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I turned and walked back to the fire pit, leaving her staring after me with her mouth agape.
* * *
After the date wrapped up,with all of us drinking more champagne and toasting s’mores, I made my way to my apartment on the fourth floor. I wasn’t surprised to find Garrett waiting for me, his legs propped up on my dining table while he reclined back in a chair.
“Well? How did it go with all the lovely ladies?” He wiggled his eyebrows. “If you want me to stand in for you on a couple of dates, all you have to do is ask…”
I rolled my eyes. Garrett… always the ladies’ man.
“Seriously, do you know who you’re sending home?”
I sighed and pulled out a chair opposite him. “Yeah. I think it will be Oakley.”
He raised his brows in surprise. “Interesting. She seemed like one of the saner contestants.”
“I thought so, too. But we just didn’t connect like I thought we might. It felt like a one-sided conversation all night.” Most of the conversations had felt pretty superficial, other than with Kayden, but at least the other women had talked.
“What’s that look?” Garrett asked. Sometimes my beta being my best friend could be a bad thing. He knew me too well.
“I’m not sure how to explain it. There’s something about Kayden that draws me in.” I shook my head, not wanting to get into the way I couldn’t stop looking at her tonight and how despite her attitude, I still wanted to get to know her better. “But she frustrates the hell out of me. I don’t know.” I shrugged. “It doesn’t make sense.”
“Hmm.” Garrett rubbed his chin in thought, surprising me when he let my comment slide. “Well, Oakley is probably a good choice then. An alpha’s wife can’t be too afraid to speak.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
“An alpha’s wife also can’t constantly be in defiance.” He was talking about Kayden now. And I agreed. She had no qualms about speaking her mind. Not necessarily a bad thing, but she’d stood up to me, questioned, and challenged me on more than one occasion.
Based on what I’d seen tonight, some of the other women were much better choices for an alpha’s wife. Of course, it was too early to know, but Sydnee fit the bill quite well.
Why then could I not stop thinking about Kayden?
9
KAYDEN
“Breakfast is served!”
I groaned and pulled my blankets over my head, snuggling deeper into the soft down mattress. How could it be morning already? It felt like my head had just hit the pillow.
“Kayden, dear, you must wake up,” Faye continued. “You have quite the full day ahead of you.”
I pulled the blankets down just enough to peek at her with one eye. “Another date already?”
She laughed. “No, of course not. There won’t be another official date until after the first competition, three days from now.”
“Three days?” I sat straight up in the bed at that. I don’t know why, but I’d thought we’d have more time to prepare. “What kind of competition?”
Faye shrugged, walking to the small table and chairs by my window. She was carrying a tray piled high with food, and the smell of bacon had me salivating. I tossed the covers off and grabbed my robe, following behind Faye.
“They won’t announce the details until tonight, but you can bet on it being a physical competition. The game makers like to weed out contestants who can’t hold their own pretty early.” Faye turned and winked. “But I think you can hold your own.”
I was less concerned about the competition and more concerned with filling my belly now that I’d seen the decadent display she’d brought me. French toast, bacon, eggs, a bowl of fruit, yogurt, three kinds of juice, and an assortment of bagels and cream cheese to choose from. I sat down and dug in while Faye opened my wardrobe and discussed the day ahead.
“First, you’ll have PT—physical training—all morning in the gym with trainers. Then after lunch, you’ll spend the rest of the day in classes, learning the fundamentals of pack law.” She turned with a bright pink athletic dress in her hands. “What do you think about this?”
I wrinkled my nose and shook my head since my mouth was full of food.
Faye sighed. “I like you a lot, Kayden, don’t get me wrong. But you certainly are opinionated about your clothes. This one?”
