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Connor tugs on a curl, pulling my attention back. “Check in tonight? Not trying to control you, I just…I need to make sure you’re okay.”

“Sure.”

“Thank you, angel.” He drops his hands to my hips and pulls me in for a scent mark. Connor sags with relief when it’s over, but I’m stunned to realize it’s changed a little. Nothing major, but a slight shift to it that terrifies me.

I’m upset, that’s all.

I get one last kiss before my pack lead disappears into the office yet again. Before I can feel any type of way about that it, Dez steals my attention.

“Be good, little muse.” He kisses me gently, careful not to smudge my lipstick. In the circle of his arms, I feel breathless and unsteady. A little scared, I nose my way up his neck andsigh when that same warm floral scent I’m obsessed with hits. Nothing changed, nothing shifted. Just pure Dez.

Thank fuck.

“I’m always good.”

“Not wrong.” His eyes track my mouth before he forces himself to step back. “Have fun, baby.”

“I will.”

Nate grabs me next, and he doesn’t even try to hold back. He fucks my mouth, fingers in my hair holding me captive while his other hand roams my body. Every touch is possessive, every nip intentional. When he pulls away, our mouths are swollen and his is a shade of pink I was just wearing.

“That color suits you.”

“Of course it does. I rock lipstick.” He thumbs my bottom lip, cleaning up the smudge with a grin. “Think of me while you’re gone.”

How could I not when his summer bliss scent is still in my nose, smelling like it always does. Chalking up the situation with Connor as a fluke, I head for the door.

Now I definitely want to get drunk.

Sparrow Ridge is a bar near the similarly named Sparrow Point. It’s not quite new, but it’s definitely got a younger crowd. I almost wish we could find a dive bar instead, but Mellie says the drinks are excellent and since it’s her half-birthday, she makes the rules.

Maverick, Kai and I find a table as the others order a round. Every brush of a stranger on my skin makes me want to scream. Can’t even blame it on an upcoming heat because it’s not due foranother two months. I’d just rather be at home with my alphas than shoving my way through a fucking crowd.

“You’re growling,” Kai says.

The sound stutters to a halt in my throat and I realize my friend isn’t that much better. On high alert, she doesn’t settle until Maverick drags her to stand between his legs. Even then, I wouldn’t consider her relaxed at all.

We wait silently, with me trying not to be jealous of the easy way he tucks her bob behind her ear and rubs his cheek along her neck. The way Kai shuffles backward into his embrace, eliminating the space between them. How their energy shifts, as if it’s leaning toward the other’s.

Staring at real life soulmates when you’re wondering if your relationship has legs to stand on is fucking hell, even if I’m grateful they have each other.

Mellie and Lacey return with the drinks, handing them out until we’ve all got a glass.

“To Mellie’s half-birthday,” Lace says. “May it be uneventful and without a jail sentence.”

“Hear, hear,” everyone but Mel says.

“You’re no fun.” She pouts, accepting the toast anyway with a dainty sip while I down half my drink, hoping the burn will erase the sting of Connor’s indifference.

Lacey eyes my glass with concern she hides behind a wide smile. “You’ve been busy. Tell us everything.”

I look at the others, hoping I’ll get out of this, but they all offer the same expectant look. Ya know what? Fuck it. “I’m in love with Dez and Nate.”

Mellie slurps her drink, pulling off the straw with a droll, “Well, duh.”

Like a fucking adult, I throw an ice cube at her. Somehow, we always revert to our childhood selves. Or the children we would’ve been if we were born into other families. Other lives.

Lacey grabs our glasses before it turns into a frigid war. “Enough! We should be celebrating. Daph, this is amazing.”