“Hey, I behaved today.” I refused to be pushed around by some pompous student who thought his farts didn’t stink, no matter how much I was drawn to him physically.
“That’s what I was afraid of.” He sighed. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Killian chuckled as he beamed at me. “That’s my girl.”
The blonde girl arched a perfectly styled eyebrow and held out her hand to me. “I’m Luna.
Griffin’s girlfriend.”
“Friend.” Griffin jerked his head in her direction and huffed. “Just friend. How many times do I have to tell you that?”
“Yeah, you made that clear when you hit on Killian’s girl, didn’t you?” Luna shifted her weight to one leg.
“You hit on her?” Killian grinned and interlaced our fingers.
“God, I hope not.” I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the sexy douchebag, so I bit out the next words for added measure. “Because if that’s his game, it’s subpar.”
“I wasn’t putting forth my best effort.” His eyes glowed faintly, making the hazel stand out more as his wolf surged forward. “If I wanted you, you wouldn’t be able to deny me.”
The problem was I already didn’t want to deny him, which meant I had to set clear boundaries more for me than him. “No means no.” I placed an arm in front of my body. “Even if you try to force your alpha will on someone.”
“I never have or would force anyone.” Griffin lifted his chin. “They all come willingly, and some even beg.”
Luna cleared her throat and frowned.
“Wow, okay.” Killian rolled his shoulders. “We got it. Griffin wasn’t hitting on you, and you didn’t like the way he came across. I say we start over.”
If I didn’t feel so indebted to him, I wouldn’t have been willing to drop it. But, for him, I would behave. At least for now. “Of course. Anything for you.” I managed to pry my attention away from Griffin and turn my focus to him.
“Do you all want to go grab a bite to eat?” Killian gestured to the cafeteria. “I’m starving, and we can beat the lunch crowd.”
“Really?” Luna sighed. “Here?”
“Why don’t we go off campus to Dick’s bar?” Griffin asked as he continued to stare at me. “I could use a beer.”
“That sounds a lot better.” Luna ran one hand along the top of her breasts. “Daddy has some wolfsbane we can use to lace the drinks too. I’m down for getting tipsy if everyone else is.”
“I’m good with that.” Killian faced me. “Are you?”
No, but I couldn’t be an ass. “Why don’t you go? I don’t want to interfere with your friends’ time.”
“I insist,” Griffin interjected. “After all, you’re my best friend’s girl. Clearly, we should get to know each other.” He smirked, but there was something sparking dangerously behind his eyes.
He knew he was making me feel uncomfortable. The asshole.
But the wolf inside me refused to cower. Alpha will and all. That had to be it. It couldn’t be that I just wanted to be around him more. “I think I got to know you plenty well the first minute you spoke to me.”
“Hey, I thought we were starting fresh.” Killian glanced from me to Griffin with his brows furrowed. “That lasted all of ten seconds.”
“I have to agree.” Luna took my arm and pulled me toward the front of the coffee shop. “We’re making a scene here, and it’ll be so much more fun with you there.”
The way she said those words made me cringe. Her tone was almost malicious, like she’d enjoyed watching Griffin and me fight. But why would she? I needed to understand what she gained by that.
She led us to the front door, keeping a firm grip on me.
“Dude, what’s your problem?” Killian said quietly.
If I didn’t have better hearing than most wolves, his voice would have been too low to hear, but with the moon waxing, I could make it out… barely. In a few days, I could’ve heard them with no problem.
“She was rude to me,” Griffin grumbled. “She refused to serve me.”
Killian snorted. “That’s what all this animosity between you two is about?”
“Don’t worry.” Griffin sighed. “She’s your girl. I’ll make nice. After all, it’s part of the politician degree that’s being forced on me.”
“Thank you,” Killian said, sounding sincere. “It means a lot. She’s important to me. And it’s a political science degree.”
“They’re the same thing.” Griffin sighed. “All I’m learning is to be fake and kiss ass.”
I could agree with that. I hated politics. Be direct with a caring heart, and the world would be a much better place.
“Is she your fated mate?” Griffin asked with an edge. “You didn’t say a word about her ’til last night, and all of a sudden, you seem kinda shoved up her ass.”
“Because I bailed on you last night and then picked her up from the coffee shop?” Killian sounded amused. “That’s a bit of a stretch, don’t you think? And no, she’s not my fated mate. But hey, I may never find mine, and she’s gorgeous.”
Fated mates were what every supernatural coveted. It was the purest kind of bond, and in my pack, the fated pairs who’d found each other clearly loved their mates unconditionally. That kind of love was breathtaking, and once upon a time, I had wanted that. But now, the pain I felt at losing my pack made me hesitant. If it hurt this much to lose my pack, I couldn’t fathom what it’d feel like to lose my fated mate.
“So, where are you from?” Luna gestured to the door, indicating for me to open it for her.
Wow. Entitled much?
But I’d already rocked the boat with Griffin. I should probably shove the pride down and do it.
Hating myself, I opened the door for her and gritted my teeth. “North of here.” She smiled brightly as she marched past me, knocking her shoulder into me.
She was declaring war between the two of us. She linked her arm through mine again and yanked me forward, putting more distance between us and the guys.
“I want to be clear with you.” She cut her eyes at me. “Griffin is mine. Him hitting on you earlier doesn’t make you special. He hits on all the girls who are relatively good-looking.”