“Okay, we’ll head back inside. Let us know if you need us.” Scott hurried back inside, not understanding that his human instincts felt the animal in us.
“We were here first, Emma.” Prescott stared me down. He didn’t like me much, and the feeling was mutual.
He was the worst kind of douchebag. He came from money, and he was an alpha’s son too. Even though he and Jacob were in competition, they were still a team and a quasi-pack, so he was willing to stand next to Jacob.
“That’s fine. I’ve lost my appetite anyway.” I turned to Aidan. “Let’s go.”
“Enjoy the little time you have.” Jacob grinned at me and chuckled. “Fated or not, there’s no way you two can be together.”
“You listen here, asshole …” Aidan started, but I held up a hand.
“I’ll leave the pack if what you say is true.” I was tired of him controlling and manipulating me.
“For what? Their pack?” Jacob crossed his arms and straightened his spine. “I already told you they won’t accept you.”
He’d gone from devastated to thinking he had the upper hand. Neither was a good look on the dickhead. “Then I’ll figure out a third option.”
“And leave your parents behind?”
“You can go to Hell.” I let go of Aidan’s hand and shoved my hands into his chest, making him fall back a step. “Unlike you, my parents love me unconditionally. All this time, I felt bad because I thought you were such a great guy. Thanks for making this so much easier.” I spun on my heel and headed to the car.
Jacob’s footsteps came charging. Then, I heard a dull impact and bone crunching.
I spun around and found Jacob on the ground, holding his nose as blood poured down his face.
Standing over him, Aidan snarled, “If you ever threaten her again, I won’t be as nice.”
“You better watch it, asshole,” Prescott said as he got in Aidan’s face. “I already warned you what would happen.”
“Let’s go.” I hated that this had happened, but I was ready to go. “These dickheads aren’t worth it.”
Aidan was a couple of inches taller than Prescott and more muscular. Since Prescott wasn’t technically being challenged, his wolf and pack stance wasn’t being attacked. The only reason for him to be involved was to have his friend’s back.
Even though I was talking to Aidan, he was still upset and didn’t want to go. I walked over and took his hand again. “Let’s go. Seriously.”
“You’re right.” He blew out a breath and rolled his shoulders. “Let’s go have a nice date.”
I looked at Jacob and the blood coating his shirt. It served the asshole right. He groaned, playing up his injury.
If he thought I cared, he’d be surprised. I was done with him in every way, especially after tonight.
Aidan and I headed over to his Jeep, and once again, Aidan opened my door. I slid in, and within seconds, we were pulling out of the parking lot.
“I’m sorry about all that.” I wasn’t sure what else to say. Jacob had ruined our date.
“Hey, I’m not.” Aidan took my hand. “I’m ecstatic that douche knows, but it pisses me off that he’s trying to hold your family and pack against you.”
“It’s not a big deal, other than my parents.” I shrugged. “I’ve never really felt like I belonged there.”
“Now, that’s something I’m familiar with.” Aidan frowned and gently squeezed my hand.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were the alpha’s son?” Now that we were away from the dickhead, hurt had settled in.
“I didn’t want you to feel like we couldn’t be together.” He sighed and glanced at me. “But my older brother will take over the pack and not me. So it isn’t a huge deal. Since I’m not expected to lead, it wasn’t a super-important fact to share.”
That made sense. That detail was irrelevant, other than his family being unwilling to compromise with our bond. “I understand, but it means we’ll have to figure something out.” I hated to think about it, but if his parents wouldn’t accept me and my pack wouldn’t accept him, our options were limited.
“We have time for that …” He cringed. “At least a little bit. But don’t worry. We’ll figure it out together.”
“I like the sound of that.” And I really did.
“Well, is there somewhere else you want to eat?” His attention stayed fixed on the road as he drove.
“Let’s go grab something at the Student Center.” I didn’t feel like being out now.
“Are you sure?” He gestured to the window. “We can go wherever you want.”
“Maybe afterward, we can either go to your room or mine.” I hadn’t realized how sexually suggestive that sounded until the words had left my mouth. I should have been embarrassed, but damn, my wolf would be okay with him taking me in the backseat of his car in a parking lot.
He cleared his throat and took a deep breath. “As much as I want to take you up on that last part, we shouldn’t put ourselves in that situation until I’ve figured a few things out. You deserve to know everything before you decide.”
I wanted to argue with him and tell him it didn’t matter, but I’d be lying. I needed to know why he’d stayed away from me for so long. Yes, I got that our packs were rivals, but my gut told me it was way more than that.
We spent the rest of the drive in silence.
“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” he asked as we parked at the Student Center. “We can still go somewhere else.”
“No, it’s fine.” The adventure of leaving campus had been a little too exciting. “Let’s go grab a burger or something.”
“Okay,” he said and climbed out of the car.
I got out and met him at the back of the car.
“I was going to get the door for you.” He took my hand, and we headed toward the large building.
“It’s fine.” I stepped into him so my arm brushed against his. “I promise.”
Inside the Student Center, we found Beth, Finn, Samuel, Coral, and Amethyst sitting at a large table. They looked like they were only halfway into their meals.
When Beth saw us, her forehead creased with confusion.
Here was another test of our relationship tonight. “Hey, let’s go talk to them for a second.”
Aidan stiffened ever so slightly. “Okay, fine, but this proves I’m all-in.”
I turned my body into his. “Promise to be nice.”
He lowered his lips to mine and then pulled back. “Yes. Even though I don’t like it, they seem awfully important to you.”
“They’re nice people.”
We walked over, and Amethyst lifted a bite of her salad to her lips. Once she noticed me, she dropped the fork on the plate. “Emma!”
Coral put down her sandwich and leaned back in her seat between Amethyst and Beth. She frowned at Aidan.
In her defense, he deserved it. He had been an ass to them.
“Are you here to insult us some more?” Coral angrily asked as Samuel and Finn turned in their seats to look at us.