Page 25 of Pack Fever

I fight the embarrassing inferno climbing up my neck. Part of me is flooded with raw nerves, another part with something I’m trying to ignore.

“I was just telling your friends that I was on my way out,” I explain, my voice shakier than I intended. “But they insisted I stay.”

He runs his hand through his hair, a gesture I’ve seen him do in so many photos and videos. My heart skips a beat that I’m swooning, and I hate myself for having so little control.

Jasper strides over to Seth, leaving me in the wake of his scent of chocolate and blueberries and not even realizing the impact he has on me, how my toes curl in my shoes. How the desire he ignites within me means it’s dangerous to be around them.

“Danica’s not going anywhere,” Jasper states, leaning a bent elbow against the railing near Seth. “Not while she has enforcers on her tail. I also think she’s alone and about to go into heat. And you know me, I can’t let her go back out there as she’ll be in trouble.”

The two men exchange a deep, knowing stare.

I adore that Jasper is on my side, even though I hate that he already knows too much about me.

“Heat?” Seth repeats, his attention narrowing on me once more, and this time, it’s a bit terrifying. “Where’s your family, Danica? Or did you escape from Nexus? How did you end up in the town of Haven?”

I blink, trying to corral my messed-up thoughts. How in the world do I even begin to explain? Before I can voice a single word, Reed’s on the move, crossing the hallway. He takes a wide berth from me, most likely not wanting to pick up on my scent. Jerk.

“Oh, she’s gonna take a while to respond,” he says with a chuckle. “She’s currently fangirling hard. Apparently, she’s a fan, though she won’t admit it.” Then to me, he continues, “You’re drooling a bit.” He touches the side of his mouth in mock concern.

“Asshole.”

“Call me when we’re heading out,” he calls out as he disappears downstairs.

Left alone with Jasper and Seth, I’m struggling to hold on to my composure. Jasper’s scent from striding so close to me still throws me off balance, and the threat of my heat coming scares me. Especially being out here with three Alphas who just happen to be Fever!

Seth’s gaze is steady on me as he waits for my response. There’s no softness in his expression, more like judgment. Like Reed, Seth clearly sees me as a burden who’s interrupted their precious time and life.

Well, I’ll be out of their hair soon enough… Giving the enforcers a bit of time not to find me and vanishing out of town is a must. Then the whole dealing with three Alphas will be over.

“Well, I guess the cat’s out of the bag now,” I begin, half-hearted in my enthusiasm. “I really have no reason to lie to you, especially if you’re being true to your word to help me for a bit and not report me to Nexus. Then I’ll be out of your hair.”

“We fucking hate Nexus,” Jasper says, frowning.

His comment has me more than intrigued.

Seth just studies me, eyes unflinching, and for a fleeting moment, it almost feels as though he’s recognizing someone he hasn’t seen in ages. While me… I’m wrestling with the urge to swoon each time our gazes meet. I shove the fangirl down inside me. I won’t let it be shown that Reed was spot on.

These guys are just Alphas, after all.

“I was being taken to the Nexus facility early because I apparently can’t follow their ridiculous rules,” I start off. “I was with three of my friends when the Nexus bus we were in lost control and crashed into a tree. After that, we got separated, and I wasn’t sticking around to be recaptured. I slipped down the hillside and knocked my head pretty good. Then I found this town.” I give a nonchalant shrug, yet the memory is still fresh, the fear that my friends are somewhere in trouble. However, they’re just as savvy, and I know they’ll find a way to survive… just like I’m doing.

“Come,” Seth murmurs. “Let’s take a seat somewhere more comfortable, and we can chat.” There’s something almost familiar about his voice, soothing, as though my body is reaching out to something we want over and over.

Before I can answer, he closes the distance between us, his hand on mine.

His touch is like an electric shock. His scent envelopes me instantly, a powerful smell of ginger and oak that sends my senses into overdrive. My knees buckle slightly, and I’m struck immediately by a familiarity of who’s standing in front of me.

A whine brushes over my throat at the intensity of his scent, at the need my body has for him. My balance wavers while I find a smirk playing on his lips—a knowing, triumphant tilt that suggests he’s been fully aware of who I am from the moment he laid eyes on me.

“It’s you,” I whisper as reality slams into me.

That grin widens, displaying a row of perfect teeth, and I find myself annoyed by how his attractiveness doesn’t falter, even with that smug grin.

“Hello, Danica. You remember me now?” he asks playfully. “The Alpha who you tricked into taking your virginity.”

His words hang heavily in the air, and for a second, I’m stunned.

I try to speak, but nothing comes out. The man in the mask… He may have been covered up, but the more I listen to that voice, the more I realize who I hooked up with the night at Nocturne.

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