Page 45 of How to Lose a Pack in 10 Dates

“Like music to my ears,” Lex laughs, then raises her glass again. “Let’s try this again. To hot revenge, and even hotter alphas.”

Zara shoots her a look, then clinks her glass reluctantly. “To keeping your heart intact.”

I drink.

The plan is simple: Make them fall for me, and turn them against each other just enough to remind Wes how fragile his perfect little world really is. Show him what it feels like to lose control, to wonder; to want something he doesn’t get to keep.

Then, walk away before any of them get the chance to walk away from me.

Easy.

*

I’m halfway through a lukewarm coffee and rereading my intro paragraph for the seventh time when Rachel appears behind me.

“I want you to know,” she says dryly, her nails clicking against the back of my chair, “that my lips may have twitched at the part where you called him a ‘walking red flag with abs.’”

I jump, nearly launching my coffee across the desk. “Jesus, Rachel—can younotsneak up on me while I’m mid-existential spiral?”

She ignores me, spinning my chair slightly so she can peer at my screen. “It’s punchy. Bold. Borderline feral. Ilove it. My readers are going to eat it up like heat suppressants during peak season.”

I let out a breath, minimizing the draft. “You don’t even know the half of it.”

Rachel raises a brow as she settles onto the edge of my desk, all silk blouse and silent judgment. “I’ve been gone for a few days, not a few decades. Catch me up.”

“That first date? The one you accepted on my behalf like a deranged dating app fairy godmother?” I gesture vaguely to my minimized tab. “It was a disaster.”

“What?! Why?”

“Only one of them showed up.”

She frowns. “Let me guess—the hot one.”

“Thegrumpyone,” I say flatly. “They’re all hot, remember? Anyway; my ex, Wes. He showed up solo and pretty much told me to stay the hell away from his pack.”

Rachel goes still. “He said that?”

“Not in those exact words,” I mutter. “But the vibe was clear. It was hostile with a side of pheromones.”

“What an asshole.” Her alpha scent spikes immediately, all sharp and protective. “So he hijacked the date, then tried to intimidate you into walking away.”

“Exactly.” I sip my coffee. “I mean, I didn’t listen, obviously. I met the others anyway, and I’ve already had a date with both of them, and theyloveme. But now I’m doing this with a whole new purpose.”

Rachel blinks once, tilts her head, and narrows her eyes like she’s waiting for the punchline. Then, slowly, her lips curve. “Tell me.”

“I’m getting revenge,” I say, lowering my voice like it’s state-level classified. “I’m dating both of them. Slowly.Strategically. And Wesley Knight isLosing. His. Mind.”

Rachel stares at me for a second—processing, recalibrating—then leans back with a soft whistle, eyebrows high.

Then the grin hits; wide, wicked, and utterly gleeful. She slaps her hand on the desk so hard my coffee sloshes.

“This isgolden.” Her eyes are practically glowing. “You’ve got drama. Pheromones. Betrayal. Pack politics—revenge dating?A new genre. I’ll trademark it.”

“This is a public service,” I say, my expression completely deadpan. “Operation: How to Lose a Pack in 10 Dates is alive and thriving, with a whole new purpose.”

She taps a French-manicured finger to her chin. “You’re sure you’re okay holding the piece until the end? We could tease it. Build buzz.”

“No. I don’t want them catching a whiff of this. They’re not stupid. They’ve already done their research and read some of my other articles. Besides, Wes is suspicious enough as it is.”

---