Dakota and I had met at Ryder's showy car after school before I hopped into his truck for the second time this week. We waited in the out-of-school traffic and I listened as Dakota muttered words to a country song beneath his breath as it played. I studied everything about his face and then it erupted into a smile and a blush.

"So how was school?"

"School was the same as usual," I returned and looked away, glad that Dakota was kind enough not to point out that I was blatantly staring at him.

"Oh, so you get nominated for royalty on a usual basis? Huh," he teased.

"Ugh, just tell me you weren't part of it," I groaned. He laughed and I watched his blue eyes watch the road as we waited to leave the student parking lot.

"Hey, I was just following Ryder's orders," he laughed. I rolled my eyes and leaned against the window frame. Then I got an idea.

"So if I got Ryder to order that you stay—"

"Ash," he warned and even looked over at me.

"What?" I asked. "I don't see why you're moving a month into the school year for no reason—"

"It's Colin," he finally cut-in. What? "I'm moving because of Colin."

"What did he do? Because if it's his bullshit 'oh let me tell everyone I care about to move away before I hurt them,' then—"

"Wait, do you know?" Dakota asked me and slammed on the breaks when we were held up in the line of cars waiting for the exiting light to change. His blue eyes were wide and secretive.

"I was referring to him and his dad," I assured and then Dakota frowned and looked back to the road to continue driving. But I could tell something had shifted, I just didn't know exactly what.

Dakota sighed. "Okay, maybe I'm not moving because of him," he admitted to make me even more confused. "I'm moving because my father is a homophobe and doesn't want me here anymore."

"Are you gay?" I blurted out, causing him to calmly look over at me.

"No," he sighed in an answer. I frowned. Then why— "But Colin is. Well bisexual anyways."

That was a curve ball. Sure, Colin had made comments about relationships and love as if he was some tortured soul, but I didn't know he was bisexual of all things. Did anyone besides Dakota know?

"What does that have to do with you?"

"I've been spending a lot of time with him," he revealed. Come to think of it, I think I remembered seeing his truck at Colin's trailer when Zander and I had picked him up. Maybe that's why he was at Colin's yesterday as well without knowing I was there. "A couple years ago, Colin drunkenly kissed a pack member named Tank, who graduated this past spring. Zander defended him with some 'it's only skin-to-skin contact, maybe he thought you were a girl since you've been slacking with the weights since football season,' comment to cover it up, but I guess Tank told his dad, who's friends with my dad."

So he connected the dots and figured that Colin was making a move on Dakota next.

"I'm surprised Ryder didn't tell you that. Or Zander," Dakota added and I was appreciating just how loyal friendships were within the pack itself. Even though they were all connected to one another for the sake of their supernatural secret beneath the command of Ryder (or Zander at some point), some of them were truly best friends right down to the secrets being kept. Colin had Zander. Ryder had Preston at one point. Dakota had Kelvan. Miles had Brett. Troy had Vince. Even Aaron had Andrew in our own pack...if they were still my pack.

But did Dakota want to have Colin?

"Are you interested in Colin?" I found myself asking.

"I thought I was," Dakota admitted. "But the more I was around him, I think it was more platonic than anything—I even told him that and had him kiss me a few weeks ago so I'd know whether I was just in crazy denial or actually confused because I never meant to lead him on," he continued. "Turns out, I'm straight and just very supportive of him."

That was nice of him to be there for Colin, who self-sabotaged a lot of his relationships with people, but I wondered if Colin was deeper in feelings with Dakota than he told him. But we let the conversation soak in the silence before he had decided we should probably find a dress for me now that my attendance was required at Homecoming. He offered to drive to the nearest big city, but I figured that the shops in town would be fine because their being so "vintage and unique" meant that there would only be dresses that were one of a kind. And apparently since I was in the court, it meant I would have to be presented on the football field in some elegant fashion that required a gown.

"Wait, I hope you don't think I'm gay and wanted to stereotype me into having some sort of fashion sense to pick your dress," Dakota joked as we parked right in front of the dress shop. He looked over at me with his goofy smirk, "because I wear flannel and jeans almost every day and lack style."

"Actually, I thought that you not being gay would allow me to pick a spectacular dress that would seduce you into being my date," I taunted with a narrowing of my eyes.

"I think you should be telling that to Ryder, don'tcha think?" he returned before we both climbed out of the truck.

"Of course not," I playfully winked before entering the store while he held the door open.

***

"Come out," Dakota cajoled seemingly hours later.

"I don't think this is the one," I said.

"I can't agree or dispute you because I can't see it," he reminded. I turned and opened the drapes of the changing room. One second later, he pursed his lips and shrugged.

"That's a no," I declared and re-entered the room and shut the curtain.

"Ash, it looked fine," he said while I looked at myself in the body-sized mirror. I wore a short, brown satin, asymmetrical dress with a one shoulder strap. Suddenly, an arm shot out from the curtain and Dakota had pulled me right back out.

"Hey—"

"What is your problem?" he asked me. "You've tried on almost every dress in this place."

"Almost?" I asked, wondering what I had missed.

"Ash," he named. I looked up at him with self impatience. "Pick a dress."

"I don't know what Ryder would like!" I finally exclaimed.

"Ryder isn't wearing the dress; you are," he reminded. "If you wanted him here, he'd be here. Don't dress up for him. Dress up for you."

Those words were encouraging, but not comforting to the emotions driving this frantic need for a banging dress. And Dakota knew that too that's why he crossed his arms and looked at me until I would spill what was going on.

"I'm nervous about picking the wrong dress because I just want him to see me and be like..."

"Like 'that's my girl'?" he finished, drenched with his charming country accent. He grabbed my shoulders. "He is your mate. He thinks you're the most gorgeous girl he's ever seen and he loves the shit out of you...Trust me. We overhear his thoughts every time we phase."

"If that's the case, then why hasn't he so much as kissed me and it's been almost two weeks since we had sex," I ranted to embarrass myself and girlish insecurities. Dakota's eyes widened slightly and I groaned before hiding in the dressing room. Great. Now two people in the pack knew about me and Ryder having sex. And both were my big mouth's fault...or my goddamn wolf's because she was yearning for Ryder back despite everything else going on. A weakling, she was.

"Here," I heard Dakota say before a hand entered the dressing room with a flowing, white gown attached to it. I put it on and actually liked it. The front made an "X" to hold my breasts and it was wrapped around the waist before extending down to the floor. But maybe it was even better because I was short and somehow this long dress was the perfect length for me and some heels without hemming it. I exited the dressing room and Dakota instantly stood up.

"What do you think?"

"I think that if you wear this and he doesn't want to do more than kiss you, he's a very stupid man," he complimented.