Page 44 of Mark & Don't Tell

“Oh, of course, wouldn’t want our fated mate to know what she’s getting into,” Vic says sarcastically. “Let’s just sweep all the problems under the rug and pretend they don’t exist.”

“You’re being a jerk,” Linc says, no longer smiling or joking.

Kai drops his gaze. “Can we please?—”

“That’s my cue to shut up,” Vic growls, looking at me. I expect to see rage shimmering in his eyes, but it’s not anger that’s gripping him. It’s fear.

I know more about that than I care to admit.

“Stop,” I tell him.

He immediately stiffens, like I smacked him and he’s not sure how to react.

Taking a moment, I look at each pack member. Kai is still hanging his head in embarrassment. Linc is grinding his jaw, and Vic...the best way to describe the way his shoulders hunch is resignation.

What the hell happened to them?

It really shouldn’t come as a surprise that my pack is a mess, not after my dating history, but I foolishly hoped that fate would be on my side for once. Me and that bitch are having words when I die.

“This has been enlightening.” I shake my head and try not to let the disappointment bleed into my voice. I hold the power here; they can’t break my heart if they don’t have it. But Vic already has a piece of me, doesn’t he? Looking at him, I search his face. Yeah. He’s scared.

Of me?

Or of his pack?

I don’t know, but I’m not going to suffer through this while he tries to figure it out. I’ve already been hurt enough to last me a lifetime. Which makes the painful decision to walk away that much easier.

“I was so happy when you showed up,” I confess, and his hard expression cracks, but I don’t let that stop me. “This”—I sweep my hand in a circle—“is all I’ve ever wanted.” As my lip trembles, I quickly rein in my emotions. “But it’s clear you guys aren’t ready.”

“Daria,” Kai tries, voice smooth and coaxing, but I’ve seen—and heard—enough.

Scooting my chair back, I stand and look down at them. “Call me when you get your shit together.” I grab my purse and head out of the restaurant with my head held high. My stomach groans in protest as I push out of the door and into the night, leaving the promising scent of food behind.

I get into my car and dial the only person I know who won’t judge me.

“Quinn,” I say when she rips the door open.

“Oh, babe.” She yanks me into a hug, her honey and musk scent wrapping around me. Familiar. Comforting. There’s a faint touch of vanilla too. The sign that she’s found her pack. “I sent the guys out, and Austin ordered us Italian.”

Bless his chef heart. I’m starving.

“That sounds amazing,” I tell her, stepping out of her hug before I seem too pathetic.

“Come on.” She shuts the door and drags me to the oversized sectional in the large living room. Her pack could definitely afford a mansion if they wanted, but Quinn fits perfectly in the condo. Probably because they let her pick out all the decor, and she’s never really needed something so fancy.

We met in college. Back then, I thought she was like me, struggling to survive and living in a little apartment. Little did I know her stepdads were rich, and she was living as a pauper by choice.

That’s part of why I love her so much. She’s never needed the finer things. Never judged the way I live or made me feel bad. Plus, she’s stuck by me through a half-dozen heartbreaks. What’s one more?

“Do you want me to send Dylan after them?”

“You’re not even going to ask who them is?”

She shakes her head. “I don’t need to know anything more than they made you sad. That’s enough to warrant castration.”

Chuckling, I rest my head back on the soft cushions. “Ugh. I hate this feeling. You’d think it would get easier.”

The doorbell rings and my stomach growls. Quinn snickers and goes to grab the food, handing me one container and taking the other for herself. I take a bite and practically moan. Fuck, that’s good.

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