“Your friend, Peter, is here.”
“He’s here now? Tonight?” She nods. “Oh. That’s not good.”
“No, it’s not. Can you send him away?”
“Mom, he’s a friend.”
“I understand, but he’s human. And this is your first shift party, Honey. It’s a big deal, and all these people are here. For you.”
I nod in agreement. “Okay. I’ll talk to him.”
When I get to the entryway, I see my dad talking to Peter. Peter lifts his head when he sees me coming and smiles. I can’t help but smile back. “Hey, Peter,” I say when I get close. He leans in for a hug, and I swiftly turn so it’s a side hug.
“Hey, Riley. You look beautiful.”
“Thank you.” My father steps away, giving us a moment of privacy. “Hey, Peter. I’m so glad you came over, but you should have called. We’re having a big party tonight, and—”
“I know. That’s why I wanted to be here.”
“I—” I pause. “You knew we were having a big party?”
“I did.” He takes a step closer. “Riley, I’ve been wanting to tell you for a long time.”
“Tell me what?” I ask in confusion.
He stares down at me. “Don’t you feel it?”
I’m totally confused. “Feel it?” I repeat.
“Yeah, what we have, Riley, between us.”
A bad feeling starts to grow in the pit of my stomach because this is not good. And on tonight of all nights. I've been so careful to not give him the wrong idea; I told him at least a hundred times that we can only be study buddies and nothing more. Friends, even; but no more than that. I told him after we graduated, and he said he’d be attending FMU like I was. “Peter,” I start.
“No, Riley, you aren’t seeing it. I know what you are.” I freeze. Surely, he doesn’t know. He can’t know. He reaches out and takes my hand in his, but I’m too stunned to react. “I’m just like you, Riley.” He steps even closer. “Take a breath; really take a breath.” I stare at him as my insides flash back and forth between cold and hot. I’m almost too scared to take a breath, but I force myself to. I breathe deeply, and I’m hit with...something. “Don’t you smell it, Riley? I’m your mate, and you’re mine.”
I feel like I can’t get enough oxygen. My dad steps up next to me. “Riley?” I look up at him, feeling confused, lightheaded, and unsure. “Riley, is he your mate?” my father asks very quietly.
I blink and try to focus my thoughts. They’re everywhere; I feel scatterbrained and confused. But I take another breath and that scent seems to do something to me. I take another breath. I look up at my dad. “I think...I think he’s my mate.”
My father stares down at me; his face is absolutely blank. Right now, he is channeling all Alpha. I look over at Peter and smile. He’s a good-looking guy. I mean, he’s not a wolf, but—dread slams into me.He’s not a wolf; he’s human.I stagger a step back, and Peter reaches out to steady me, but my father does instead.
“Riley, why don’t you step outside for some fresh air?” my dad offers.
“I’ll go with you,” Peter says. And before my father can say anything, he slips his arm into mine and all but drags me over to the door that leads outside. I didn’t want to go outside, not like this; but I’m outside before I can stop it. I am very aware of the heads turning towards me, and the conversations that quiet down. Peter acts like he’s oblivious, but once we each get a bottle of water, he turns to the crowd and lifts a hand. A few people wave back, and then they go back to their conversations.
Out of the corner of my eye, I can’t help but notice that he’s shorter than me. It’s really not that big of a deal, but I’ve always been tall. Being six foot as a girl is tough sometimes. And I'm not complaining because I wouldn’t trade my height for anything, but I always thought I’d have a tall mate. I push such trivial thoughts away and remind myself it doesn’t matter that he’s not tall. Several pack members come over to congratulate me on my shift, and I find my face going numb from my smile. Peter’s quiet next to me, and I don’t know what to say to him. I’m not sure how long we stand out here; it feels like hours. It’s probablynot even thirty minutes though, before my mom comes to stand beside me. “Honey, Dad wants to see you in his office.” Grateful for the opportunity to leave all the well-wishers, I take a step away from Peter. “He wants Peter to come as well,” my mom adds.
“Oh, okay.” I force a smile when I look at Peter, and I remind myself that he’s a nice guy. He grins at me and drops an arm around my waist. I stiffen at the contact and then force myself to relax and remind myself that this is my mate. The walk to my dad’s office seems to take much longer than I ever remember. We finally make it, and Peter opens the door without even knocking.
My father is seated at his desk when we come in. He looks up with a smile on his face. “Come on in; have a seat.” We step forward and take the two seats in front of his large desk. “I’m glad we have this moment.” He smiles, looking between the two of us. “Oh, before we begin, I wanted someone else to join us.” I don’t even bother turning around. I figure he’s probably having Joe, his enforcer, join us. I hear the door open and close with a small click.
I swallow hard and force myself to grow up; this is not the time to have a mental breakdown. I sit up and take a deep breath. A scent slams into me, and my eyes go hazy for a moment. I jerk around in my chair and lock eyes with Reid, who hasn’t moved from the door. I go still at the look in his eyes. His eyes are bright with the presence of his wolf, but his gaze is locked on me. “Riley,” Peter says, but I ignore him. I stare at Reid and try to figure out what in the world is going on. I take another breath, and a heady sensation fills me.
“Reid?” My voice cracks on his name. He takes a step towards me, but I’m out of my chair in a flash, facing both Peter and Reid. “I don’t understand.”
Peter stands up now too, concern in his gaze. “Riley, Baby, what is it?”
Reid growls low in his chest, and I snap my gaze to his. But he’s not looking at me; he’s staring at Peter. I turn to Peter as cold awareness seems to seep into me, pulling me out of the brain fog I’ve been in. “What did you do?”
