Cecily opened her beverage and took a sip. I wondered if she’d even paid for the drink—wouldn’t surprise me if that was a no.
She eyed me as if I were crazy. “Is this your attempt at intimidating me, Liza? I have to say that it’s not working. Again, you can do better.”
My heart raced as I stared at her fucking smug face. I shook my head as my pheromones emanated from my body. “How dare you, Cecily? Who the hell do you think you are? You’re just a stuck-up snob who’ll fuck anything with two legs, maybe four. Is that how you got that purse? How many losers did you go down on to afford it?”
Oh my God. Did those words really come out of my mouth?
“Does Ty know you talk to his pack members this way?” Cecily pulled her phone out and snapped a picture of me. “Maybe he’d like to see how you represent the pack when you’re out in public.”
That was it. The bitch was going to die.
Before I could move any closer to her, an odd movement over Cecily’s shoulder caught my attention, keeping me from lunging for her neck.
A man in his twenties drifted down the aisle as if in a trance. He sniffed the air as he continued to walk in my direction.
Suddenly, I realized what was happening. My pheromones were drawing him in like a moth to a flame, just like that time at the diner.
Cecily, who was none the wiser since she wasn’t an unmated male, continued to stand in my way. It was as if she wanted me to fight her, but right now, I didn’t have time.
“Shit.”
I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing, allowing my muscles to relax. I must’ve calmed myself down just in time as the rage dissipated. The man turned the corner, sniffing the air. He’d lost my scent and looked confused.
He was a scary-looking bastard, and I knew better than to stick around for him to realize the scent was coming from me.
“You know what, Liza?” Cecily took a step forward, lowering her voice and spitting her words in my direction. “You’re not worth all the trouble you cause Ty.”
I wanted nothing more than to give her what she deserved, but I blocked her out and pushed past her, nearly jogging to get the hell out of the store.
I breezed past my security guard. He could tell something was wrong, so he hurried over to me. “Are you all right? What happened?”
Before I could answer, he was spinning in circles, his hand on the butt of his weapon, surveying the parking lot for any suspicious activity.
“I’ll be fine. Let’s get out of here.”
Grateful that he didn’t ask any more questions, he just followed me across the carpark, waiting until I was safely locked in my car before getting into the SUV.
As I buckled my seatbelt, I looked up to see the man who’d caught my scent standing at the entrance. He stared right at me, a look of animalistic desire written all over his face.
I groaned before booking it out of the parking lot. As I drove, I called Ty using the Bluetooth in the car.
“Hey.” He answered after only one ring. I hated that I was phoning him to admit I’d lost control of my pheromones because the town bitch had goaded me, but after seeing the expression on the man’s face when he stared at me in the carpark, I didn’t want to take any risks. I had to tell Ty.
“Listen, I don’t want you to worry, but?—”
“What happened?” The panic was loud and clear in his voice. “Are you okay? Where’s your guard?”
“I’m fine, Ty.” I sighed. “When I was in the grocery store, I ran into Cecily. She was being a total bitch.”
“What’s new?”
“Exactly. She kept pushing me more and more, and I’m ashamed to admit that I almost lost control.”
Ty was silent on the other end, and I wondered if he was picturing the buck I’d killed. It wouldn’t have surprised me since it had crossed my mind.
“My pheromones must’ve been stronger than I realized because there was a man who picked up on my scent.” I made a U-turn, suddenly remembering I’d left my cart of groceries in the store, so I needed to make a stop before heading to my parents’ house. “I calmed myself down enough to get out of there, but he was standing at the entrance staring at me when I left. What if he hunts me down?”
“Shit.” Ty was silent for a moment. “All right. It’s going to be okay. Don’t worry. I’ll find out who he was and take care of it.”
