Page 83 of Cursed Bonds: An Alpha's Destiny

“Yes?” I said, impatience heavy in my voice. Hopefully, he could hear it.

“Good afternoon.” Eren’s slow drawl was probably an attempt at being flirtatious, but it only came out sounding gross and creepy.

“What do you want, Eren?”

“I called to thank you again for the tea. My friend is very appreciative.”

God, were we still doing this whole “friend” charade? I wanted to tell him not to thank me, that it was Tinsley who did it all, but stopped myself. I didn’t want Eren anywhere near my new friend, and I owed Tinsley more than to put her on this douchebag’s radar. She had no alpha wolf to protect her like I had.

“You’re welcome,” I sneered.

“Well? Are you going to ask me whether it worked?” Eren prodded.

Ew, no, I did not want to ask that. My skin crawled at the thought of what he’d be doing with some poor woman once the potion kicked in.

“I’m sure it went fine,” I said.

“My friend says they can already feel it working. Lots more energy, things are… harder than ever—”

“Oh, God, are we done? I have stuff I need to do.”

I was ready to end the call, but Eren chimed in again. “You know you don’t have to settle for Jace, right? You’re a witch. You have your choice of alphas. Any of them would fall all over themselves to mate with you. Every alpha on earth would love to have you birth their heir. So much power.”

That was no secret. Eren loved power. He was attracted to my magic, nothing else. I could have looked like a squashed toad, and he’d probably still be trying to get into my pants. He wanted a witch to control and command, just like some alphas had in the past.

He wanted to use me. So many men were the same way.

“I’m very aware of my choices, Eren. I’m choosing Jace.”

“Hmm. We’ll see how that works out for you, I guess.” Before I could say anything else, the line went dead.

“Ugh, asshole!” I grumbled.

If I hadn’t had the meeting to get ready for, I probably would have stewed over Eren’s call the rest of the day. By the time Waylan arrived to give me a ride, I’d put it all to the back of my mind.

“Hey there, good lookin’,” Waylan said as I climbed into the passenger seat. “How are we?”

I grinned at him. He was a really nice guy. Flirty, but in a silly, unserious way. Basically the polar opposite of Eren.

“I’m good. A little nervous, but otherwise, I’m all right.”

“No need to be nervous. You’ll do fine. Hell, all the ladies in town will be ooh-ing and ah-ing over you, hanging on Jace’s arm in that get-up.”

The dress clung to me, not in an overtly sexy way, but it was not something you’d feel comfortable wearing to church. More like a dress you’d wear on a date to impress a guy.

“Thanks,” I said, smoothing the hem of the dress.

Waylan gave me an easy grin, “Just let Jace do all the talking. It’ll be great.”

I studied Waylan. “Have I told you about my friend Harley?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Don’t think so. Not to sound like a dirty dog, but is she cute?”

My laugh helped ease some of the tension that had crept into my shoulders, neck, and my mind itself. Stress about the meeting weighed on me like nothing else could have.

“She’s my best friend, so I’m a little biased, but I think she’s gorgeous. Hang on, let me show you a photo.” I swiped through my phone until I found a good one, turning it to show him.

Waylan glanced away from the road to look at the photo. His eyebrows shot up, and maybe I was crazy, but it almost looked like there was a flash of recognition.

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