Page 65 of Alpha Reid

I watch as Reid takes a deep breath in, then exhales. His eyes go clear blue, like he’s successfully shoved his wolf down along with his temper, and when he speaks, his voice comes out calm and even.

“Actually, yeah. There’s something wrong with Serena’s drink.”

Sophie turns to me, feigning ignorance. “Oh?” she arches a brow.

I take a cue from Reid, remaining calm and polite. This is his territory, after all. His pack. “It’s not what I ordered,” I say, sliding the glass toward her.

“Really?” she challenges, a shit eating grin on her face. “You sure?”

This bitch.

Before I can respond, Reid, cuts in again.

“Soph, I think I failed to introduce you two properly last time,” he says, and she turns her full attention on him. “Serena’s my mate. She’s your future Luna, so you’d do well to…”

My face flushes hot and I dart out a hand. “Reid, you don’t have to…” I interrupt as it lands on his arm.

“… treat her with the respect she’s owed,” he finishes, the silver of his wolf glimmering in his irises as his eyes flicker to me, then back to the waitress. “If she says it isn’t what she ordered, she doesn’t need to be questioned. She just needs another drink. Think you can manage that?”

Sophie’s smile falters and her jaw goes slack, her face turning beet red. She opens her mouth, but no sound comes out at first, Reid’s admission rendering her speechless. “Y-yes, of course, Alpha,” she finally stammers, swiveling to face me and looking sheepish as she reaches for the glass to take back the ‘drink’ she brought me.

“I’m so sorry,” she murmurs, showing her neck in submission. “I’ll get you another one right away.” Her face is still as red as my lipstick as she turns on a heel to head back up to the bar.

“You didn’t have to do that,” I mumble as Sophie scrambles away.

“Yes I did,” Reid replies without missing a beat. “No one is going to disrespect my mate, especially not my own pack.”

“What was in that, anyways?” Quinn asks, brows drawn together in confusion.

I shake my head, making a face. “I don’t even want to know.” I nearly gag just at the memory.

Tensions are still a little high when Sophie returns with an actual drink for me, and I sip it cautiously, unsure if she made a second attempt to poison me. By my third drink, I’ve forgotten all about the unpleasantness with the waitress, rolling on a solid buzz as the four of us continue chatting. I spot Chase and his buddies up at the bar and wave him over, and he joins us for a round before returning to whatever teenage debauchery he’s getting up to tonight.

“We’re gonna dance, right?” Quinn asks me as I finish drink five and she tosses back another tequila shot.

I nod enthusiastically. “Oh we’re definitely gonna dance.” I turn to Reid, tilting my head to the side in question. “Dance with me?”

He smiles, nodding toward the dance floor. “Go ahead. Maybe I’ll meet you out there.”

I slide off of the stool, turning to Reid and arching a brow. “Maybe?”

He laughs and delivers a little swat to my ass. “Go on.”

Quinn’s already off her stool, grabbing for my hand. She pulls me toward the dance floor and I offer no resistance, buzzed off of the vodka and practically humming with energy, excited to get out there and burn some of it off. The two of us thread through the crowd to find a space to dance right as the song changes to one of my favorites, and I let out a cheer and start dancing opposite Quinn. I sway my hips to the music, throwing my head back and my hands in the air. I let myself get lost in the beat, eyes sliding closed as my body moves to the music.

It isn’t long before I feel his hands on me. Strong, sure hands, sliding around my waist, palms splaying out over my stomach. They slide down to grab my hips possessively, pulling me back and pinning me to a hard chest, where every soft curve of my body meets every hard line of his. I tip my head back to rest against his shoulder, nearly sighing in pleasure as I breathe in his intoxicating masculine scent.

My mate.

Mine.

He grinds his hips against my backside and I’m acutely aware of the bulge in the front of his pants, the friction of our bodies sending a flood of heat straight to my core. The energy that’s crackling between us is as palpable as it is intoxicating- I’m no longer sure if the buzz I’m riding is from the alcohol or Reid’s proximity.

I could easily get lost in the sensation of his hands on me and this carefree, free feeling of dancing up on him like this, but my wolf pushes forward to crash the party, her protective instincts bringing her surging to the surface. It takes a moment to register why- and when I realize that it’s in response to the prickly feeling of being watched, I allow my eyes to slide open again, started to see so many pairs peering back at me.

This bar is packed with people and right now, it feels like everybody’s staring at us. I’m suddenly reminded that we’re in Reid’s territory- I suppose it makes sense that his pack would be curious about the stranger dancing with their alpha. Still, if I didn’t feel like an outsider before…

I hope Reid knows what he’s doing. The man seems to think everything through, he’s not the type to act on impulse. Still, when he spins me around by the hips and pulls me in close, I have to wonder if he realizes that we’ve got an audience- and they’re watching our every move.

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