted body. So why wasn’t he making me pant right now? Instead I’m sitting here freezing my ass off with a bunch of strangers.
Teagan’s voice shook me out of my internal pity party, but I had no idea what she had said. “Sorry, what?” I asked.
She smiled sweetly and replied, “So how do you like it here so far?”
“Oh, it’s fine. It’s just odd being away from home, you know?”
A sadness crept into her eyes as she responded, “Yeah, I know what you mean.” Before she could say any more, Aiden’s arms enveloped her, and he pulled her into his lap. She giggled as he planted kiss after kiss all over her cheeks and neck.
I needed to get the hell out of there. My night hadn’t gone as planned, and there was no reason to sit out here and torture myself any further. As I made my way to my feet, I said, “Hey guys, I’m gonna get out of here. It’s been a long day, and I’m really tired.”
Teagan was the first to respond. “Awww, really? Already? You sure you don’t want to stick around for a bit?” Her smile was genuine, and there was a kindness about her that seemed to be absent in every wolf I’d ever known.
“Yeah, I better go before I fall asleep out here. But thanks, Teagan. It was really nice meeting you.” After the words spilled out of my mouth, I realized that I’d really meant it, and the uncomfortable feelings already invading my body intensified. I didn’t want to make friends here. I couldn’t. That would only make it more difficult to do what I needed to do for my father…for my pack. Before I escaped, I looked around at the rest of them and said my goodbyes. Just as I turned to leave, Drew caught my eye, and I knew he would be on my trail in no time.
I took off toward our new house, already trying to formulate excuses for what happened with Luke. I should have been off in the woods in the midst of a steamy make-out session, not tromping my way back home with my tail between my legs. Drew would have questions for sure, but there was no way I was going to admit what really happened. He would only make me feel shittier than I already did.
Just as I assumed, Drew called out my name, and I turned to see him jogging my way. “Hey, wait up, would ya?”
Over my shoulder, I called, “Well hurry the hell up. I’m freezing my butt off out here.” Before I knew it, Drew wrapped one arm around my waist, pulled me back against him, and grabbed my ass with his other hand. With his lips only a breath away from my ear, he whispered, “Well, give me one minute, and I’ll have you warmed up real quick, baby.”
My cheeks flushed immediately as I shrugged out of his gasp. “Watch it, Brother! That’s no way to touch your sister,” I warned, trying to keep the disgust out of my voice. If he were anyone else, I would have kneed him in the balls and told him keep his damn hands to himself, but Drew knew the score. He was going to be the next alpha, and I was just another pretty face among his pack, which meant only one thing. He could get away with just about anything, and he knew it.
Drew let me go, but trailed close by. “Oh come on, Scarlett. You know you want me.”
I wanted to slap the stupid out of him. Why did our next alpha have to be such a cocky piece of shit? Picking up my pace, I replied, “Only in your dreams, Drew.”
He shot me a wicked grin before asking, “So how’d it go with Muscles? I didn’t see y’all sneaking off for a romp in the woods, so I’m guessing not great?”
“Shut up, Drew. I’m easing into things. If I just lie down and spread my legs, who’s to say he will want anything more to do with me after that?”
As we reached the front door, Drew wrapped his hand around the back of my neck, pulling me toward him so he could whisper in my ear. “Well don’t hold out too long. You know, if you do it right, he will be back begging for more. I’d be more than happy to offer you a free lesson or two.”
My insides twisted in knots, and if his grip on my neck told me anything, it was that he wasn’t joking anymore. I had a feeling that Drew Barnes took rejection worse than I did, so I played the only card I had. The girlfriend card. Cutting my eyes to him, I said, “You know, as tempting as that sounds, I am kind of fond of my limbs, babe, and if Avery every found out, I’m guessing I’d probably lose a few.”
A deep, throaty chuckle escaped his lips as I opened the door and we made our way inside. My body flooded with relief when he released his grip, but he reminded me once more, “Don’t screw this up, babe. I’ve done my part so far. I’ll be best buds with both Aiden and Cade in no time. The groundwork has already been laid, so now it’s your turn to figure out your next move.”
Before I headed upstairs, I assured him, “Don’t worry. I got this. Luke won’t know what hit him.” Then before he could see the doubt in my eyes, I turned my back and rushed up the stairs. I fell into my bed without bothering to change clothes. I kicked off my boots and curled up into a ball. I couldn’t get Luke out of my head. He seemed totally into me, seemed primed and ready to pounce. So what the hell caused him to run for the hills?
I lay there for a while before I finally got up to get ready for bed, but sleep wasn’t what I needed. I needed to run. I needed to clear my head and figure out my next move. Maybe I just wasn’t cut out for this? No, I could do this. I had to do this. My dad was counting on me, and I couldn’t let him down. This was my chance to prove myself. And maybe, just maybe, my father would be able to look me in the eyes again someday.
I sneaked down the stairs and out the back door. Once I made it to the tree line, I quickly stripped, leaving my clothes in a pile by a tree, and shifted. Before all paws hit the ground, I was off, sprinting like my life depended on it.