Page 5 of Midnight Moon
“Sexy?” I laughed. “Why? We’re just going to dinner.”
“Because I said so.” She shooed me off the stool and towards the front door, her excitement beaming from her wide smile. “Now, go. I’ll be at your place in an hour with my dad’s Jeep.”
I laughed when Stephanie threw my muddy boots into my hands and practically shoved me out the door. Shaking my head, I smiled to myself as I walked the short distance between her home and mine. I was only slightly worried about the plans my enthusiastic best friend had for me this evening.
If nothing else, I knew it would be unforgettable. Of that, I was certain.
Two
The streetlightsalong the sidewalk in Lower Downtown gave the bar scene a more open and welcoming vibe. In front of me, stumbling bachelorette parties and boisterous groups of guys laughed and shouted as they traveled from bar to bar. I shouldn’t have been surprised when Stephanie insisted we hit up a bar after finishing our meal at the Brazilian Steakhouse, especially considering she’d convinced me to wear a short emerald dress with matching wedges.
I had an early morning flight to Montana, but my best friend had a speech prepared to convince me to go out. She went on and on about how things would be different after I returned from the Alpha Games, lamenting how busy I’d been lately and how she missed spending time with me.
Basically, she used emotional manipulation.
And it worked.
So, there I stood on the patio of The Iron Horse, sipping a lukewarm beer as I watched Stephanie flirt with the mid-twenties businessman who’d bought her most recent vodka soda. He looked nice enough, if not a little tipsy. His fancy tie was loosened at the neck, and there was a slight flush to his cheeks. He seemed genuinely interested in my best friend, and the feeling appeared to be mutual. Stephanie had been chatting with the guy for half an hour—much longer than she usually spared for the men who took it upon themselves to ply her with alcohol.
Taking another sip of my drink, I went back to staring at the crowd wandering the closed-off street. Unlike me, Stephanie had always been open to dating humans. She didn’t care that there could be no future with them—not unless she wanted to leave our pack forever.
I could think of only two shifters who’d left the Summit Pack to be with a human they’d fallen in love with. One was an old man who’d lost his mate. He’d joined a grief support group in the nearest town and met a lovely lady who’d recently lost her husband. They both found comfort in each other’s company, and I couldn’t blame the man for leaving our pack to not have to live the last years of his life alone.
But the other shifter, Margot, was a different story.
I’d only been ten at the time, but I remembered the ordeal so clearly. Margot had been one of the top female shifters in our pack. She was strong, cunning, and incredibly beautiful. Almost all the unmated males in our pack tried to court her, including Beta Nathan. His mate had died shortly after Stephanie was born, and our pack’s second-in-command had grown tired of being alone.
Margot was destined to have an enviable life within our community, but then she went to college and met a human she claimed she couldn’t live without.
I shook my head at the depressing memories.
To give up your family, your pack, and such a promising future in the name of love was so short-sighted. Shifters were prohibited from sharing the truth of our existence to humans, and that included a spouse. If any pack member found out Margot broke that rule, the result would be dire for her and anyone she shared our secret with.
So, though Margot claimed to have found the love of her life, she was forced to live half a life. She could never tell her human husband about her wolf, and she would never be a member of our pack ever again.
All in the name of love.
Ridiculous.
Even at the age of ten, I promised myself I would never let such a feeble emotion make a fool out of me. Hence, my practically non-existent dating history with both humans and shifters.
“Someone do something you disapprove of?”
Startled out of my thoughts, I turned and was greeted by a muscular torso in a fitted black V-neck. My eyes travelled upward until I finally met the gaze of the tall stranger.
Seriously, he had to be at least six-four. He made my five feet, nine inches feel short.
The stranger’s lips quirked, making me realize I’d been staring at him like an idiot. He probably thought I’d been checking him out.
Which… I guess I sort of did.
But it wasn’t in an “I’m attracted to him” way. More of a “dang, he’s tall” kind of way.
I cleared my throat and sipped my beer—trying to hide my embarrassment—then said, “I’m sorry?”
“You were frowning and shaking your head,” the stranger informed me. “I was wondering what could put a beautiful girl in such a bad mood on a Friday night.”
It was my turn to smirk.
