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She was afraid she would grow to like them, and they would turn around and betray her. She was afraid that throwing herself back into another pack would lead to an escalating series of events that left her with nothing. Again.
She stared at her reflection, lightly tossing her curly red hair in an effort to give it more bounce. She scrutinized every detail of her makeup, reminding herself that she looked okay, but she couldn’t help but compare herself to the few pack members she had seen—to Colt, Atlas, and even Zachary. She looked like a pale string bean in comparison.
Tonight’s plan flowed through her mind. She would arrive at the pack dinner and humor Colt and Atlas as much as possible, savoring every morsel of the offering. She couldn’t remember the last quality meal she’d enjoyed. She would exchange enough pleasantries with strangers to seem like she’d given joining them strong consideration. Then before she knew it, it would be over and she’d be back home, able to enjoy her routine and her newfound independence.
Her plan just had one point of failure.
She realized with a jolt that they’d given her a time for the dinner, but she’d never been told where they were having the gathering. Briefly, she wondered how she was expected to find the location. She couldn’t just go asking around town, and she didn’t have Colt’s, Atlas’s, or Zachary’s phone number.
Her cell phone rang at the thought. She didn’t recognize the number, so figuring it to be a scam call, she left it unanswered. It rang again so, this time, she answered. She spoke into the dead silence, picking up the phone after the third ring. “Hello?”
“Finally,” Atlas’s voice came over the line. Somehow, it was even more gruff and wild over the phone. “Why didn’t you pick up?”
“I didn’t recognize the number. How did you get this number?”
“I have my ways,” Atlas said. “Anyway, Colt will be around to pick you up in a few minutes. You said you’d come, so I’m looking forward to seeing you.”
He ended the call.
Almost immediately after Atlas hung up, Harlow heard a soft rap of knuckles on the door. Looking through the peephole, she saw Colt, leaning back against the railing, a bright blue tee emphasizing the musculature of his abs.
Perhaps he had taken a shower before coming here, as the shirt clung tightly to his form, and underneath it, Harlow could see the outlines of his ribs and pecs. His hair seemed to be dripping, and parts of it were darkened by moisture while others shone brightly with the afternoon light.
“You ready?” Colt asked as Harlow opened the door but then stopped himself mid-thought as he took her in. “Wow. Dumb question. You look good—like real good.”
Harlow had chosen a white dress, heels, and a lipstick shade so red it dulled the radiant hue of her hair. Maybe this evening wasn’t the event of the millennium, but she still cared about making a strong first impression.
“Atlas couldn’t pick me up himself?”
“No,” Colt said, “as pack alpha, he’s busy making sure everything goes perfectly.”
“Pity,” Harlow replied, trying to sound indifferent.
They stepped out to a gray Nissan Rogue, definitely more innocuous than what she’d last seen them driving. Colt held the door open for her, shutting it simply as she stepped in.
“It’s not far out of town,” Colt said when he climbed behind the wheel. “We like to keep a tight lid on things, but you’d be surprised at how many people miss something right under their noses.”
Harlow nodded. “So… what’s up with the escort?”
Colt focused intensely on getting out of the parking spot, careful not to hit any of the two other cars in the lot. “We wanted to make sure you found the place all right.”
“Uh-huh,” Harlow muttered, conveying her disbelief.
“If you missed tonight, we weren’t sure how the pack was going to respond. Atlas tasked me with making sure you got to the dinner.”
“If I hadn’t come along, would you have broken into my room and carried me?”
“First of all, we have a key, if you remember,” Colt stated and Harlow laughed. “Second of all, maybe yeah? It’s what Atlas would’ve expected.”
“Really?” Harlow feigned surprise. Alphas, all the same.
They had passed the vet now, and Harlow could see shops were closing down for the evening. The sun’s rays cast gold and pink over the horizon as they traveled down the main street.
“Okay. Probably not. My plan was just to be really persuasive if I needed to be. I’m pretty good at that,” Colt admitted.
“I can tell.” Harlow chuckled. She tried to subtly put her hand on his arm but wound up being very odd and overt about it. Colt pulled away.
Okay, awkward.
