Page 7 of My Blind Date is a Werewolf

“It wasn’t a big deal. The guy was getting rough with her, so I stepped in. I would have done it for any other woman in her place,” I said, tugging at the collar of my neck. Why did it become stuffy in here all of a sudden?

I wanted to get away from the infuriatingly smug and knowing smile Carter gave me and shirk my clothes off and run. Run for miles and miles until I was too tired to think of all of the crap weighing me down.

“I never said otherwise, except this wasn’t any other woman, was it? And since you’re here spending your evening with me, I’m guessing you didn’t ask her out after psyching yourself up all weekend?”

“You know, I really hate that you’re the guy I choose to confide in sometimes,” I groaned. I still had no idea how Carter had realized that I had a Texas-sized crush on Olivia Michaels. All this time, I thought I’d hidden it well. Not even Paul knew the depths of my feelings for his sister-in-law.

“You could always talk to your best friend about it. He’s in the perfect position to set you two up,” Carter pointed out, as if picking up on my line of thought. I choked on a tortilla chip and gaped at him.

“Are you kidding me? Angie would rip my stomach open if she knew that I thought Liv had the finest body this side of the equator. As far as she’s concerned, I am a monk when it comes to her little sister,” I grumbled. Paul, Angie, and I had been friends since middle school. I’d practically watched Olivia grow into the woman she was today, and there was a time when she considered me a big brother of sorts.

And then she married that stuck-up jerk in a suit and we barely saw her for six years. She’d moved back to Mystic Cove three years ago. The little girl I’d taught to surf and tutored in AP Physics was all grown up and the most gorgeous thing I’d ever seen. But she was off-limits to me. The light in her cornflower blue eyes had dimmed and her smile was not as carefree, open, and wild as it once was.

I didn’t mean to fall for her. It was like being zapped by lightning. One second I was watching her laugh at something Paul had said during a dinner party at his and Angie’s place, and suddenly my wolf was clawing at me from the inside out, urging me to claim her, to mark her as ours. All this time, I’d been holding back, telling myself that it was too soon. That she needed to heal from the pain and betrayal she’d suffered at the hands of her ex-husband. Telling myself that she needed to get back on her feet first, and then I would go on the hunt. Charm her, seduce her, play with her until she fell into my arms willingly. But it looked like I’d taken too long to make my move because now she’d sworn off men.

I didn’t realize I’d said some of that out loud until Carter replied, “It sounds like you’re making excuses not to pursue her. You told me you think she’s your mate, Adrian. Are you so willing to let her slip through your fingers like that?”

“But what if she isn’t? I mean, I’m the only one who feels this pull to her. Olivia has been nothing but indifferent to me since she came back.” I may or may not have been pouting as I said that. I could count on both hands the number of times I’d tried flirting with her and it all went over her head. Courting Olivia was a hopeless cause and I needed to quit while I was ahead.

“Again, how are you our Alpha when you’re such a scaredy-cat? Bro, if you’re having trouble making moves, just ask Paul to help you. Olivia is a full-grown woman now, and Angie can’t do anything about that. Or better yet, have Beverley help you.”

“A matchmaker? No way. Are you insane? What will the pack think if they hear that I went to consult a witch about finding a mate for me?” I balked at his suggestion. Whatever answer Carter was going to give me got cut off by my phone ringing. “It’s the chief,” I told him before picking up and instantly wishing that I hadn’t.

“I don’t like the look on your face. What happened?” Carter asked once I was done with the phone call. I drained the rest of my beer, needing the fortification before heading out.

“A couple of juveniles were picked up by one of the officers for underage drinking and driving.” This was a run-of-the-mill procedure between law enforcement and the pack. If the offense was not all that serious, I was called in to discipline them; and if I wasn’t available, one of my lieutenants would be called in my place. Except for the mild annoyance of having my night interrupted, I usually didn’t mind getting such calls except… “Sharon West was one of the pups they have locked up in a cell right now. Which means—” My gaze trailed over to the pool table, and Carter groaned behind me.

“You need backup?”

“Nah, I can handle this myself. Get yourself home before your mate rails on me for keeping you out too late.” Despite Carter having declared dinner and drinks on him, I pulled out some bills and placed them on the table and picked up my jacket before heading over to Logan and his cousins.

West was the first to spot me, his eyes going wolf and an ugly sneer twisting his otherwise handsome features. How such a hot-headed idiot became a teacher I’d never know. I was half expecting him to snap the cue stick in half.

Letting my wolf rise to the surface, I didn’t bother masking my dominance like I usually did to make everyone around me feel at ease. But West and his little brother needed to get it into their thick heads who was in charge here. The two of them weren’t even lieutenant material, but Logan was, and it was him I chose to address. West and Will had no choice but to avert their gazes and back off when faced with the full force of my dominance.

“Hey man, what’s up?” Logan smiled at me, coming around the table and putting himself between his cousins and myself. A wise move. Unlike his cousins, Logan could hold my gaze for much longer, but not indefinitely. He was the obvious choice to become my Beta, but I was holding off on naming him as such because I was unsure where his true loyalties lay. My indecision was titling the pack off-kilter, and I needed to come to a decision soon, but…

“Chief Gleason just called. One of his officers hauled in about six juveniles half an hour ago. All of them are sleeping off their drunkenness in a cell as we speak. Thought I should let you know that Sharon is one of the kids he picked up.” I said the last bit straight to West before giving Logan my attention again. “I’m on my way to the station to pick them up right now if you want to join me.”

“I’ll go pick up Sharon myself—” West started to say, his tone belligerent, but was cut off by Logan raising his hand.

“Don’t sweat it, cuz. I’ll help Adrian round up the troublemakers. You stay here. I’ll catch up with you later.”

“I expected your cousin to put up more of a fight,” I commented some minutes later as we cruised down to the police station. Logan cranked the window down and hung his hand out, aiming a rueful smile my way.

“Why do you think I stopped him from coming along? I love my cousin, but he can be a real idiot and short-sighted sometimes. I’m sorry for all the stuff he’s been saying and doing lately. I’ve tried to talk to him about it, but he’s as thick-headed as they come.”

“I don’t care about what West thinks. You on the other hand… I gotta know, Logan, do you also think that I stole your birthright from you?”

“What would you do if I said yes?” His voice was dangerously quiet, a blade in the dark. The two of us stared each other down before I forced my attention back to the road and consciously relaxed my grip on the steering wheel.

In as calm a tone as I could manage, I answered him. “Then you’d need to challenge me for Alpha rights, but we both know how that duel would end, and I don’t want to be responsible for claiming the life of Rod and Beth’s only son.”

Logan’s laughter was unexpected. “Man, you can be one scary SOB sometimes. And to answer your question, no, I’ve never harbored any illusions about ever taking over from my father. The moon goddess chose you, Adrian, and quite frankly, I’m glad for that because I don’t want the weight of having a hundred wolves looking up to me. We’re cool, you and I.”

I released a breath that had been lodged in my chest. I debated bringing up the Beta issue, but this wasn’t the time or place for that.

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