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“I already said I would apologize,” I reminded him.
“Alright, well, James is making you his hangover tacos as an apology on the first floor, so take a shower, and let’s go eat.”
“Why is he cooking downstairs?” I asked. We have a kitchen on the alpha floor we use for breakfast.
“Because you can’t execute him in public,” he chuckled, making me roll my eyes as he walked out of my room.
Chapter Five
Evie
The closer I got to the pack house, the slower I walked. I couldn’t lie to myself and pretend that what Cory said last night didn’t sting. I knew it was the truth. I just didn’t think any of them cared.
I told you we should have gone with the boys. You hardly ever listen to me, Tozi, my wolf, huffed at me. She’d been whining about turning down the invitation since yesterday. She loved the boys for some reason, despite never having spent much of her time with them since I got her.
We had already made plans. I wasn’t going to cancel last minute. We keep our promises, I replied.
Paolo isn’t our mate. We owe him nothing, and I didn’t like the way he touched us, she growled.
I’m not arguing with you about this. What’s done is done. Can we move on?
We can move on when you actually enter the pack house. You’ve been standing outside for three minutes now, Tozi mocked.
I sighed. I shouldn’t be the one nervous about seeing Cory after last night. He was the one that made that remark, not me. But, up until that point, I hadn’t realized he even noticed or cared if I hung out with them or not. I was always ‘Bell’s friend’, ‘Little Evie,’ ‘Little One’ and even ‘Pokémon’ for a little while when they realized there was a Pokémon with a name like mine, though that was mostly my cousin, James. The fact that Cory not only noticed but seemed to resent it, made me feel strangely happy and guilty. I missed hanging out with them, and I was happy to see they did too.
But it must have just been the alcohol talking. Bells was probably the one that got her feeling hurt when I decided to try to find another circle of friends. Sighing, I pushed the door open and headed toward the kitchen. It was past breakfast time, so I knew the only food found right now would be there. I was hoping for leftovers, but caught the smell of freshly made salsa and scrambled eggs. I walked into the kitchen and was surprised to see James at the stove. He turned around and grinned when he saw me.
“Evie! Want some breakfast tacos?” he asked, motioning over to the skillet where he was blistering tomatoes and serrano peppers.
“Sure! I didn’t know you could cook,” I answered, honestly surprised.
“Luna Celeste taught anyone willing to learn,” he replied, returning to his skillet before he turned around again and winked. “It’s great for picking up ladies.” I chuckled at his words but rolled my eyes.
“What happened to waiting for your mate?” I teased. He and the boys always talked about how they would wait forever. Most wolves did before puberty, and most wolves failed. His face dropped slightly, but then he smiled again and turned back toward his food.
“A man’s gotta sow his wild oats.” He tried to shrug it off as if it didn’t affect him.
“Alright. He’s up and mad, so you better not fuck them up. “Oh, hey Evie,” Jo said from the entrance. A very pretty brunette with kind brown eyes and a shy smile was at his side. “Evie, this is Melinda, my mate. Meli, this is an old friend of ours, Everly.”
I stood up and stretched my hand out, happy to see Jo had found his mate.
“So happy to meet you!” I greeted her with a big smile. She took it, then shook her head and hugged me, surprising me.
“Evie! Everyone talks so much about you. I feel like I know you already,” she spoke with a thick Mexican accent.
“Don’t believe a word they said,” I teased, once again unusually happy to see they still remembered me. We sat back down and started catching up.
“James, I’m going to fucking kill you! I feel like I got run over by a fucking train,” Cory growled when he walked in. James turned around with a plate of tacos in hand.
“Look! Tacos! Peace offering,” James replied hastily. Cory paused when he saw me, and a red tint appeared on his face. Then, he turned back again toward James with a growl and took his plate of tacos. He walked over and sat at the edge of the island.
“I’m sorry about last night,” he whispered, his face completely covered in an impressive blush.
“It’s alright. The boys told me what they did.” I tried to dismiss it, then felt the need to add, “I really am sorry I couldn’t go, but I had already made plans, and it seemed rude to cancel at the last minute.”
He smiled, nodded, and took a bite of his taco, but I noticed the smile didn’t seem to reach his eyes.
“Are you guys dating again?” James asked, placing a plate of tacos in front of me.
