Page 59 of Puck My Life

He moves up close to me and faces the art on the wall. I turn to it blindly, wishing I could find a way to get rid of him. Or run away. This is my date?

“It’s beautiful, isn't it?”

“It confuses me.”

“Does it? Hmmm, I can see that.”

The piece is abstract with mixed media. It confuses me. I was truthful about that much, but I like the tangled mess; it reminds me of my life in the best way.

He circles around me, and I fall in step with him, watching out of the corner of my eye as he leads me to the next one. This is a photo of a person standing in a window all alone.

“That’s sad.”

“It is very emotional,” he agrees. “What do you think she’s thinking?”

“I think she’s wondering if the people she loves love her back,” I murmur without thinking. I let out a self-depreciating laugh. “Or how much she misses her cat.”

He shuffles closer to me, letting someone pass him by, and our arms brush, but there’s nothing. Absolutely nothing.

“Do you want to go raid the hors d’oeuvre?” he whispers, but his eyes twinkle. Despite not feeling anything, I want to be friends with him.

“We shouldn’t.”

This alpha is exciting in a way that some people are like lights or magnets to others. I want to bask in his radiance.

“I know, but all these boring speeches are going to start, and we’ll be starving for the next two hours. Join me. I promise if anyone says anything, I will completely take the blame.”

I finally dip my chin. He takes my hand in his and leads me through the crowd.

I might not feel anything towards this alpha, but for the first time tonight, I don’t feel completely alone.

He spots a server and crooks a finger. The server beelines for us and dips his head.

“How can I help you, Alpha?”

“Can you grab us a tray? We don’t want to starve while they are all yapping. My growling stomach will ruin the evening.”

The server bites his lip to stop a smile, and I realise that Jansen is an alpha who is gifted at getting people to relax around him.

He’s charming and funny, inquisitive, and everybody’s friend.

He’s just not the alpha for me.

That doesn’t matter, Vae. Better an alpha who treats you nicely than one who doesn’t. You have three who won’t, do you really want to keep getting kicked, ending up like the woman in the photo?

We follow the server into a darkened corner and wait for the tray to be brought out.

“I can help you, if you want. No pressure. You seem like a lovely young omega, Vae. But it’s always going to be your decision. Trust me, if you tell me you don’t want me at all, I am not going to be offended. I just want you to be safe and happy, and I think you deserve that.”

“You barely know me,” I whisper.

“I know, but I trust my instincts, and they say that you are a good person. We might not be a romantic match, but I can be a friend and would be honoured to see you through a heat. Now you don’t need to make a decision, I’m just putting it out there.”

I stare at him, jumping when the server puts the tray down.

“Thanks, Jed,” Jansen says with a wink my way.

I turn and watch him walk away. “You know their names?”