Page 14 of How to Lose a Pack in 10 Dates

I cut through the alley behind the house, my jaw tight and my blood still hot. The August heat clings to everything, but I barely notice. I’m too focused on the sound of my own boots hitting the back patio.

The second I slide the door open, I hear Jace call out from the kitchen.

“Well?” His voice is far too casual for someone who already knows how pissed I am about this whole thing. “Did you propose?”

His head appears around the corner of the door. He’s shirtless, obviously, and not long back from his early afternoon run, judging by the towel slung around his neck and the gleam of exertion on his chest. His light brown hair is pulled into a tiny bun at the base of his neck, curls wild around his temples, and the stupid little moustache he refuses to shave is still somehow thriving. Combine that with the confidence of an alpha who flirted with a traffic warden to get out of a parking fine just last week, and you’ve got Jace in a nutshell.

“You look like you just lost a custody battle,” he adds, one brow cocked.

“I cancelled a client meeting for that,” I snap, side-stepping past him and yanking the fridge open. “I had a father about to file for emergency visitation, and instead I was listening to my unhinged ex wax lyrical about emotionally ruining my brother.”

Jace winces. “Oof. So not a love match, then.”

“She’s a menace.”

He follows me, cracking open a protein shake with one hand. “I thought you said she used to be hot.”

“Sheishot,” I growl before I can stop myself.

He grins. “Awesome.”

“Objectively speaking, obviously,” I mutter, unscrewing the cap on my water bottle too hard. The plastic crumples slightly under my grip. “That doesn’t mean anything.”

“Sounds like it meant something to your scent glands,” he says, taking a swig. “You’re practically vibrating, man.”

“Yeah, well. She smelled the same,” I admit. “Even under blockers.”

He whistles. “Four years and your instincts are still that fried?”

“She was the closest thing to a bond I’ve ever felt,” I tell him. “And the only person I’ve ever walked away from before I could do real damage.”

Jace’s smirk fades just slightly. “So why does it feel like you’re still doing damage now?”

I turn on him. “Because she’s going after Cam.”

“She’s not ‘going after Cam’,” he says, laughter in his voice. “Cam’s a grown man. He’s the one who reached out to her. He actually invited her round tomorrow.”

“Right. And she said yes just to mess with me,” I snap, though it’s not the first time I’ve pointed this out. “Look: you didn’t see her. She was smug as hell. She’s not interested in the pack—she’s interested in chaos, and revenge. And Cam is easily hurt.”

Jace tosses his towel onto the counter and leans back against it, arms crossed. “Cam’s also not an idiot. He’s soft, yeah. Romantic, definitely. But he’s notstupid. If he gets burned, he’ll survive.”

“That’s not good enough,” I grit out. “He doesn’t deserve to be anyone’s collateral damage.”

“Come on, man. She’s not a monster.”

“You don’t know what you’re saying. She had some kid mow the wordassholeinto my lawn, Jace.”

He snorts. “Okay, yeah, that’s kind of iconic. You’ve got to admit—”

“I don’t.”

“Youdo.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “You’re enjoying this.”

“Maybe a little.” He shrugs, cocky as ever. “It’s been a while since we had any real pack drama. I’m kind of living for it. Besides, it sounds like she’s got bite, which is pretty refreshing compared to all the omegas who try to bake their way into a bond.”

“She’s ajournalist,” I frown. “You don’t find it even slightly suspicious that the one person who already hated scent-matching ends up perfectly matched with all of us?”

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