Tracey winced. “Wolves can get tattoos but only if there is wolfsbane in the ink. It’s an extremely expensive, long, excruciating process. That’s why it’s usually the dominant wolves that have them. Lesser wolves don’t have the willpower.”
From what I could tell Gamble didn’t have any tattoos. Tracey leaned in again and this time her voice was hardly audible. “Fake Alpha.”
My eyes snapped to hers. Gamble was a fake Alpha? Was that possible? How did that come to be? Were others in on it?
The new man ran his tongue over his teeth as he approached us. “Good evening, ladies,”
Tracey hiccuped and I tried to keep myself from laughing at how ridiculous all of this was. Tracey squeezed my hand before letting go. “I think my grandmother needed my help in her herb garden.”
I frowned at her and was about to reply when she disappeared. She had left me with Tatts. I rubbed my temples before I extended my hand to the newcomer. “I’m Jade, that was Tracey and her weird ass self.”
His eyes didn’t leave mine and warmth pooled low in my belly. I was definitely no longer immune to the bad boys. This was very bad but also not terrible. He accepted my outstretched hand and a smirk played on his lips. “Tracey the half-witch.”
I raised my eyebrows. “I don’t know if I would call her that. Do you have a name, or should I just call you Tatts?”
He chuckled and once again warmth pooled in my abdomen. I had serious issues. “I’m Carden.”
Even his name was hot.Oh, help me.
“Nice to meet you,” Two growls sounded beside me as my voice got all breathy. My eyes flicked to Rafe’s and I let out a growl myself. I wasn’t going to be bullied by any asshole Alpha today, especially not with Carden in front of me. The last thing I wanted him to think was that I was weak.
“Have you ever been to a Mate Meet?” Carden put his hand on my lower back and guided me away from the new two Alpha-holes.
I took a deep breath. “Not exactly, I’m kind of new to all of this.”
He chuckled and then his scent hit me. Rum, clove, and something citrus… like maybe, orange. A chill worked its way down my spine.
“Me too, I can smell that you were recently turned,” He leaned forward and for a long agonizing minute, I waited for him to press his nose to my throat like Gamble had done. Instead, he pulled away from me and shoved his hands into his pockets.
Was that a good thing or a bad thing? “And what does that smell like?”
Carden cocked his head and gave me a face. “Like you haven’t decided on something. Your scent is all over the place.”
I didn’t know what that meant but I knew it had something to do with Rafe. I looked over my shoulder ready to throw him a scowl but he was gone and so was the other Alpha. Carden looked up at the trees above us and my eyes followed the movement of his sharp jaw. I shrugged my shoulders. “Maybe I haven’t decided anything yet.”
He cocked an eyebrow as he brought his gaze back down to mine. “Oh? Like what?”
“My wolf hasn’t exactly been corporative,” Which wasn’t exactly a lie but wasn’t really the truth either. I hadn’t really cared if she came around but now with Carden in the game, I felt like I needed my wolf to get her ass in gear. Which was silly. I had never fumbled like this over a man before. They usually came to me willingly and I decided whether they were worth my time after a few minutes. My body seemed to be telling me that Carden was definitely worth my time.
He leaned into me and I got the strong scent of citrus again. “Maybe we should let her out to play.”
His eyes shifted from blue to yellow in a second and I felt panic well up in my chest. I wasn’t ready to shift, especially not in front of this hot guy. Knowing me, I would make a complete fool of myself in the process.
I bit down on my bottom lip and shook my head hard. “No, that’s okay. She’s not really in the running mood.”
Carden narrowed his eyes and took a step away from me. “So, what do you like to do for fun around these parts? Our Pack isn’t anywhere near a college campus, I would imagine it gets rather crazy around here.”
I licked my lips, thankful for the change in conversation. “Yes, there are ragers almost every night.”
A smile played on his lips and he ran his hand through his blonde hair. “I would love to go to one of these parties with you, if you’re up for it.”
It was the weekend and I could easily tell my parents I was going on a date. Which would make them ecstatic. I hadn’t been on a date in what seemed like forever. I ran my hands down the front of my borrowed skirt. “I would like that very much. Why don’t you put your number in my phone and I’ll send you my address for you to pick me up later?”
Carden cocked his head to the side. “Like a date?”
I couldn’t tell if he was happy with that or not. But I also didn’t care. If he wanted to go to one of these parties with me, he would be my date. I wasn’t going to end up at another party alone and in danger.
Chapter 27
