9

Caleb’s POV
I refused to believe Lily’s attitude wasn’t intentional. The fiery push and pull between us lit a spark that I knew burned just as brightly for her as it did for us. If she wanted to play hard to want, fine-two could play that game. But she’d learn soon enough that I don’t fight fair, not when it comes to my mate.
That said, I wasn’t fetching her another damn cookie. Not after the way she acted in front of our parents. Sure, springing the whole thing on her without warning wasn’t ideal, but that didn’t excuse her behavior-especially not when her family had been nothing but welcoming.
I wasn’t about to let her cling to whatever skewed opinion she’d formed about us. She needed to see who we really were-our family, our values, and everything we stood for. Lily thought we were some kind of pretentious assholes, but that was her decision, not the truth.
“Dahlia, good to see you. Shoot me an email at my school address with the details for Saturday night-where we need to be and when,” I said, throwing her a quick wink. Her face turned as red as a ripe apple, and she nodded, avoiding eye contact. Shy girls were a treat, but I always had a soft spot for feisty ones, too.
*Stop looking at her! She’s not our mate,* my wolf growled in frustration.
*Relax, we’re leaving now. No more distractions,* I said to Caden over the mind-link.
Without another word, we got up and walked away. We had practice later, but first, we planned to unwind with some video games-a ritual that always helped us clear our heads.
“Hey, Fang, no commentary,” I muttered internally, already anticipating his scolding.
Normally, “video game time” included… let’s just say extracurricular activities. Yeah, sometimes we were pigs. But it wasn’t just for us-the girls loved it, too. No harm, no foul, right?
*Not today,* I snapped at Fang before he could interrupt my thoughts further.
“What’s crawled up your ass?” Caden asked as we made our way home.
“She’s just… impossible,” I said, clenching my fists. “Why does she have to make everything so difficult? And why the hell does she have to look so damn good while doing it?”
Caden laughed. “I don’t know, man. She drives me crazy, too. Honestly, I was shocked that *you* were the one who wanted to go home last night.”
“What was the alternative? Stalking her door? Her window? We’re Ashfords, not pathetic losers,” I said, pounding my chest for emphasis.
Caden laughed harder. “Well, her calling you a caveman wasn’t entirely off the mark.”
“Maybe we need to rethink a few things,” I admitted reluctantly.
I wasn’t always proud of my actions. My wolf didn’t let me forget when I stepped out of line.
“This weekend, we need a solid plan,” I said, rubbing my hands together. “We’re going all in.”
Last night’s dream had only fueled my obsession. In it, Lily had shifted, and I’d chased her through the woods. The thrill, the hunt-it was intoxicating. When we caught her, she’d submitted willingly, and the rush of claiming her was indescribable. In the dream, it had felt like love… or something close to it.
“Ahem, yeah. But using Dahlia to push Lily into that auction? That was low, even for us,” Caden said as we walked into the house.
“She’ll be fine. Especially when we rake in a ton of money for her charity,” I said, flopping onto the couch and scratching absently.
“Right, so what’s the angle? Why would Lily agree to this auction? She’ll only do it to prove a point, you know. She’ll show up looking fierce as hell, expecting us to fall at her feet,” Caden said, licking his lips at the thought.
“Not happening. We stay cool-no weaknesses,” I said firmly.
“Knock, knock, boys,” came a familiar voice from behind us.
Crap. I hadn’t thought to text Quinley not to come over. She was a classic jersey chaser, but one who knew the rules. She never asked for anything serious, just mutual gratification. It worked-for the most part.
“Hey, Quin. Not today. We’re just playing games,” I said, crossing one ankle over my knee.
She pouted and glanced at Caden for backup.
“But you’ve got practice, a big game this week. You need to unwind,” she said, settling onto the couch beside me, her hand sliding onto my thigh.
*No. Absolutely not,* Fang snapped.
I grabbed her hand and placed it firmly back on her lap. This wasn’t happening.
“We appreciate it, Quinley, but it’s just us today,” Caden said, standing to escort her out.
