Page 33 of Rejected and Regretted

I rolled my eyes as I walked past him and his mate to grab my worn-out sneakers. “What’s wrong with it? It’s what I’ve worn everyday since we got here.”

“Exactly!” he argued.

Elijah shook his head in disapproval. “I told you we should have picked her outfit. You trust her nonexistent sense of style too much.”

“I thought she would make an effort tonight,” Theo explained himself.

“You two can’t be serious,” I scoffed, having had enough of their excitement toward the idea of Koen and I ever being together.

That was never going to happen.

Just then, a knock on the door caught my attention. “That must be him,” I whispered, remembering the alpha had promised to pick me up at my suite in an hour.

“Have a good date, Alpha!” Theo waved at me.

“Don’t forget to be nice!” Elijah added, mimicking his mate’s gesture.

A frown stretched across my forehead right before strangeness hit me, making me arch an eyebrow at them. “You’re not going to insist on following us from a distance?” I questioned, considering how protective they usually were of me, especially since two nights ago.

To my shock, my beta just shrugged. “I trust Alpha Koen to ensure your safety in our absence.”

That was enough to make me grumpy again. “I hope I get kidnapped, or murdered,” I muttered.

Neither of them said a word, but I could feel them trying to hold back their giggles. I groaned one last time, anticipating how dreadful the evening would be, before inhaling deeply. Extracting the most out of my acting skills, I put on a smile. If I wanted to earn Koen’s trust, I needed to pretend I was having a good time.

Goddess, that would be harder than getting the ashes at this point.

“Hey,” I chanted as I opened the door, but my smile faded the instant my eyes fell on my ex-mate as I held my breath.

Koen was wearing a black button-up, long-sleeved shirt and matching trousers. The dark palette contrasted with his combed-back, glistening blonde hair. An emerald green tie added a splash of color to his look whilst also accentuating the shade of his eyes. I might not like him, but I’d have to be blind not to realize how handsome he looked.

As I stared at him, I couldn’t help but feel underdressed. For the first time, I regretted not having listened to my friends. He didn’t seem to mind it though, greeting me with a radiant smile.

“Car’s waiting for us. Shall we go?” He offered me his arm, and I was too flabbergasted to refuse it.

After I nodded, he guided me through the town square toward the packhouse, where a limousine was parked. Throughout our short, silent walk, I managed to collect myself. Our night had barely begun; I couldn’t afford to lose focus like that. Not with him. I had to keep my guard up at all times.

Reluctantly, I let Koen help me into the car. He climbed in soon after, taking a seat beside me. It was slightly annoying how he decided to stay close to me when there was enough room inside for at least all three highest-ranking members of the pack and their mates, but I pretended not to care. At least he didn’t try to chit-chat, allowing me to stay inside my head during the entirety of our hour-long drive.

As I distracted myself with the view rolling through the windows, I let myself feel a small hint of excitement. Since we, wolves of Azure Smoke Pack, rarely left pack territory to avoid being discovered by other shifters, I had only been to a human city twice. In both instances, I was too focused on doing what I had to do as fast as possible to actually enjoy my trip. Perhaps it wouldn’t be all that bad exploring a different place for a change.

As soon as we drove into the city, I was already fascinated by all the lights, but it wasn’t until we finally stepped out of the car that I could truly sense the urban atmosphere. Neon signs flickered above us as we walked down the bustling streets, and I had to adjust my werewolf hearing to deafen the loud noises. Suddenly, I felt overwhelmed by the overflow of information.

Koen seemed to notice it when I dove my hands into my pockets, as if it could help me feel less exposed to the crowd. “Is this your first time coming to the city?” he asked.

“At night, yes,” I replied, my gaze roaming our surroundings as I tried to absorb everything.

“How do you like it?” he wondered.

"It's... overwhelming," I replied, my voice tinged with uncertainty. "But I suppose there's a certain charm to it."

Koen chuckled, a deep sound that resonated in the night air. Somehow, it stood out among the horns of cars and loud conversations. "You'll get used to it. Trust me.”

If he hadn’t gently grabbed my wrist, I wouldn’t have noticed that he had halted. He gestured with his head toward the building in front of us, letting me know this was our first stop. I took a minute to scrutinize the entrance, and it was immediately apparent that the place was expensive. Like,high-societyexpensive.

“Uh, Koen…” I whispered. “I don’t think I can afford this place.”

In a way, it was true. As an alpha, I was the one who managed the pack’s bank account. However, I rarely spent our money on luxuries. Even if I wanted to, I hadn’t brought any credit cards with me to Whispering Hills; I only carried some spare cash, which wasn't suspicious for an omega to have.

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