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The car ride with Mike was…awkward. I knew he was going to be tip toeing around me. He didn’t want to bring up Eddy and his new mate. I was curious. Was she worth leaving me for?

I really hoped she was ugly and a huge bitch. But with my luck, I probably wouldn’t get that combo. I'd settle for one of the two.

When Mike finally parked the car, I opened the door to get out but I was stopped.

Mike grabbed my wrist and stopped me before I got out of his car. He was really a man of few words, so stopping me meant it was probably a big deal. “You’re not going to cause a scene, are you?”

I shook my head. “Don’t plan on it.” I hadn't even given it much thought. I was going to try to be a grown up through this thing…well now that I was done feeling sorry for myself.

“Well don’t. This arrangement needs to go smoothly.”

I rolled my eyes. “Then I guess it’s a good thing I hate Eddy’s guts right now.”

He nodded and let me go. “They’re going to be here soon, so I expect you to control yourself.”

Who did he think he is? What made him so special to think that I would do whatever he expected of me? “You should just mind your own business.” I slammed the door and started walking to Nikki.

I felt eyes on me as I walked to Nikki. I tried to act like I didn’t notice. But I knew they had all been gossiping. They all probably knew that I had been depressed. They all probably knew everything about what had happened. It’s not like they would side with me. I wasn’t their alpha’s son’s girlfriend anymore. They didn’t care if I was the one who was screwed in this arrangement.

There was no way that there wasn’t gossiping. Poor little Emily had her heart broken by Eddy. I could already hear the whispers.

“I’ll punch the first person in the face if they ask me how I’m doing.”

Nikki smiled when she saw me, ignoring my threat. “Yay! I was thinking you were going to back out.” She wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug.

“I thought about it.” I sighed. “Are they all going to keep looking at me? I don’t want to be a spectacle.”

She sighed, “You know how they are. Give them some juicy drama and they turn into hyenas.”

We left our bags at one of the tables, then went down to the water. We stuck to our routine. We put our chairs right next to the water and sat there with our feet in the water. Our feet were freezing and our shoulders were burning from the sun. It felt great.

It felt great, until the couple of the century arrived.

Nikki groaned and muttered something I couldn’t hear.

“We can leave if you want.” She offered. I knew that Nikki would always be my best friend, even if she also had to be loyal to her pack.

I shook my head and slathered on more sunscreen. I didn’t want to go home with a sunburn. “It’s okay. Just don’t leave me alone.”

She nodded. “Of course not.” She looked back and waved. “Are you going to wave?” She muttered just loud enough that I would be the only one who heard her.

I gave her a look that meant I hated her. Then without turning back I lifted my hand and gave the happy couple a peace sign.

I wasn’t happy, but my grump werewolf father raised me not to be rude.

“Hey girls!” A female voice I didn’t recognize said. That meant that this had to be Eddy’s new woman. I knew everyone in this pack.

Nikki looked over at the new arrival and smiled. “Oh hi Margaret. How are you doing?”

Margaret...That’s an old lady name. I thought bitterly.

“I’m great. Do you mind if I join the two of you?” She asked sweetly, which made me want to hate her even more. She had to have heard about me. Wouldn’t people have hinted that Eddy’s ex hung around the pack? Maybe she just didn’t care.

I already heard her setting up her chair. I rolled my eyes.

“Um, sure.” Nikki was being polite. After all, Margaret ranked higher now that she was with Eddy.

As it turned out the woman Eddy left me for wasn’t so bad. I didn’t actually talk to her, but I listened. If she asked me a question directly, I answered it. When I finally rounded up enough courage to look at her, I wished I hadn’t. She was absolutely beautiful, much more beautiful than I considered myself to be.

The evil little troll in me wished she was disgusting and 600 pounds overweight.

I couldn't help but notice all the pack members glancing at us from time to time. They all wanted to make sure the non-pack member behaved herself with Eddy's mate. Their loyalty was to her now. This princess was the one that they cared about. After all, she’d be the one who outlived me. She was probably a werewolf already, and if she wasn’t she’d be one soon.

Everyone stuck around until it was very dark out. We lived so far out that light pollution wasn’t a factor when looking up at the stars. It was clear enough out that it felt like we could see every star in the sky.

