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“So, we’re all decided then?” I looked at all of them. They nodded, and I sighed with relief. “Well, that’s one thing done. I’ll send an email tomorrow.”
“Do we want to open their resumes and take a full look beforehand?” Jo asked.
“No. Maybe a few minutes before their interview. Otherwise, it will tarnish the process and tempt us to look into their background. We’ve gone this far. We can wait a little longer. Nothing says we offer the job during the next interview. We can take our time to properly vet them if we’re still interested afterward,” Evergreen said, making me nod in agreement.
Friday night, I sent the follow-up interview request for the following Tuesday, asking to be informed if transportation was needed, and that a room in the pack house, along with meals and a tour was being arranged.
I felt good that evening and allowed James and Jo to convince me to go to a bar in town. I could use a beer. James tried inviting Evie, but she said she already had plans. They took it well, and outwardly, so did I, though I could feel Tenoch’s sadness mirror my own. We hadn’t seen her since that night, and I wondered how long she would stay with us.
We walked into the bar and looked for a booth. It was busy, as there weren’t a lot of bars around here. I didn’t frequent it too often, and although I’ve thought about adding one to the pack, this was never really my scene to begin with. However, it was worth considering if the pack kept growing as it was.
Two hours into our night, and over the smell of alcohol, cheap food and sweat, I caught the faint smell of cinnamon and caramel. Tenoch instantly stood and looked around. Her eyes found mine the moment I spotted her, and I smiled.
She must have changed her mind! Tenoch said excitedly.
“Oh look, there’s Evie. She must have decided to come out,” James said, waving her over. Evie smiled back and gave us a little wave, but she didn’t move. A moment later, a man walked up behind her and pushed her forward with a hand to her lower back, signaling her to an empty table. I frowned, a frisson of jealousy shooting through my body at the intimate touch he seemed comfortable having with her.
“Who’s the guy?” Jo asked. I wanted to know as well.
“He looks familiar,” James said out loud, making us both look at him. “He does! I think he’s from Guardian Moon. Isn’t he the guy we thought Evie was dating when she skipped to Senior Year? What was his name? Pablo? Paco?”
“Paolo,” I said, unable to keep the growl out of my voice. I couldn’t forget that name even if I tried, and now that James brought him up, I could see the resemblance to Evie’s first boyfriend. I had watched how he walked around the school like he’d won the grand prize by having Evie by his side, and in my mind, I agreed and hated him for it. He was definitely bigger now, and I think I remember him from some of the missions on which I’d accompanied Uncle Helios.
“Yes! That’s it!” James answered, not noticing the anger in my voice but from Jo’s look, I knew he hadn’t missed it, but thankfully said nothing.
“You think she’s dating him again?” Jo asked.
“That would mean she’s staying. Wouldn’t it?” I replied, taking a swig of my beer. “She told me she would be around for a few weeks and then decide.”
“Maybe they are just catching up?” Jo suggested.
“Yeah, must be,” I answered, trying to avoid looking over at them. We continued drinking, and I may have had more than usual for me, but it was all I could do to distract myself from where I wanted to look. Sometime around eleven, Evie popped by.
“Hey guys, sorry to ditch you tonight. I had already made plans to catch up with Paolo when you asked. I didn’t know he was bringing me here, or I would have suggested we combine the groups,” she explained.
“It’s alright. You’ve been ditching us for that guy since high school. What’s one more night,” I spat, making James spit out his beer, and Jo look at me with wide eyes while Evie frowned at me.
“What?” she asked.
“Never mind. I gotta take a piss,” I mumbled and stood up too fast, feeling the shitty burger trying to come back up.
“Oh, Goddess,” I grumbled, pushing past everyone and moving quickly toward the bathroom. I managed to get my stomach under control by the time I got there but bumped into Paolo coming out of it.
“Alpha Cory.” He smirked and pushed past me. I was confused about why he would have that look, but I shrugged it off and went to piss. I could feel Tenoch’s anger at the disrespect, but I was too drunk to care. All I wanted was to piss and go home.
“Dude, what the fuck was that?” James asked after I came back out.
“I’m heading home. You coming?” I asked, ignoring his question.
“Dude, no fucking way are you driving home,” Jo said, taking my keys.
“I wasn’t planning on it. I already called a fucking taxi. What kind of fucking alpha do you think I am?” I growled. My aura slipped, and I felt the whole bar stop. I pulled it back, stumbling, as I watched my friends submit to me.
“I’m sorry. I gotta go. Take the taxi when it gets here,” I mumbled and ran out of the bar. I ran until I reached the edge of the forest, and then I shifted and ran through the forest toward home.
I let Tenoch take over while I dissected the mess I’d just created for myself. I hated drinking. I didn’t care for it. I didn’t know why I drank so much tonight, and it clearly showed I shouldn’t again.
You know why, Tenoch answered while he ran us home, showing me a flash of Paolo leading Evie toward their table. Jealousy. I fucked up because I got jealous, and now any chance of trying to be friends with Evie went out the window before I even had a chance.
