Chapter 3

The drive to Cassidy’s house was quiet but the atmosphere was dense. It wasn’t like we slept together but the sting of rejection still hurt.

My best friend moved out of her Dad’s house after he married another woman two years ago. Kaleb didn’t see eye-to-eye with his Dad since the remarriage so he crashed with Cass in the meantime.

Kaleb parked in front of the house beside several other cars. I didn’t know this was a dinner party. I would have gone home to change out of my ripped jeans and long-sleeved crop top.

“It’s not going to be weird all night is it?” Kaleb asked.

He shot me those cool blue eyes and thought I’d melt. He had my panties wet last night that’s for sure.

“It won’t. We can forget it happened and go back to default settings, cool.”

He pressed his lips together. He held my gaze for a couple of seconds and nodded.

“Cool.”

We got out of the car at the same time. I notice a massive man climb out of a staggering army green army-style vehicle. His right arm was covered in tattoos of various items. His other arm was the same but had patches of skin. His dark blue shirt hugged his muscular ripped chest like a second layer of skin. He was larger than Kaleb. When he turned around my heart nearly stopped and I semi-fainted.

A full blond beard covered Dash’s smooth face. He was another green-eyed man but I’d never find another Dash Olsen. It’s been six years and he’s changed more than Gunner.

“You okay?” Kaleb asked.

I shook my head. It felt like time stopped for a moment there.

“Yeah. I didn’t know Dash would be here.”

He nodded. “You’re not in the werewolf community so I wouldn’t expect you to know that he was called back to be in Gunner’s circle.”

He left without a goodbye. We weren’t friends… we were more than that. He saved me and ruined me. He was Gunner’s close friend and was part of the bullying but he was the one who stayed behind to hand me a towel whenever I was covered in cafeteria food. His stone-cold face hid his soft heart at least I thought.

“Why did he leave?” I asked, without thinking.

He left so suddenly no one spoke about him leaving. I didn’t think I would see him so soon. He wasn’t there at Kaleb’s welcome home party.

“This isn’t the place, sweetheart.”

I nodded. We entered the house to laughter and the sound of glasses clinging. We found a group of guys and girls in the dining room surrounded by more alcohol than food. I smiled that was my Cass.

“There you guys are!” Cass beamed. She got up and spilt her wine on her black dress.

“I thought you wouldn’t show,” Cass said as she hugged me. “Dash’s here.”

“I know,” I whispered. “Why didn’t—”

“I didn’t… I wasn’t sure… I’m sorry okay?”

I rolled my eyes. No alcohol for me today. I wasn’t like these guys. I couldn’t drink until next week without consequences. I knew one of the girls as Christine Love and Hayley Ken. We never ran in the same circles. They were in Kaleb’s group of friends.

Dash came into the dining room and grabbed a wine glass. Our eyes met. He drank me in but his stone wall features didn’t drop for a millisecond. He grabbed his glass and walked to the living room. When he was gone I could breathe again.

“Sorry, I’m late!” Gunner yelled holding up a bottle of vodka.

The group cheered.

Heat rushed to my cheeks. I sort of avoided him the whole of last night.

“You’ve always known how to pick them,” Cass said, retrieving the alcohol from him.

I didn’t know where to turn. I hoped he would ignore me like Dash did but the Alpha strolled over and smirked.

“It’s too soon, Zora. Was I too hot for you last night?”

I stifled a laugh. “Please.”

He took me to places I hadn’t been to in a while and it was just one dance.

He chuckled. “Don’t wander too far little, Kitten.” He stroked my bottom lip with his thumb and walked off to join the rest of the group in the living room.

“So much for dinner.” I poured myself a glass of water and joined the group in the kitchen.

“Is anyone going to mention the murder in the Black Wolf forest?” Harley asked.

The guys groaned. I noticed how close Christine was to Kaleb but no, it was none of my business.

“What have you heard?” Gunner asked.

Harley lifted a shoulder. “I heard Rupert Dean was involved in something he shouldn’t have been in.”

“Like another pack?” Cass asked.

“Who knows? The guy at the bar said it was bad enough to get him killed.”

“Dean?” I asked. “There’s an old man at the old folk’s home with that last name. They could be related.”

Gunner shook his head. “Nah. Rupert was the last of his bloodline. That should be suspicious enough.”

“Should we be like worried?” Christine asked, snuggling closer to Kaleb. He responded by draping his arm around her shoulders.

“Of course not. We don’t know yet but my money’s on it being a random hit.”

The werewolf world was a mystery. There were rivalries, sacred places and objects. My adoptive parents were humans but they knew the secrets of the shifter world a part of me thought they knew more than they led on.

The conversation moved to Gunner’s Alpha ceremony. Dash hadn’t said a word since I sat down. He looked everywhere except me. I wasn’t the one who left without a word! When I caught him staring it was like everything else vanished.

I was a teenager again. I was small and he was the big bad wolf about to devour me, but… he did the opposite of that.

“Shit guys, we have to go,” Gunner said, standing suddenly.

He broke the trance I was in. I didn’t think I would be confronting my past this week but here I was.

“What’s wrong?” Harley asked.

“Might not be a random killing after all. They found a woman in Rupert’s house.”

I wrapped my hand around my throat. Another death.