“Since when do you two ever-”
Her words cut off as the scent hit me. Jasmine, clean and fresh, like a garden at dawn. My head snapped up just as Lily strolled into the living room. She didn’t knock; she didn’t announce herself-she just walked in.
Her gaze flicked to Quinley, her eyebrow arching in that way that always made my pulse race.
“Hey, Lily,” Quinley said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “Here for ‘video game time’? A heads-up would’ve been nice.”
“She is, actually,” Caden said, ushering Quinley out the door before she could protest further.
Lily’s arms crossed, pushing her tank top snugly against her chest. She wore leggings and a smirk that said she owned the room.
“Sorry to interrupt your time with the… village frat mattress,” she said, her voice dripping with mock sweetness.
I laughed, unable to stop myself. Her wit was sharp, and I loved every jab.
“You know it’s only you from now on, sweetheart. And we both know you won’t be with anyone else, either,” I said, leaning back into the couch.
She scowled, pulling her phone from her bra. The movement made me rub my face, desperate for control. How did she always manage to make me feel unsteady?
Oh, she’s not oblivious. I notice things. You guys mess her up plenty,* Fang said smugly.
I covered my face for a moment, pretending to rub my eyes, just to hide the grin tugging at my lips. Fang and I didn’t always agree, but damn, he knew when to stroke my ego. It’s like he could sense when I needed the boost. Honestly, I’d half-expected Lily to lose her cool the second she saw Quinley. Maybe even throw something, break a lamp, or just raise hell. But no, she was too composed for that. Too sharp. Too damn good at playing her cards close to her chest.
“So, *anyway,*” Lily began, her tone clipped, “I’m helping Dahlia ensure there are some donors with deep pockets. Surely you meatheads have connections-you know people. I want at least five names and numbers to call to make sure they’ll be there.”
Her words were matter-of-fact, but her eyes carried that razor edge she always seemed to wield effortlessly.
I glanced at Caden, shooting him *the look*-the one that said, *Keep your mouth shut. I’ve got this.* He caught it immediately and leaned back, leaving the ball in my court.
I pulled out my phone, the corner of my mouth twitching up in a small smile. “Sure thing, beautiful. But you know…” I let my words trail off for a moment, meeting her gaze. “We want something too.”
I nodded toward Caden for emphasis, and we both waited.
Her reaction was instant. “I’m not giving you head, so just fucking forget it. Creep.” She turned to leave, already dismissing me.
But I was quicker. I stepped in her path, blocking her exit with a casual move, raising my hands in mock surrender. “Tsk, tsk. Always assuming the worst, don’t you? That’s not what I was going to ask.” I leaned in just enough to keep her attention locked on me. “What I was going to say is… we have practice in two hours. And you know, we’ve never been able to say our mate came to watch us play. It would be hot as hell if you did.”
Her expression shifted, cycling through a whole range of emotions I couldn’t quite pin down. She didn’t immediately tell me to screw off, though, which was already a win in my book.
“I suppose,” she started slowly, her tone laced with feigned indifference, “it would help with the article… if I actually knew what the hell it is you do.”
I smirked, knowing I’d hooked her. She might think she’s playing it cool, but I was a master at negotiation. If she wanted to go toe-to-toe, I was all in.
“Perfect. I can hardly wait,” I said smoothly, pulling up my contacts list. “Now, about those donors. My aunt and uncle are big on charitable contributions-I’ll give you his number. Uncle Fang,” I added with a straight face, pretending to scroll through my phone.
*Fang? Really?* Caden’s voice rang out in my mind, laced with disbelief and barely contained laughter.
“Oh, and our cousin Hade. He’s a sucker for this kind of thing,” I continued, taking Lily’s phone from her and typing in the numbers.
*You’re so fucking bad,* Caden said through the mind-link, struggling not to crack up.
I didn’t bother responding, handing Lily back her phone with a smirk. The other three contacts I gave her were legitimate-professors, even our coach-but now, the real fun was about to begin.