Chapter 32 #2
Man Bun was chatting amicably with his date (the cute AWIT he’d had his hands all over at the party a few weeks ago) while a wolf girl from the junior class I vaguely recognized was clinging to Thad’s arm.
I caught him noticing Ben’s entrance with Asher, and I thought I saw a hint of a frown, but he pulled his cool mask back on with impressive speed.
I wasn’t touching that situation—Ben told me they’d had some recent drama, but we were all so focused on the Alpha’s shit and our plans this weekend that the stick up Thad’s ass just wasn’t on the to-do list.
The circle of the AWITs and company looked like a Victoria’s Secret fashion show runway with only slightly more clothing. I caught a glare from a few of the usuals, but they seemed content to ignore us as we strode further into the gym.
Our group veered toward the table where Jaime and Vivi stood with their dates. Vivi’s date was Matt from Stats (cute), and Jaime had brought his little sophomore fling he kept coming back to.
Clare, our anti-social, anti-party friend, was smiling and holding hands with a very attractive girl with long black hair, a nose ring, and a sleeve of tattoos.
"Hey, Lucia," Blake said to her as we joined the circle. "The sleeve is looking great—is it almost finished?" He eyed her arm with interest.
"Yeah! Got it finished last week," she replied excitedly. She held out her hand to me, "Hi! You must be Mave. Blake talks about nothing except you."
I almost blushed, but I didn’t because I was a badass bitch.
"It’s great to meet you," I said warmly, then I side-eyed Blake. "I take it this is who you set Clare up with?"
He grinned. "Yep, Lucia works at the local tattoo shop. I’ve been in a few times to get some of my pieces worked on and we got to chatting. She goes to the public school."
"Thanks for that, Blake," Clare chimed in. "Not that I need you guys butting into my life, but this time I’m glad for it." She smiled again at Lucia, and I about died.
The rest of the group met Lucia, and we settled into pleasant conversation, with other students drifting in and out to say hello, and we all took a few rotations on the dance floor.
Later, when I’d lost Blake to a bro session of some kind while I was grabbing water from the drink table, I felt Ice Man’s imposing presence slink up behind me.
"Mave," he said quietly, and I turned around to give him an eyebrow.
"Yes, Ice Man?"
"You look beautiful tonight," he said with uncharacteristic serious.
"Um… thank you, Knox." I decided to try not being a bitch. The boy was the source of almost all of my problems, but ultimately it would be nice if we could coexist peacefully.
"I just…," he sighed and trailed off, looking lost in thought. Then he speared me with a determined look. "Look. I know you’re with him. I know it’s serious, and I know he’s not a normal human.
But he’s not a wolf, Mave. The Moon made us mates for a reason.
I know I fucked this up… a lot. I really fucked it up, and honestly I’d probably still fuck it up even if you gave me a chance.
I know I’m not ready to settle down or mate.
But I just… I get it now. I know you were meant for me.
And I’ve realized how bad it would be to lose that forever. "
Wow. I felt the sincerity in those words, which was truly a first in all of the interactions I’d had with him. His words didn’t change my mind about anything, but now that we were finally here… it didn’t feel as good as I once thought it might to know I could actually be hurting him.
Even if he’d done nothing but hurt me since I met him.
"Knox," I sighed. I reached for his giant hand and held it between both of mine, trying to communicate my own sincerity. "I’m sorry that things turned out this way, but if I could go back and change how things happened between us, I honestly wouldn’t. I take the Moon’s wisdom seriously, but I think it’s important that you’ve been honest about how not ready you are to mate.
You’re the future Alpha of one of the biggest packs in the country, and that comes with so much responsibility and pressure, so it’s understandable that you just want to be free for awhile.
Even if it could’ve worked out between us ten years from now, that’s just not the timing the Moon gave us.
Ultimately, you’re not what I need right now, and I’m not what you need either. "
He swallowed and nodded, looking defeated.
"I know. The idea of mating or settling down with anyone still doesn’t feel right to me.
But at the same time, I wish I wasn’t losing you.
I know it’s not fair to you and I know I’ve been a possessive asshole, but this shit has been fucking with my head since the beginning. "
"Trust me, I get it," I replied. I dropped his hand and patted his chest. "It’ll be okay, dude. But you’re hearing me when I say it’s not going to happen between us, right?"
"Yeah. I’ll attempt to stop being a dick."
"And your dad?"
He growled and shut his eyes in frustration. "I will probably just continue to lie to him until you leave for college. You think that’ll work?"
I had higher hopes for the rest of the year than that, but as far as Plan Cs went, it wasn’t terrible.
"It is what it is, Ice Man."
Mason had drifted our way, looking pleased we were having a conversation without trying to murder each other.
"You two getting along?" he inquired, eyes bouncing between the two of us.
"Yeah, Man Bun," I drawled. "Your boy didn’t need a babysitter this time. We had a very adult conversation and have decided to be civil acquaintances from here on out."
Knox narrowed his eyes at me. "Fuck that. I’d rather fight with you; it’s more fun."
"Fine," I huffed, but I couldn’t help but smile.
Maybe, just maybe, we could hold onto this truce. I could only hope that meant that even if we couldn’t break the bond this weekend, that we could figure out a way to make this situation livable for the both of us.