Chapter 16
Sixteen
DARIA
Mystique is no Crystal Chandelier, but I refuse to step foot into that fancy-ass restaurant after my bestie Quinn’s mate was fired. Even still, Mystique is way outside of what my wallet can handle.
The entrance and hostess stand are gilded. My stomach clenches at how much money must’ve gone into outfitting a place like this. The dollar signs are intimidating, but the pack must be able to afford it. I only wish I felt like I belonged in this world.
Even all made up and arguably as well dressed as others, I still feel like a fraud. Like someone is going to jump out at any moment and scream, She’s poor! Hide the silver and crystal!
The hostess gives me a scrutinizing once-over. “Reservation?”
Smiling in spite of her sour attitude, I nod. “It’ll be under Pack Kelly.”
As she searches for the name, I test it out on myself.
Daria Kelly.
Oh hello, yes, I am indeed a Kelly.
Oh, the Kellys? They have a gorgeous omega named ? —
“Daria?” the hostess’s grumpy voice cuts through my daydreaming.
“Yup.”
“Follow me.” She eyes the couple pushing through the door, sending them a pointed don’t you dare fucking move until I get back look.
Nerves flutter in my stomach as she leads me around the hostess stand. Am I really doing this? Having dinner with my scent matches? Surely, I’m dreaming. I pinch myself. Ow, fuck.
Right. Not a dream.
The main floor is obnoxiously fancy—tables covered in white cloths, sparkling glassware, bouquets of roses as a centerpiece, and a fucking swan fountain made of marble right in the middle of the floor.
What is with rich people and hideous decorations? Like, hey, everyone, look at all my money, let me buy this ugly-ass bird fountain.
Nearly every table is full, but my gaze immediately finds Kai and Lincoln six tables away, almost like my body knew exactly where they were all along. They both stand. Two chairs at the table are empty. One for me and one for another pack member who is noticeably absent.
My stomach drops. Is that a bad sign? Or maybe they’re in the bathroom. There’s no way they saw me while I was eyeing the ugly bird statue and ran, right? Fuck, I need to get it together. I haven’t even met the entire pack, and I’m already anticipating them leaving me.
Everything is fine. It’ll be okay. Suck it up and act like the gorgeous omega you are . Tipping my chin, I make my way over to the alphas, more than a little smug when their gazes stray to the way my hips sway before jumping back up to meet my eyes.
My heart skips as I take them in. Though Kai ditched the suit jacket, he’s still in the slacks and top from earlier today, the light blue shirt complementing his umber complexion. He’s undone the first two buttons of the top, revealing hints of a muscled chest. It should be illegal for an alpha to be this attractive after a long day’s work.
The other alpha at the table shifts, snaring my attention. Lincoln’s hair is still pulled back in a bun, but he’s traded his suit for a casual button-up, which he’s rolled up at the sleeves, exposing muscled, faintly bronzed forearms. Lincoln, while clearly strong, isn’t as lean as Kai, but I like the slight softness of his bulk.
They look delicious. These are my alphas. My heart skips a beat. They both study me as intensely as I study them. I stop before the table, catching the unmistakable allure of their spiced and citrus scents.
“Daria,” Kai says with a blinding smile. “You look?—”
“Good enough to eat,” a deep and familiar voice rumbles behind me. Vic’s chest brushes over my back, and his hand wraps around my throat as he inhales.
As heat shoots through me, I suck in a breath, gasping when the sweet and smoky myrrh of Vic’s scent scorches through my system. Holy shit, Vic smells divine.
Wait, why is he here?
“Vic,” Lincoln says with a sigh, “at least let her have dessert before you try to eat her.”
“Let her go,” Kai pleads, truly worried for me.
Little does he know that I’m right where I want to be. But how is this possible? What weird sort of game is fate playing?
Vic’s mouth brushes over my ear. “You’re wearing my collar.”
I swallow, the movement pronounced against the palm lacing my neck. “You left it for me.”
“Good little doe,” he purrs, stroking my neck. “But I don’t like that my marks are hidden.”
“Sorry,” I whisper.
“You should be.” He gently bites my throat before letting me go and standing in front of the other empty chair, smirking at Kai and Lincoln, who are understandably confused.
A hard line cuts across Kai’s brow. “You’ve met Daria already?”
Vic glances at me, a devious little glint shining in his gaze. “You can say that.”
“You guys are pack?” There’s no mistaking the hopeful lilt to my question. I had wanted to ask about keeping Vic, anyway.
“More like besties for the resties, right, Vic?” Lincoln asks at the same time Vic mutters, “Unfortunately.”
Okay. That doesn’t sound good.
Lincoln narrows his eyes on his pack mate. Vic holds his scrutinizing gaze and lifts an eyebrow. What?
The alpha across the table rolls his eyes.
This must be what people feel like when they hang out with me and Quinn. My best friend and I can carry on an entire conversation without saying a word. To be on the other side of that is awkward as hell.
“Right,” Kai says, shaking his head. “Please, sit.” He gestures to my chair and Lincoln jumps up to pull it out for me.