“I’m going to grab water. Want one?”

I nodded a response to Nikki. She rolled over and got off the ground. I could hear every one sitting around a fire as it popped and sizzled. Nikki and I forewent the group gathering and laid on the beach with our towels as we looked at the stars. It was something that we’ve just always done together. We’d even make our own constellations and named them.

I was actually feeling okay. It didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would when I witnessed Eddy being affectionate with his new mate like he had been with me only last month.

“Ems?” My tormentor said gently. There was no way I was going to respond to the name he called me while we had been together. There was no point now. He hadn’t moved any closer as I ignored him, so he was probably asking for permission to get closer. “Emily?”

I huffed and tilted my head back. I wasn’t going to get up for him. “What do you want?”

He shrugged awkwardly. “I just thought I’d check on you.”

I rolled my eyes and looked back up at the stars. “You don’t have to check up on me, I’m a big girl,” I said irately. I heard him take a few steps closer. “You don’t want to come over here.” I warned. Everyone knew I got my temper from my father. I’d make a scene if he came any closer. I wouldn’t be able to control it.

“I just feel guilty that you’ve been so depressed because I left you.” I looked over just in time to see the shock in his face. He hadn’t meant to tell me that. He must think I’m pretty pathetic if that’s what he was thinking of me.

Then the anger switch flipped. “How dare you come over to me and act like I’m the one overreacting.” I hissed. “I’m under-reacting.” I picked up a stone and threw it at him, pegging him right in the chest. He could’ve easily dodged it, but then it would’ve hit one of his pack members behind him, thus gaining more of an audience than we already had. “I’m not ready to talk to you. Hell, I don’t even want to see you.” I had to be honest.

“You’d better get back to your pack before they’re missing a member.” I threatened. I watched his eyes flash from the challenge, but he reigned in his control.

I saw the anger in his eyes that I’ve never seen before. It really was just like I was some other person. I held no special place in his heart. Hell, I wasn’t even pack anymore. I’d disrespected him in front of his pack and he was just going to have to live with it. There was nothing he could do. He couldn’t put me in my place because I held no position in his pack. His hands were tied unless he wanted to threaten the human. That would just make him look like an asshole.

He turned and walked away, going back to his woman. She looked just as awkward as I suspected. I knew then that she wasn't a werewolf. If she were, she would have been angry, trying to hold her wolf back from attacking me. But she didn’t know what to do. She just kept her eyes on the fire as Eddy sat down next to her. She didn’t want to rock the boat since she was so new. I couldn’t blame her…but that didn’t mean I had to like her.

Mike decided that I’d embarrassed him enough for the evening. He was the one who brought me here, so he was technically responsible for my behavior. He escorted me to the car with Nikki following behind us.

It was awkward for a couple weeks after that, but it didn’t stop me from visiting Nikki wherever she went. I even went with my dad to a few pack barbeques without caring what they all thought of me. I was still going to be a part of this pack even if Eddy had made it a bit more complicated. I grew up here and I cared for these people…wolves. They were all my family. Could they all just reject me because I wasn't with Eddy anymore? Were the feelings I had for the members of this pack even reciprocated?

Besides the situation about how she came to be in this pack, I was starting to like Margaret. She was actually pretty funny. But my grudge with Eddy stayed firmly in place. I had a feeling I’d be angry with him for a while. Maybe it wasn’t fair that I could like Margaret but not him, but I didn’t care. This was easier for me to deal with. I didn’t have to worry about Eddy running me out of the territory because he couldn’t do that. I’d just come right back.

But there came a night where I decided that I needed a break away from it all. I didn’t want to have to worry about running into any members of the pack. I just wanted to be a normal human woman for the evening.

I had to wait for my dad to leave before I could start getting ready to go out. If he knew I planned on going somewhere he’d hound me until he knew all the details. I wasn’t going to explain to my father that I was old enough to go whore it up without the approval of my father.

