Page 138 of How to Lose a Pack in 10 Dates

I snort-laugh. “Done.”

*

I barely get through the front door of the noodle place before Lex shrieks, “She lives!”

“Barely,” Zara adds with a smirk. “You look like you got steamrolled by a lust demon.”

“Ifeellike I got steamrolled by a lust demon,” I mutter, dropping into the booth and immediately stealing one of Lex’s dumplings.

Lex squints at me. “Wait. Is that… is that a bite mark on your neck, or did you lose a bar fight with a particularly horny vampire?”

“That’s not a vampire,” Zara says flatly. “That’s Wes. I can smell him.”

“I’m sorry—what?”

Zara takes a sip of her drink, not even blinking. “I went to see them last week.”

“Youwhat?”

“I was worried,” she says, giving me a pointed look. “You weren’t texting back, and you sounded… I don’t know. Kind of out of it. It didn’t feel right, so I went to the source.”

“Youintervened?” I ask, torn between mortified and moved.

“Ipanicked,” she corrects. “You never go dark like that. And when I got there—god, Aimee. They looked like someone had kicked their bond in the teeth. Cam was the one who let me in, and I swear he almost apologized just for existing. Wes had a little more of an attitude. And Jace… poor guy looked like he hadn’t slept in three days.”

“Okay, well nowI’Memotionally compromised.” I cover my face with both hands. “You didn’t threaten them or anything, right?”

“No,” Zara laughs. “It wasn’t necessary. Apart from Wes, they didn’t really have the bite for any of that. I swear, Cam looked like he wanted to either burst into tears or make me a friendship bracelet. Maybe both. Anyway, he’sgorgeous.”

“I’m sorry, are we dating the cast of a tragic romance?” Lex laughs.

“I think we might be,” I whisper, pressing a hand to my chest. “And I think I’m in love with all of them.”

Zara smirks. “Well. About time.”

“Okay, your life is officially a fanfic.” Lex narrows her eyes at me like a detective in a very inappropriate rom-com. “Start talking. And give usallthe details.”

Zara gives her a look. “Lex.”

“What? She’sglowing. That’s not moisturizer, that’s post-knot radiance.”

I snort-laugh dumpling into my throat. “Okay—fine. You want details? I went into heat.”

Lex slaps both palms on the table. “Iknew it.”

“It came out of nowhere,” I continue, coughing a bit. “And it hitbad. Like, chew-the-cushions, bark-at-the-wall, dangerously-close-to-humping-the-coffee-table kind of bad.”

Zara winces sympathetically. “And you were alone?”

“Unfortunately. I mean, Ihadjust blown up every genuine romantic connection in my life.”

Lex raises her chopsticks in mock-toast. “To your chaotic little detonation. May the debris be sexy.”

“Anyway,” I say, laughing as I ignore her, “I tried to handle it solo. Maxed out my suppressants, locked all the doors, buried myself in my nest—and still nearly combusted.”

“So how’d the cavalry arrive?” Zara asks gently.

“Wes kicked my damn door in.”

---