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But then he turned and gave Holden a pointed look, the smile dropping from his face, his blue eyes glinting. “I just hope it’s enough to placate the alphas—despite the pretty setting, this meeting is going to suck.”
My throat tightened. I knew what he meant, and I shouldn’t have taken it personally, but I’d put everything into making this meeting the best it could possibly be.
Holden sighed. “No, these changes are going to be a hard sell. I don’t think many of the alphas will be too thrilled.”
“At least not the older ones,” Garrett replied, strolling back to stand with us. He crossed his arms over his chest. “They’re too damn set in their ways.”
Kayden snorted. “It won’t be the first time we’ve had to go up against tradition.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?” I was willing to do whatever it took. I believed in Holden and Garrett’s ideas—they were the future of the packs, and I wanted to support them however I could. “There’s still time for me to make last minute arrangements.”
“Just keep out of the way.” Garrett grimaced. I pursed my lips, trying not to be offended, but it wasn’t easy. Did he still think I was that incompetent?
Kayden rested a hand on my arm and squeezed gently, in tune with my emotions as always, even when I thought I had kept them in check. “I think what Garrett means is that things could get out of hand tonight. You never know how some of these hotheads might react.”
“Things could get bloody,” Holden added. “You know how it goes.”
I did, but that didn’t make it sting any less that they didn’t think I could hold my own.
Garrett turned to me, his sky-blue eyes curious as he gestured at the tables. “Where will you be sitting for dinner?”
“Oh, I’m not attending as a guest,” I said quickly, averting my gaze from his, trying to ignore the nerves that skated along my skin whenever his full attention was focused on me. “I’ll be with the staff. I need to be alert so I can handle anything that comes up.”
“From what I’ve seen, you’ve already got everything under control,” Holden interjected. He pointed to my clipboard and the stacks of paper I had carefully organized. “Willow has only had excellent things to say about your work. You owe it to yourself to enjoy the fruits of your labor.”
Holden turned to Garrett. “You don’t have a date for the event, Garrett. Why don’t you bring Jessica?”
What?My stomach did a flip, breath hitching. Had I heard him correctly? Garrett’s gaze darted from Holden back to me, and I felt like I might catch fire under the scrutiny of those eyes. But he didn’t say anything, his expression completely unreadable. My pulse roared in my ears, and I tried my best not to fidget—not to appear as exposed and put on the spot as I felt.
Because the idea of accompanying Garrett as his date was thrilling. I’d imagined countless times what it might be like to be the woman at his side, even though it was nothing more than a silly fantasy. Garrett was the beta of the entire North American pack; any woman he might possibly want was ready to come at the snap of his fingers. He was strong, intelligent, funny, and sexy as hell. In short, not the kind of man who would ever be interested in me.
The silence seemed to stretch on as Garrett stared at me. God, could this be any more awkward? What was Holden thinking? Garrett finally opened his mouth to say something, but Holden continued, seemingly oblivious to how much he’d put us on the spot.
“Seriously.” He clapped Garrett on the shoulder. “You can’t just bring one of your random girls to these things. There’s a certain decorum involved. Truth be told, since we are on the subject, you need to get mated—”
“Let’s not,” Garrett mumbled, but Holden didn’t seem to hear.
“—but until you do, the least you could do is bring someone sensible. Someone who won’t embarrass us. Someone like Jessica,” he finished with a smile.
“Totally,” Kayden chimed in. “Jess is the perfect date for a formal council event. Classy, knowledgeable, well-versed in etiquette. Not to mention beautiful.”
I wanted to melt into the floor. Garrett hadn’t said anything yet. And as he looked at each of us in turn, his full lips parted in surprise. It was clear the idea ofmeas a date had been the furthest thing from his mind.
He blinked a couple of times, shook his head, and then gave me a smile that wasn’t fake, but not quite genuine either. One that made me think he was just going along with the suggestion because it would be rude to say no at this point.
“Yeah, sure. You should come with me tonight, Jessica.” He shrugged. “You’re on the council, anyway. If you want to come, you have every right to. But just remember, things could turn violent. If you think you can handle that, then by all means, come along.”
That was probably the worst invitation to be someone’s date that I’d ever received. Still, my stomach fluttered at the idea of beingGarrett’sdate. I’d be smart to stick my original plan of remaining behind the scenes.
His words echoed in my mind. He didn’t think I could handle it. He still saw me as the weak girl from the Contention. If there was one thing I hated these days, it was being seen as weak.
“I can handle it,” I said, my voice loud and clear as I tried to prove to everyone, including myself, that it was the truth.
“Great,” Garrett replied. He raked his gaze down my body and back up, sending a thrill through me that made me question my sanity at agreeing to this. “It’s a date.”
* * *
“There you are.”Kayden greeted me with a smile as she opened the door to her and Holden’s private quarters on the fourth floor. She was wearing a white silk robe, her silvery blonde hair piled on top of her head in large foam curlers. “I was about to send someone looking for you when you didn’t answer my text.”
