Page 87 of Midnight Moon
“Yup! Champagne.” Stephanie appeared beside me. The rental car beeped when she hit the lock button on the key fob in her hands. “From mimosas. Girls got to have some fun. You know?”
His frown deepened. He stared at me. “Is it really wise to get drunk when the final game is tomorrow?”
I bristled. “I’m not drunk.”
“And why do you even care?” Stephanie snapped back, irritated on my behalf. She seriously was the best.
Asher’s jaw tensed. “I care because the next game involves combat. Blair will be fighting a male shifter two times stronger than her. She can’t afford to have her senses dulled by drink.”
I knew Asher was concerned for my wellbeing, but it was the reason for his concern that set me on edge. He wouldn’t be so worked up if it weren’t for the stupid mate bond between us. And that truth made me irrationally upset.
“The alcohol won’t be in my system tomorrow,” I pointed out.
“But it will affect you today, making you less well-rested for tomorrow.”
I sighed. He might be right, but that didn’t mean he could speak to me like a wayward child.
"Look, I get your concerned, but I’ll be fine. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to call my dad.” I moved to step around Asher, but he moved to block my path.
“We need to talk.”
“No, we don’t.” Again, I tried to walk around him. And, again, he blocked my path.
“Dude, seriously?” Stephanie stepped forward, anger rippling off her on my behalf. “What is your problem?”
Asher spared my friend a glance. “The issue I must discuss with Blair is time sensitive.” He returned his attention to me. “We can speak in front of your friend, or we can speak alone. It is your choice, but I will speak regardless.”
My stomach twisted. I didn’t want Stephanie to know certain things just yet.
“Fine,” I bit out. I looked at Stephanie. “Can you give us a minute?”
Her eyes widened in surprise. She looked ready to object, but ultimately said, “Okay. Come get me if you need me.”
I told her I would.
Stephanie entered the cabin. I waited until she shut the door. Then, I crossed my arms and faced Asher. “I assume there’s a sound barrier around us?”
He paused for a second. “Now there is.”
Good.
“What do you want?”
“We need to talk about last night.”
“No, we don’t.”
He sighed. “Denying what happened won’t make it go away.”
“Maybe not,” I allowed, “but distance will. Once these games are over, we will go our separate ways, and whatever happened between us will fade away. We will both be free.”
Asher’s expression was carefully blank, but he couldn’t hide the nerve flickering at his temple. “There is no guarantee of distance.”
“What do you mean? All we have to do is make it through tomorrow then the Alpha Games will be over.”
“You forget about my pack’s prize.”
Cold washed over me. “You agreed to throw the contest. Your pack won’t get its prize.”
