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“Who’s Max?” The words are out, harsh and angry, before I can stop them.
Marcus blinks at me, looking surprised at the punch my words pack. I’m surprised too. I didn’t mean to put that much weight behind them.
“Her ex. He’s in town for a couple of days, and they’re still pretty tight.” Marcus opens his arms and nods toward Hunter. “I’ll take him back inside so you can take off.”
CHAPTER 23
NATALIE
Taaffe’s is hopping.
Music and laughter tumble out onto the street as Billy and I approach. A group of women whispering outside make way for us, eyeing Billy with obvious interest as we squeeze past. The way they check him out is borderline predatory, and he jumps as one of them pinches his backside.
“Hey!" he squawks, spinning around, but the women have dissolved in a fit of giddy giggles and ignore his protests. When I roll my eyes, he pouts. “That was sore!”
“Welcome to our world.”
Pushing through the thronging crowds, I finally see the reason for the frisson of excitement in the air. A large sign hanging on the far wall informs us that we’ve stumbled into the new thing Sean is trying out: speed-dating.
I told Sean we were here to make sure all the strangers pouring into town to attend the alpha games launch party don’t cause any trouble.
But that’s a lie.
That’s not the reason we’re here at all. After yesterday’s incident with Chase, I need to avoid going home, or being alone anywhere, really, so Chase can’t confront me. This will distract my mind from driving up the walls, imagining him lurking around every corner; and from the relentless thrum of need I feel every time I picture his angry face coming for me.
“No.” Billy is already trying to find an escape route, but I block him. “I’m not doing this.” He glances around nervously at the eager women lining the bar. They are all eyeing him like he’s their next meal.
“Why? Are you and Carla…?” I leave the question hanging. My brother is a decent guy but hardly a saint, and he’s been stuck like glue to Carla since he snuck her out of my father’s makeshift prison. He insists he’s trying to make amends for the hell she went through, but I’m not buying it.
Ethan’s mate, Belle, told me Billy used to sneak over to the house where Carla was held captive to check on her. His interest seems more than just friendly to me.
“I already told you, it’s not like that. She’s… fragile.” He continues to look around, jaw tense and brown eyes darkening as he takes in the palpable lust hanging heavy in the air. Sean’s going to have his hands full keeping everyone in line.
“So, when she’s not so fragile…?”
Billy grits his teeth and stares me down. “Stop fishing. I’m not looking out for her just so I can get in her pants.”
Holding my hands up in surrender, I drop the subject. It’s clearly a touchy subject, and now I’m even more convinced he has a soft spot for the blonde wolf shifter.
“Good. Then you’re young, free, and single. You have no excuse not to join in the fun.” Grinning, I grip his forearm in my hands and go up on my tiptoes so he can’t avoid eye contact with me. Begging so pathetically that Leah would be proud, I pout up at him, knowing the softy inside him will give in. “Come on. It’ll be fun. I need you for moral support. Plus, what if some guy gets a bit handsy… I might need you to come to my rescue.”
Billy looks around, desperately trying to come up with a reason that’s more convincing than I just don’t want to, but looks down at me and shakes his head in defeat. “Fine,” he concedes, rolling his eyes, “but we both know you don’t need me to take care of some guy for you.”
Clapping with glee, I tug him toward the sign-up table and scrawl both of our names on the registration. Handing them back to a delighted Sam, I scan the crowd.
Everyone seems happy, if a little nervous. I don’t get the sense that anyone is here for trouble. Sean wanted to put this on before, but the town was in a kind of lock down with a threat looming against the Joneses. This is the first time in a while we’ve been able to relax, and it’s the perfect way to keep the town distracted from what’s going on up at the Brewery.
“Oh, a fresh face, thank you for bringing this one along, Natalie.”
Billy blushes and looks slightly terrified as Sam hands him a badge number, nodding approvingly. “We have women from all over but most of the guys are local, we’ll need to cast the net a little wider the next time.”
I don’t tell her that’s because all the men are busy trying to devise ways of convincing Blake Steel they’re worthy of being the next alpha of the Anderson pack.
All shifters long to find their fated mates, but the reality is that many won’t. Given that we hide our supernatural side from the human world, people tend to stick close to their own. If a fated mate is from somewhere else, the chances of finding them are slim. Chosen matings are the reality for most. Any event like this, that brings shifters together, is a great idea. Blake isn’t just trying to find a new alpha, he’s also bringing the various packs together.
“I’m scared,” Billy whispers as we make our way to the lines of long tables, each clutching the sheet of paper and pen Sam gave us. Fastening my number badge to my top, I force Billy to don his while Sean calls out instructions to the anxious crowd: the women stay put and the men move at each buzzer.
“You get five minutes with each partner, then you move on. If you’d like to exchange details with that person so you can get in touch, you write down their number and Sam will put you in contact over the coming days. Or you find them in the bar after!” Sean rings a brass bell loudly. “Find a spot and good luck!”
