and I still needed a shower. I got up and trudged over to the closet, riffling through the hangers. My mind was reeling. I couldn’t understand why Aidan would send anyone out searching without talking to me about it. Didn’t I have a say in what the pack did now? And he knew the team was working on it, kind of, well, okay maybe not really. Most of their time was taken up on working with me. But they had been spending at least an hour a day looking. That was something, wasn’t it?
“Well un-complicate it,” she snapped, following me to the closet. She reached in and snagged my plum hoodie, tossing it on the bed. “Because you’re going to end up regretting this. He’s playing with you. I know it and I know you know it, too. There’s something else behind this.” A thought dawned on her then; I saw it pass across her eyes a moment before she visibly shuddered, and when she continued, her voice was whisper quiet. “You haven’t slept with him yet, right? Please tell me you haven’t because I did with Trevor and well …”
I yanked a pair of jeans off a hanger, and grabbed a white tank from the shelf before turning to look her straight on. “I know, Mac. You’re mated. I can smell it. You have two distinct scents, yours and Trevor’s. It’s weird, though. I thought you had to be a werewolf for that.”
“Um, yeah, well, you and me both.” She blushed, a light pink, dropped her eyes, and smiled — a little. “I just … you can’t, not with Jared. You don’t even like him and Aidan …”
“My inner-wolf likes him,” I said, cutting her short, not wanting to hear anymore. “And really, who I end up mating with isn’t important .” I grabbed the hoodie she had tossed on the bed and started for the door. “I need to take a shower. You can wait or go, whatever.”
“This wasn’t Aidan’s fault,” Marcy blurted. “It’s all on me and Dom. If you have to hate someone, then hate us. Don’t take our bad advice out on him.”
I didn’t turn around, I couldn’t. I was sure my face was crumbling just like my heart and I didn’t want her to see it. I kept my hand on the doorknob, but I couldn’t bring myself to twist. “You didn’t make him lie, Mac.” I swallowed hard, hating how raw my voice sounded. “You didn’t make him manipulate me. You didn’t force him to put me in danger. He was the one stupid enough to follow through with it all.”
“We just wanted you to be happy,” she pleaded, coming up behind me. She squeezed my shoulder. “You can fool everyone else, but not me. I see through you. I always have. Aidan’s the cheese to your macaroni and you know it.”
“The cheese to my macaroni?” I asked, as I dropped my grip on the doorknob and turned around. I arched a brow and pursed my lips.
She grinned, wrapping me in a too tight hug. “I’ve missed you, Jade. Three days is way too long.”
CHAPTER 4
~ AIDAN ~
Dominic looked uncomfortable. He was leaning against the kitchen counter watching Tommy fry up some bacon and scrambled eggs. His blond hair was gelled, but that was pretty much the only thing he’d bothered to do before coming over. His jeans were stained with dirt and his olive hoodie looked as if he’d been wearing it for weeks. His eyes were bruised, veined red. It was clear that he’d been sleeping just as well as me.
My unwelcome guests had made themselves at home while I’d taken a shower and gotten dressed. They had raided my fridge and cooked up the last of the breakfast food I had. A heavy layer of greasy smoke filled the room, and the small, dusty -gray countertop was covered with pots and dishes.
Chris drummed his fingertips on the table, watching the coffee pot as it gurgled and dripped. “Your dad was telling me your beta is in high school and the head enforcer is about your age.”
A strained tension shifted through the
Kent Flannery, Joyce Marcus