Nikki wasn’t coming with me tonight. Normally she would be right beside me trying to sweet talk the bouncers into letting us into the club with the boys, but they were all at the Alpha’s house meeting Margaret’s family. I was not going to be involved with that. I didn’t need to meet the pack’s in-laws. That would have made everyone tense and made them all look at me weird…so it was easier to just avoid the whole thing entirely. The only thing I would have gotten out of it was having fun making Eddy squirm, but that wasn’t worth it. Plus I didn’t tell anyone I was going out. I didn’t want to be home, but I didn’t want to be around anyone who felt bad for me.

I just needed to forget about everything. I needed to be around people who didn’t know what happened that way they couldn’t act sorry for me.

I wanted to forget everything, and I would. I had $200 stuffed in my bra for booze, maybe some food, and my taxi ride home. I didn’t even bring my phone tonight. When Dad came home and noticed I’m not where I was supposed to be, I didn’t want him to get a hold of me.

There was an unusually long line to get into the club, but I went right in because of what I was wearing. I even thought I could see some surprise in the bouncer’s eyes since I was completely alone. I recognized him, so he might have recognized me. I was wearing a tiny red dress I’d be completely embarrassed about if my dad saw me in it. I went straight to the bar and started out with two tequila shots and a rum and coke chaser. I didn’t care if I mixed my alcohol. It’s never backfired before.

Then I went dancing. Throughout the night I had many dance partners.

It wasn’t until I had spent maybe $50 that I started getting free drinks. By then I was also willing to let a guy do body shots off me too. I was sure I’d probably wake up to my phone beeping from texts guys sent me. I gave a few a fake numbers just because they weren’t cute. This was the first time that I had been able to go out to a club and not worry about too many guys hitting on me. I wasn’t saving myself for some relationship or worried about how my friends would look at me in the morning. All that mattered was having a good time.

I knew I couldn’t black out because I still had to get home somehow. So I decided to burn some of the alcohol off by dancing. Then the sexiest guy I’ve ever seen started dancing with me. If I could describe the hottest guy in the world, it would be him. He had jet black hair and hazel eyes, I was sure, though, that some of that amazement came from the alcohol coursing through my body, but I knew he was not ugly and that he was super fit. I could see his damn muscles under his shirt even in this horrible club lighting. I couldn’t help but think that I definitely chose the right night to come out without any babysitters.

When I got close enough to him, I could feel the muscles under his shirt. He probably had money too because the clothes he was wearing were not cheap. They actually felt amazingly soft.

After about 20 minutes he gently took my hand and led me off the dance floor. I’d follow this guy anywhere he wanted to lead me.

“What can I get you to drink?” His voice was so deep and seductive it made me shiver. I had already drank so much that I knew if I had another right now I’d be head first in a toilet in 20 minutes. I didn’t want to pass up my opportunity here.

“Just water’s good for now. I’ve already been drinking.” Luckily, my words didn’t sound too slurred.

He smiled and turned to the bartender… who amazingly enough came right over. Everyone who had been waiting for a drink looked over, jealous. The girls kept looking at the guy holding my hand. There was something about him that made him impossible not to look at. If I hadn’t grown up around werewolves I would probably be staring at him too. Werewolves have this amazing ability to attract all the attention around them when they wanted it, and the older, more experienced ones could blend in like they were invisible if they needed to too.

He took my hand and led me over to one of the few couches where we sat and talked for a while. The talking quickly turned into flirting and when he finished his beer, we went to the dance floor again. He definitely knew how to dance. He was sweet and irresistible. I never wanted to take my hands off of him. He was playing his cards right to take me home tonight and we both knew it.

An hour and a few shots later we were leaving for his hotel for the evening. Although by the time that we got there it was already four in the morning and we definitely didn’t go to sleep for a few hours. This guy, whose name was Mac, was actually the best in bed I’ve ever been with. My list of bedmates wasn't very long, but he was definitely number one on that list. Eddy was amazing in bed, had always been, but Mac blew him out of the water. I really wished I’d found this guy before I had gotten together with Eddy. I would've tried my hardest to keep Mac happily with me. But now that I was a one night stand, he'd walk away and have no regrets.