My gaze skips around the group. There’s still time to run. I could leave now and never look back. This is all I’ve ever wanted. A pack. Love. Safety. Why am I suddenly so afraid?
Jesus. My cheating ex-pack really did a number on me. I’d dated plenty before them and never been as affected as when I discovered their betrayal. We might not have been scent matches, but we were...something. Or they were something to me. Apparently, to them, I was disposable.
Fuck them.
Fuck that fear.
Taking a steadying breath, I savor Vic, Lincoln, and Kai’s collective scents, a delightful mix of citrus, spice, and musk. I begin to sit, allowing Lincoln to slowly push the chair in. He returns to his seat once I’m settled.
“How did you two meet?” Kai asks Vic as he pours me a glass of white wine from the bottle sitting beside the table.
How much will that cost? At least eighty bucks?
“Well, that’s quite a story, now isn’t it, little doe ? Should we tell them how we met?”
My attention snaps to Vic, and he smirks, taking a sip of his wine and tipping his chin toward my glass. I pick it up and take a small sip, but I can’t afford to drink a glass of wine until I eat something. My stomach is painfully empty.
Lincoln’s gaze seers into me. “Little doe?” he asks softly, nostrils flaring. “Does she enjoy a chase?”
“Mm, that she does, Linc,” Vic says with a smug smirk. “I hunted her.”
Cocky bastard. I do love the way his heated gaze finds mine and that we have our own secret conversation with that simple look.
Kai chokes on his wine, eyes shooting to me. “Where?”
“After Dark,” I say before Vic can. “We met the night Good Vibes had their launch party. I was there for research.”
“Is that what they call it nowadays?” Linc asks.
Cheeky fuck. I’m not about to give him the dirty details on the first date. “How long have you guys been a pack?”
Linc and Kai exchange a quick look, but Linc answers. “Twenty-four years; we became pack at eighteen, after this one”—he jerks his thumb in Kai’s direction—“thought it would be fun to go skydiving.”
Twenty-four years. Twenty-four plus eighteen is forty-two. They’re forty-two. Only a few years younger than my own fathers. Should I feel weird about that? Probably, but when I glance across the table and see Vic staring at me with that hungry look, I can’t bring myself to care.
“It was fun,” Kai defends.
“Fun is going to an amusement park. Jumping out of an airplane and plummeting to my death is not fun,” Linc counters. “I’m the smartass. Kai is the daredevil who will also make sure to tuck you into bed, and Vic is the grizzly bear. Terrifying on the outside, soft and squishy on the inside.”
“I’m not fucking squishy,” Vic grumbles.
“Anyway,” Kai says. “We started Good Vibes together at twenty-three, and the rest is history.”
That’s a lot of history to omit, but the waiter appears to take our order, and I decide to let it slide. There will be plenty of time for history lessons later.
“What can I get for you?” he asks me.
I checked the menu before I left work and found something that sounded like it would fill me up and not break the bank. “I’ll have the roasted chicken salad.” There’s no guarantee they’ll pay for dinner, and at least this way, I’ll only be out thirty dollars instead of the fifty it would cost for an entrée.
“Okay, and for you?”
Kai orders lobster. Lincoln orders a steak. And Vic glares at me before picking up the menu. What’s with the look? Did I say something wrong?
“I’ll take two prime ribs. The garlic potatoes and roasted veggies as sides for both, and can we get two of the bruschetta as an appetizer?”
Holy crap, that’s a lot of expensive food.
“Of course,” the waiter replies, taking our menus. “Would you like another bottle of wine?”
“Yes, please,” Kai says without hesitation.
Another eighty dollars.
I’m way out of my depth here. It’s not like every pack I dated before was poor, but they were never two bottles of wine at a fancy restaurant rich.
“So,” I begin, trying to ignore the imposter syndrome. “Why did you start the company? I mean, aside from the pretty marketing blurb on your website.”
While Kai and Linc share another cryptic look, Vic is staring into his wineglass, eyebrows smashed together. A warning bell goes off inside my head. Something is off. They’re acting weird.
Or am I being too critical?
“We wanted to help people explore their sexuality without feeling dirty or shameful.” Kai is regurgitating the information from the About Us section of their website, and I frown as he continues.
“Okay.” I nod. “But why did you really start it? What was the reason? Did you wake up one day and decide you wanted to make dildos?”
A guy at the next table over glances in our direction. I wait for one of them to chastise me for being too loud or not being discreet enough, but they all laugh at my unexpected question.
Okay. That’s refreshing.
“I guess you can say it started with wanting to understand what makes a partner happy,” Linc offers, glancing at Vic, almost like he’s searching for some sort of approval.
Is he implying Vic doesn’t know how to do that, because I know that’s a lie. Vic scowls at Linc like he’s spit in his wine, and I bite my cheek to keep from asking more questions. There’s obviously some tension here. Do they not get along?
“Let’s change the subject,” Kai suggests.
Vic scoffs. “Why, Kai?”
