Page 20 of In Deep

This is dangerous. Am I already in too deep?

* * *

I can’t stop thinking about him, but when he doesn’t call the next day, I wonder if perhaps he isn’t as into me as I thought.

Sophia rolls her eyes and reminds me of the first rule of dating. “Never call the next day.” She examines my face. “Did you agree to a second date?”

My stomach falls. “No, we never discussed it.”

“But he said other encouraging stuff …”

“He said he wanted to spoil me.”

Sophia smiles. “He’ll call.”

“Couldn’t I just call him?”

She considers this idea. “Fuck it, if you like him, why not. Show him you’re not some meek omega. That you know what you want.”

“I’m not sure if I know what I want,” I mutter.

“One way to find out.” Sophia points to my phone and I type Zane a message, thanking him for the date and hinting that I’d like another. I receive a reply almost immediately, and we arrange to meet up in the centre of the city early next week.

I spend the next few days in a skittish, flustered state. A typical bloody omega. Rather than the sensible woman I want to be, tackling difficult mathematical equations and impressing my professors with well-thought-out answers, I’m doodling Zane’s name on my notebook and reliving his kiss over and over. I feel fifteen, not twenty.

It’s just because it’s new and exciting. This insanity will pass. And so will this fling.

The date destination is a surprise. I wait for him outside Highnam’s department store wearing a black tea dress with pink rosebuds that Sophia lent me. I’m a few minutes early, and I chew my thumbnail as I scan the people heading home at the end of the day.

Finally, I spot Zane sprinting through the crowd, swerving past people. He spots me, waves and runs towards me. When he stops, he’s not even winded, but his dark hair has flopped into his face.

“Sorry,” he says, brushing it back. “We had a pack meeting that overran.” His eyes flit all over me. “You look beautiful, Rosie.” Then he kisses my cheek and takes my hand.

“A pack meeting?” I say as we walk along the pavement. “That sounds very official.”

He chuckles. “It is a bit anal but Seb insists on it, says there are some things we have to discuss and work through. I suppose he’s right. Four alphas living together can become complicated.”

I’m curious about his pack and how it works. There are so few packs and the relationships seem different in each. “Does your pack know you’re taking me on another date?”

“Yep.”

“And that’s not a problem?” Do they feel aggrieved I turned down the group offer, but am now seeing one of the pack mates?

Zane turns to look at me. “Why would they care?”

“You’re allowed to date people outside the pack?”

“Yes,” he says, looking a little puzzled. “We can make our own decisions, although obviously, we consult one another. I suppose if any of my pack mates really objected to a girl, I’d end the relationship, but I can’t see anything like that happening.”

He squeezes my hand, and I notice his scent seems especially strong in the chilly spring evening.

“Where are we going?”

“Ahhh,” he says, “be patient, we’re almost there.”

Are we going to one of the nightclubs in the city centre? There are a few exclusive ones frequented by alphas. I bet someone like Zane can get in easily. I look down at my cute dress. Perhaps I should’ve gone for something more sophisticated.

But then he’s leading us away from the shops and restaurants and into a side street lined with cherry trees, heavy pink blossoms weighing down the branches. We pass through a square and stop outside an unfamiliar building. I read the sign.Studworth City Aquarium.