Chapter 27 #2
"It’s a tough ask, Nerd Porn," I replied. "I can commit to remaining civil toward Ice Man as long as he promises not to be a creep or touch me in any way. I guess I can also be… vague regarding the mating issue. But if he pushes me on it, no promises."
Thad and Mason both gave Knox a questioning look.
"What? You think I can’t behave myself?" he asked them incredulously.
The whole group chuckled at that, even me.
"Just with respect to me, Ice Man," I said, giving him a patronizing pat on the chest. "I know you weren’t planning on going home alone tonight, so just direct that big dick energy elsewhere, please."
A sly smile crept across his face. "And I know you’re now aware of how big my dick is, babe."
"Fucking hell Knox, you lasted twenty whole seconds!" Mason hissed at him.
He frowned, and then after a beat, the rest of us just started laughing our asses off. At least we were momentarily in a place where Knox’s fuckboy nonsense was amusing and not disgusting and off-putting.
Our laughter must have caught the attention of nearby party guests, because I spotted Nikka and some of her crew looking in our direction.
She had finally been able to ditch the scarf around her neck, and her slinky open-backed dress revealed her shoulder injury had healed as well.
She glared violence in my direction, but once I met her eyes and lifted my glass to her, she had to drop my gaze after a few seconds.
Other wolf students I recognized from school were congregating at the bar next to us, and I made attempts to say hello to a few of them.
Genevieve gave me a hearty slap on the back and congratulated me on "being a badass," and a few other students stopped to shake my hand as well. It was kind of a trip.
Another familiar face approached me as the students cleared off.
"I guess they aren’t checking IDs at this party," Coach Ryan joked as he waited for a refill on whatever he was drinking. He nodded to my half-finished mojito.
"Come on, Coach, you know I bartend at Marilynn’s after school," I replied. "This is nothing."
He laughed and then ran his eyes over me, less creepy and more… curious. Ryan was hot, and I wasn’t necessarily uncomfortable with his attention, but something told me I should probably move along before the conversation became awkward.
"Well, enjoy the party, Ryan," I said politely as I moved to step away from the bar.
"Mave, wait," he said, grabbing my hand. He dropped it quickly, though, as if it’d burned him. "I just… I heard about your challenge last weekend."
"Yeah, it seems the whole Pack has heard."
"I wanted to tell you that I’m glad you’re finally getting the respect you deserve from Pack members," he said, peering down at me with a small smile. "I always knew there was something special about you, and I’m happy to see that all that bullshit with Monroe that happened the first day hasn’t held you down at all. "
"Ah, well, thank you, Ryan, that’s nice of you to say," I replied. I took a swig of my drink and ran my eyes over the crowd in search of Ben.
"I know I shouldn’t say anything," he continued, inching just a little closer to me. "But I just… if you’re planning on staying in Shreveport after you graduate, I’d… I’d like to maybe get to know you. But you know, if you’re still here and if you’re available, that is."
Ah, shit. Is Ryan asking me out, like, in the future?
"Ryan, I…."
Before I could finish my thought, a hulking presence appeared in front of us.
"Are you fucking serious, Mave?" Knox said with a low growl. "First you’re fucking a human, and now you’re moving on to our Gym coach? You’ve given me an awful lot of shit when it seems like you’re the one who gets around."
"Knox!" Ryan barked. "That was completely out of line."
"You’re out of line trying to fuck one of your students," Knox retorted.
"Alright, that is ENOUGH!" I snapped. A few nearby tables of guests looked our way at my outburst, so I lowered my voice.
I looked to Ryan first. "Ryan, thank you for the compliment. I’m in a serious relationship now, but I hope we can be friends once you’re no longer my teacher."
He just gave me a warm smile and nodded.
"And you, Ice Man." I turned to Knox, my lip curling in disgust. "Call me loose again and see how nice I’ll play at dinner in front of Daddy."
Fortunately, Ryan excused himself at that point. He knew he didn’t need to get in between Knox’s and my drama, which he was well acquainted with by now.
"You cannot even be thinking about fucking an inferior wolf in this pack, Mave," Knox growled at me. "I won’t have it."
"Why are we still having this conversation, asshole? I’ll fuck who I want to fuck! You don’t own me! I thought we had a truce for the night; why are you back on your bullshit?"
"Because the bond makes me want you!" he all but shouted at me. "It says you’re mine!"
"You’re not fighting it hard enough then, Ice Man," I replied, then I leaned in closer to whisper in his ear. "Because I have been, and I sure as fuck don’t want you."
"You’re lying."
"I’m not. Tell me something, Knox," I said, taking a serious tact for a minute. "If we could snap our fingers and make the bond go away, making me just another random female in this pack, would you still feel the same way about me?"
"Would I still want to fuck you? Absolutely, you’re hot as shit."
"Not what I meant."
"You mean would I still want you to consider being the Alpha Mate?" He looked thoughtful, appearing to have let go of at least some of his anger. "Yeah, there’s no way I could ignore the most powerful female wolf in the entire pack. You know that."
"Yeah, but I’d probably still be undercover as an omega if we hadn’t been fated," I pointed out.
"Maybe. But even if you weren’t… would there still be all this pressure on you and me right now?
Doubtful. My dad wouldn’t be worried about the bond and whether I’d be losing out on becoming extra powerful from being with my fated mate.
Everyone would’ve just left us the fuck alone until we were older, probably, and even then it wouldn’t be so… dire."
"So fight the bond and put your foot down with the Alpha," I said. "You can have that, Knox."
"I fucking can’t. We fucking can’t, and you know it. None of this shit is normal, and the bond isn’t going away, so I don’t know why we’re even having this conversation."
He huffed in frustration, then leaned forward, icy eyes boring into me, and put his nose a few inches from mine.
"And I told you I’m not giving up. Dump your freak boyfriend and come home with me tonight."
I shoved him out of my face. "Not happening, Ice Man. I’ll bet you all of the money in your wallet that you can’t even get through this entire evening without sticking your dick in someone who won't be me."
Luckily, any further comments were cut off by the appearance of both Thad and Ben.
"There you are, Magic," Ben said, looping his arm through mine and giving Knox the stink eye. "They’re about to start serving dinner and our presence has been requested at the head table."
"Let’s go, Knox," Thad said, bumping his shoulder and steering him toward the table. "They’ve got my parents and Mason’s at the head table, too."
Thankful for the interruption, I let Ben drag me over to where our parents were already sitting with Knox’s parents, Mason’s moms, and another sharply-dressed man and woman who I assumed were Thad’s parents.
My time avoiding the Alpha was coming to an end.