Total pages in book: 203
Estimated words: 199654 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 998(@200wpm)___ 799(@250wpm)___ 666(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 199654 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 998(@200wpm)___ 799(@250wpm)___ 666(@300wpm)
My mouthful of coffee goes down my throat like acid at that notion.
Audrey says, “Is it true you left him in a witchcraft bubble in Slovakia?”
“Slovenia,” I correct. “And technically, yes.”
Audrey and Leona showed up a few minutes ago. Jase is outside right now, talking to Lincoln, so now they’re pummeling me with questions.
I add, “I’m not just making him work for it, you guys.”
“You should. He’s been an assclown for the past month or two around you,” Audrey pulls her long dark hair back and twists it into a bun and fastens it with one of my pencils before she reaches for her sprinkled donut.
“I can’t get over you and Cicely getting picked by alphas the same week. Wild.” Leona shakes her head, giving me fake stink-eye.
Audrey, Joel’s cousin, is a year older than I am. Leona is two years older than me and she’s Riley and Tyson’s cousin. We’re all pretty tight. Everyone in the pack knows how I felt about Jason because Sherry never wasted an opportunity to publicly humiliate me for it, but these two know it from me directly. These guys along with Cicely have all watched me pine for him like a pathetic fool. They saw how affected I was after the fallout of what Audrey coined DanicaGate… the event between Jase and Dani the night of Erica’s party.
And when I told them I was done with him after how he treated me, refusing to discuss it with me when I tried multiple times via phone and text the following day, not to mention how he bit my head off when I answered the phone to him at my brother’s place, the girls were mad on my behalf. But now they’re acting like it’s just a matter of time before I just get over it.
And from what they’re saying, this is the talk of the village right now. The hive is buzzing between news of Cicely and the news of Jase and me.
Of course the consensus is that he’ll claim me and I’ll get over it, regardless of how I feel right now.
Because that’s how things tend to work. The alpha’s identified female doesn’t have a say because he’ll just cart her off to where he’ll claim her, purr for her, and change her mind – like we’ve seen happen. Around these parts our super alphas are like rock stars and all the mating-aged girls want the distinction of being chosen. And I’m not the only one who’s hoped it’d be Jase. Jase is a lot like Riley in that he’s front and center, always looking to be available to help anyone in the pack that needs it. Though most girls say they’d be happy with any of them, Jase is the only one I’ve had eyes for regardless of how attractive the rest of them are. Because it’s Jase. Jase, my brother’s best friend. Jase, who’d always been in my daily life. Jase who was my knight in shining armor multiple times throughout my childhood and my adolescence.
He used to tease me that his name was my first actual word. And I believe it. There was never a time when he wasn’t in my life. But I had blinders on. Because all the time I wanted him, I never realized how important it would be to me to have someone actually want me back – not only have me because of the way I suddenly smell.
“And then there were two,” Roxy says, coming in with a big box that smells like breakfast. “Congrats, girlfriend. Told you!” She drops the box on my desk. “Breakfast for you and Jase. Part one of my honeymooning contribution to keeping you well fed. When we catch his mating scent and the deal is sealed, I’ll send over steak dinners for both of you.”
“Thanks for breakfast, Rox,” I say, “But there won’t be a need for that post-mating dinner because if I have my way, the mating won’t be happening.”
She told me a while back that she had a strong feeling Jase would identify me as his mate. I figured she was saying it to make me feel better after I watched him flirt with Dani.
She says, “You’re mad and I don’t blame you for being mad at him, girl, but believe me, you want it to happen with a super-alpha.”
“You hooked up with Jase once, didn’t you?” Leona asks.
Roxy shoots her a look.
“I already knew,” I mutter. “I don’t care.”
Roxy has, to my knowledge, fooled around with Jase and with Mason, though with Jase, I’m pretty sure it was a good twelve or fifteen years ago. They were teenagers. With Mase it wasn’t all that long ago.
“Why would you bring that up, Lee?” Audrey asks aggressively.
“Because Roxy once told me how awesome super alpha sex was. She’s had it with two super alphas so I think you should tell Bailey how awesome it’ll be.”