When I woke up the next morning, I was a bit startled. During my sleep I had forgotten all about going out to the bar. It could've all just been a very vivid dream. The dull throb in my head told me last night had been real, but it wasn't anything that would take away my ability to function.  Then I realized I was in his shirt. There was a second's worth of panic when I looked around. Maybe this guy wasn't just like I remembered. Maybe he left me with the tab for this room. I scanned around for my clothes. I didn't want to get caught in nothing but his shirt. Maybe he was out looking for a conquest and made off with my clothes as a trophy. 

I didn't hear any running water in the bathroom, so I knew he wasn’t there. When I got out of the bed, I saw a note on the desk saying he’d be back. I got out of the bed and tamed my hair. I was finishing putting it in a cute, curly side ponytail when the door opened. I held my breath not knowing what to expect. I was instantly relieved when he looked just as I remembered. I hadn't been so wasted last night that I didn't even clearly remember his face. He had a couple Starbuck’s cups.

“Morning.” His voice sounded much more alluring without the constant thump of music drowning it out. He held out a cup with a smile. “You said this was your favorite last night.”

I took the cup and took a sip. It was delicious. “That is my favorite. Thanks.”

“Are you hungry?” I nodded. “There’s a waffle house across the street, if you want to go there.”

I looked down at my clothes…or his shirt. “Do you mind if I take a shower first?”

He shook his head. “I need to take one too.” He must have seen my back stiffen, because he added, “When you get out I’ll hop in.”

“Do you know where my clothes ended up?”

He pointed to the closet behind me. My clothes were hanging inside.

“Oh! Were they cleaned?” They sure looked cleaned.

He nodded. “They have a fast turnaround with their laundry service here.”

“Well, that’s convenient then." I smiled. "Do you bring girls here often?” I teased.

He smirked and shook his head. “No. You're the first. This is my first time visiting here actually.” That probably meant that he wouldn’t be back here. This town didn't really offer too much if you weren't a werewolf. It's just another boring town in the middle of nowhere to humans.

I didn't really know what to say so I nodded. “Well, I guess I should hop in the shower.”

He nodded and sat on the bed and turned on the big TV. This was definitely one of the nicer rooms in the hotel.

I was amazed by the bathroom. I didn't really get to take showers in granite stalls. The glass door wasn't even smoky so if Mac decided to sneak a peak, I'd have nothing to hide behind. I was already in the shower, washing my hair when I remembered that I had forgotten my clothes in the closet.

“Great.” I muttered to myself. I’d have to wrap myself up in a towel to get my clothes.

I quickly finished my shower and towel dried my hair the best I could before walking out to get my clothes.

I made eye contact with him and smiled before focusing on getting my clothes. I felt his gaze on me while I went to the closet. I had my clothes in my hand and turned around to see Mac leaning against the wall by the bathroom. He was fast and very quiet.

“Do you make it a habit to walk around in a towel in stranger’s hotel rooms?” He teased. His eyes looked more intense.

I smiled nervously. “I try not to. But I figure it was more appropriate than strutting out here naked.”

“It’s nothing I haven’t seen already." He smirked. "A few times actually.”

I felt my face flush. He made me blush super easy. “Yeah… well...” Is all I could say before he was standing in front of me, tilting my head up to look him in his eyes.

“Don’t be embarrassed." He smiled. "You’re beautiful.”

I was sure he just meant it to be a peck on my lips, but as soon as my lips touched his it was like electricity. I wanted to touch him and I wanted him to touch me. It was such a blissful feeling. It was like we’ve been together for years and completely comfortable with each other.

It was another hour before we were resting on the bed again and I felt like I needed another shower. This was just as good as it was last night. I didn't even need aspirin anymore.

He breathed deeply then rolled out of the bed. “Let’s go take a shower. We both need to eat, and I need to check out.”

I looked at the clock. It was already 3. Oh my dad was going to be so worried when I got home. He’d probably smell this guy all over me. Maybe I’d drop by Nikki’s and change before facing my dad. That sounded like the better plan, plus it'd give me time to come up with an alibi.

I nodded and squealed as Mac picked me up and carried me into the shower.

We ate at the waffle house and then he dropped me off at my car. We awkwardly went our separate ways, to never speak again. That made me sad because he was just so good in bed. But that was what I had signed up for last night.