Chapter 2 - Zoe
It felt like a lifetime had passed since I started making plans for the new pack gym.
With my bright ideas, some elbow grease, and my brother’s help, it was finally done. The new facility was complete, and the opening day had arrived.
My excitement had been uncontainable leading up to it, and I was more than confident that everyone around me was beyond sick of hearing about it. Still, it was my pride and joy, and I was going to bask in it as much as I could.
To my surprise, the event's advertising stretched far wider than I expected, and I managed to get the attention of people from out of town—much farther than I ever anticipated. Fortunately, many of them seemed thrilled to show up and support me on opening day.
Of course, it helped to have Sebastian as my brother, and I was sure he had some sort of pull there.
But regardless, I couldn’t be annoyed by his potential interference. I was far too happy about how everything turned out and that I could finally have something of my own that I wanted for so long.
Wearing my best all-black athleisure ensemble, I toured the building, greeting and thanking those who came to see it.
As I stood in the foyer, I spotted Sebastian and his friends as they came in, cheeks already hurting from smiling so much. Even so, I was more than happy to see him since I knew he’d be a frequent visitor.
“It’s about time you showed up,” I said, mostly to Sebastian as he and the others approached.
My brother chuckled and put his arm out for a supportive side hug. “Oh, come on, you knew I’d be here no matter what. I had to see how your meticulous planning panned out.”
I scoffed light-heartedly, still cracking a smile for him. “Yeah, yeah. I know. Still, you could’ve been here to help me greet everyone.”
He flashed me his teasing smile and gently clapped my shoulder. “I’m here now, aren’t I? And I also brought some familiar faces to celebrate you today.”
Letting go of a conceding breath, I nodded and grinned as the guys looked around.
“Congrats on all this, Zoe. I knew you’d kick Sebastian’s ass into getting a better gym here,” Levi said, supportive and kind as always. Fortunately, he was one of his more tolerable and level-headed friends.
“Someone had to, right?”
He chuckled and nodded. “That’s absolutely right. Better it be you than anyone else.”
Beau and Jacob said similar congratulations before they got distracted with some of the state-of-the-art machines, and then Ethan, in his usual enthusiasm, draped an arm around my shoulders, grinning at me. “I’m impressed by everything you’ve done here, Little Rivera. But if you think this is going to help your chances of beating me at any kind of strength competition, then you’re completely out of your depth.”
I scoffed at him, used to his antics. “If you think that will stop me from challenging you, you’re deluded.”
He laughed at that, towering over me as he leaned in more and pointed to one of the machines. “You think you could be a doll and show me how to work that thing?”
“All right, quit harassing my sister,” Sebastian said, tone veiled with amusement as he pulled Ethan off me and put him in a headlock, causing them both to laugh and fuss over each other.
I sighed as they caused the slightest scene before Sebastian let go and Ethan called for a truce. “You guys are always so obnoxious…” I pointed at them with the faintest warning in my tone. “You better be good. This is important to me.”
Flashing his boyish grin, Ethan put his hands up in defense before he gestured to my brother. “I’ll be on my best behavior—he’s the one you have to watch out for.”
Sebastian waved him off, pretending to be unimpressed by it. “Whatever…anyway, I’m proud of you, Zoe. You’re doing great here, keep it up.”
Satisfied with his praise, I smiled in return as the two of them eventually joined the others. But as I turned to look towards the foyer again, my pleased expression dropped at the sight of who I saw standing there.
Ezra, who had apparently been preoccupied looking at the bulletin board at the front, met my gaze as he approached.
I couldn’t help but grimace on the inside, realizing that the others had essentially left me alone with him, and the awkwardness of the situation immediately settled in my skin as I looked up at him.
“Zoe…” he murmured, absently rubbing at his scruff as if he were only speaking to me out of obligation. His dumb cut-off compression shirt was clinging to his stupid muscles, and his dark mid-length hair was pulled back in a bun with a few loose strands that framed his frustratingly stoic face.
Everything about him—from how he acted so aloof to how he seemed to tower over everyone around him and how those memories came back to me just from looking at him—made me more irritated the longer I had to be around him.
I considered ignoring him but knew I couldn’t because it was opening day. Even then, I didn’t have it in me to extend that kindness to him—not after everything. Besides, it was no secret that the two of us didn’t get along—except nobody knew why but us.
Without ever speaking about it, we kept what happened under a tight seal. One, because neither of us wanted Sebastian to know and lose his mind, and two, because it was heartbreaking—for me, at least.
It happened when I was eighteen, before Lydia and I made amends. I had known Ezra already through Sebastian, back before they were as close, and the two of us got along well. We clicked right away, and eventually, we hooked up. It was everything I wanted it to be, and even then, I could’ve sworn I felt the mate bond fit into place.
I assumed we would be a couple moving forward—mates. I figured that was where things were heading, but right after, he let me down far harsher than I ever expected. After that, he iced me out and pushed me away, and ever since then, I found it impossible to be around him.
He rejected me without a second thought, and I didn’t have anyone to lean on. I didn’t have Lydia yet, and I couldn’t tell Sebastian, so I dealt with that heartbreak in solitude and did my best to pick up the pieces after the fact.
That began our strained history, and even if my brother and their other friends saw our disdain for each other, it seemed none of them suspected anything, at least.
Shrugging him off, I turned away and did my best to shake away that irritation.
I didn’t want him to ruin my day. Not when I had been looking forward to it for so long. I was glad that Sebastian brought his friends, yet a part of me wished Ezra had just stayed home and kept his miserable ass there.
Even as I walked away, I caught his quiet scoff but didn’t bother looking back. As much as I wanted to snap at him, I contained that urge for the sake of my new facility and prospective patrons.
Shutting him out, I continued with the event, thanking others for coming while avoiding him as much as I could, regardless of catching his eye every now and then.
I was annoyed he was there but could do nothing about it.
When my back was turned as I did a once over of the refreshment table I had set up, I heard someone clear their throat behind me. Turning, I found an older man there and smiled.
“I'm so sorry to bother you, Zoe. I just wanted to let you know I’m looking forward to coming here,” he said, his smile lingering as his eyes swept over my face and body.
Shocked initially, it took me a moment before the realization set in, and I did my best to hide my immediate discomfort.
While I didn’t know the man, who had to be in his late fifties, I’d seen him around before, and he was never too shy to hit on me regardless of where we were.
Reminding myself of the event and everything that was riding on it, I forced myself to smile. “I’m glad to hear it. It’ll be a pleasure to see you around.”
“Of course, some of these machines are a lot more involved than what I’m used to. I might need a few demonstrations to make sure I’m using them correctly,” he said, eyes doing another sweep of me. “If you wouldn’t mind me bothering you with that sort of thing.”
Unfortunately, his hidden meaning didn’t get past me, and it took all my willpower not to show my disgust outwardly.
Regardless of how pressed it was, I tried too hard to maintain my smile. “That wouldn’t be a problem at all…I’m always here to help.”
His eyes glimmered with interest, and more than anything, I just wanted to get away. He made my skin crawl, but given his body language and the keenness in his gaze, I could tell he intended to keep me locked in that conversation for as long as physically possible.
Given his previous attempts to flirt with me, even looking at him made my skin crawl.
“I’m sure you give exceptional service…and I’d love to hear more about this place.”
I groaned internally, wishing I could just get him off my back. Silently, I hoped someone would ask for my help or give me an excuse to leave the conversation as swiftly as possible.
But I knew it was just my luck.