Page 50 of Same Difference
“Delta, you are single. Everyone got the notification this morning that your Arrangement was dissolved. Hell, every werewolf on the Arrangement list got a notification about it too. We aren’t breaking any rules by being in the same place together. Get in the truck. No one else is coming to get you.”
This was weird. Dodger never showed an interest in her before. Maybe he owed Vic a favor or something.
She didn’t like the smell of Dodger’s cologne as she got in. It wasn’t Nathan’s. She buckled in and asked, “Any news on Liam?”
“He’s still locked up, but Nory told Vic what happened, and Vic told me.”
“What happened?”
“That Jackson guy showed up at Nory’s work, and she sent a ‘help’ message to Liam after the guy cornered her. Liam hurt him. The guy is in the hospital and it’ll be like that for him for a while if he makes it. Liam didn’t Change though. And the guy stabbed Liam a few times, so Nate’s digging into that hard. He’s bringing in his family’s lawyer and trying to get Liam out quick.”
“The Donns have a lawyer?”
“Apparently.”
“A human one?”
Dodger snorted. “Naturally. I can’t exactly see humans allowing one of us to pass the bar exam.”
“It could happen,” she murmured stubbornly. “Humans aren’t so bad. I’m going to an interview at a human-owned shop right now. Good things can happen for us.” She had to believe it. Otherwise, she would chicken out of this meeting at the flower shop.
“You talk a lot more now.”
Delta shrugged and stared out the window.
“I can’t tell if that’s because of Nory or because of Nate.”
“Maybe it’s because of me. Maybe I just got more comfortable around everyone. I didn’t know any of you before I was Arranged with Nathan.”
“Nathan,” he repeated again. “He shouldn’t have done that to you.”
“Dodger, do you mind if we just listen to music?”
She leaned forward and turned up the volume, but Dodger turned it back off. “You don’t have to put up with his back-and-forth shit, Delta. You could just pick someone who won’t leave.”
“Yeah? And you think that’s you?”
“What? No.” He pulled a face and returned his attention to the road in front of him. “Absolutely not. I don’t even want a mate. I’m just saying as a friend.”
“Yeah, but we aren’t friends, Dodger. You’ve ignored me completely since the day I came to the Coeur d’Alene Lake Pack!”
“Yeah, and we aren’t that Pack anymore. We all chose to be here this time around. I’m not ignoring you anymore. That deserves some credit, right?”
She released a sigh and tried to settle the snarl in her throat. She honestly couldn’t put her finger on why she’d gotten so worked up. Dodger was right. He wasn’t saying anything inappropriate, and there had been truth to his tone when he’d said he wasn’t the one to pick. “You’re right.”
“Wow, I’ve never heard a woman say that before.”
“Probably because ninety-five percent of the time you say the dumbest shit imaginable.”
He chuckled. “Geez Delta, you’re meaner than I thought.”
“Well, now we both know. I’m getting meaner with age.”
“Nah. It’s with experience. Choose a better mate the next time, yeah?”
But Dodger didn’t understand. She was a female werewolf. Finding a mate wasn’t as easy as all of that. If she didn’t choose someone already in this Rogue Pack, she would have to go outside of Pack territory and try and convince a man to become a Rogue for and with her. Her options would be lower quality. Her chance at an Arrangement was almost zero now. And come to think of it, the Elders would never allow an Arrangement to hold once they found out Liam had reconstructed their Pack on human-owned territory.
“Honestly, I just don’t want to think about being paired up anymore. I just want to focus on me for a while.”