“You really want to do this right now?” Kai asks.
“Why? You don’t? Are you ashamed?” Vic snaps the question.
My eyebrows jump. Even still I hardly know Vic, he doesn’t strike me as the type to get upset easily, and he always seems so in control.
“No,” Kai says firmly. “How many times do I have to tell you that?” Frustration radiates off the alpha, but it’s nothing compared to the anger vibrating off Vic.
Unease trickles through me. This is not how I imagined tonight would go.
“You can say it all you like, but it’s your actions that?—”
“Can we save the family drama for our Dr. Phil debut?” Linc cuts Vic off, gesturing to me. “We have company.”
My stomach turns. The conflict between them is so visceral, I feel my own adrenaline surge, ready to fight or run or whatever gets me to safety the fastest.
“Oh, of course, wouldn’t want our fated mate to know what she’s getting into,” Vic says sarcastically. “Let’s just sweep all the problems under the rug and pretend they don’t exist.”
“You’re being a jerk,” Linc says, no longer smiling or joking.
Kai drops his gaze. “Can we please ?—”
“That’s my cue to shut up,” Vic growls, looking at me. I expect to see rage shimmering in his eyes, but it’s not anger that’s gripping him. It’s fear.
I know more about that than I care to admit.
“Stop,” I tell him.
He immediately stiffens, like I smacked him and he’s not sure how to react.
Taking a moment, I look at each pack member. Kai is still hanging his head in embarrassment. Linc is grinding his jaw, and Vic...the best way to describe the way his shoulders hunch is resignation.
What the hell happened to them?
It really shouldn’t come as a surprise that my pack is a mess, not after my dating history, but I foolishly hoped that fate would be on my side for once. Me and that bitch are having words when I die.
“This has been enlightening.” I shake my head and try not to let the disappointment bleed into my voice. I hold the power here; they can’t break my heart if they don’t have it. But Vic already has a piece of me, doesn’t he? Looking at him, I search his face. Yeah. He’s scared.
Of me?
Or of his pack?
I don’t know, but I’m not going to suffer through this while he tries to figure it out. I’ve already been hurt enough to last me a lifetime. Which makes the painful decision to walk away that much easier.
“I was so happy when you showed up,” I confess, and his hard expression cracks, but I don’t let that stop me. “This”—I sweep my hand in a circle—“is all I’ve ever wanted.” As my lip trembles, I quickly rein in my emotions. “But it’s clear you guys aren’t ready.”
“Daria,” Kai tries, voice smooth and coaxing, but I’ve seen—and heard—enough.
Scooting my chair back, I stand and look down at them. “Call me when you get your shit together.” I grab my purse and head out of the restaurant with my head held high. My stomach groans in protest as I push out of the door and into the night, leaving the promising scent of food behind.
I get into my car and dial the only person I know who won’t judge me.
“Quinn,” I say when she rips the door open.
“Oh, babe.” She yanks me into a hug, her honey and musk scent wrapping around me. Familiar. Comforting. There’s a faint touch of vanilla too. The sign that she’s found her pack. “I sent the guys out, and Austin ordered us Italian.”
Bless his chef heart. I’m starving.
“That sounds amazing,” I tell her, stepping out of her hug before I seem too pathetic.
“Come on.” She shuts the door and drags me to the oversized sectional in the large living room. Her pack could definitely afford a mansion if they wanted, but Quinn fits perfectly in the condo. Probably because they let her pick out all the decor, and she’s never really needed something so fancy.
We met in college. Back then, I thought she was like me, struggling to survive and living in a little apartment. Little did I know her stepdads were rich, and she was living as a pauper by choice.
That’s part of why I love her so much. She’s never needed the finer things. Never judged the way I live or made me feel bad. Plus, she’s stuck by me through a half-dozen heartbreaks. What’s one more?
“Do you want me to send Dylan after them?”
“You’re not even going to ask who them is?”
She shakes her head. “I don’t need to know anything more than they made you sad. That’s enough to warrant castration.”
Chuckling, I rest my head back on the soft cushions. “Ugh. I hate this feeling. You’d think it would get easier.”
The doorbell rings and my stomach growls. Quinn snickers and goes to grab the food, handing me one container and taking the other for herself. I take a bite and practically moan. Fuck, that’s good.
“Heartbreak is never easy, Daria. No matter how many times it happens, it still hurts.”
I nod, frowning at my pasta, and take another bite. She would know. While I was out dating, Quinn was pining after her stepbrothers and hiding her scent. She suffered for years before finally breaking and going for the pack that was always meant to be hers.
Sighing, I twirl my fork in my pasta. “I guess,” I begin, hating the way my voice breaks. “I guess I thought it would be different this time.”
I don’t bring up that the pack we’re avoiding mentioning directly are my scent matches. Maybe because I’m ashamed, or maybe because part of me is still hoping they’ll come around and I don’t want Quinn to hate them. For now, all she needs to know is that I’m painfully single.
Guess my happily ever after was never meant to be.