Page 67 of Pit Stop

“Oh, you don’t look well,” Owen says, his eyes roving over me. “Is it the fake blood? Sometimes it upsets my stomach.”

I shake my head. “Just ate too fast. I’ll be fine.”

And once again, I realize I may not be.

We make light conversation, Maverick’s words short and slightly terse. If Owen notices, he says nothing. Or maybe he had one too many drinks. He’s probably a lightweight. Not that I’m one to talk.

“I’m going to head to the street fair after this. Do you want to come?” Owen asks as we move up to the register to pay the bill.

I peer up at Maverick, whose jaw is clenched. I can feel his frustration, the anger brewing. He’s worried too. On top of it all, he’s concerned for me.

“I mean, you don’t have to, but there’s this booth and they have the best floral arrangements. And oh my gods, there are these little moons that glow when you’re about to go into heat. A shaman in New York was able to put spells on them. You should get one, Skye. It would really help with monitoring your heats.”

“Yeah, that sounds—” I begin, and Maverick cuts me off.

“We can go. Sounds fun.”

“Great! I’ll meet you there? Park around back of the butcher. It’s a hidden gem and most people don’t know about it. You’ll always find a spot,” Owen says as he waggles his eyebrows at us.

Going to a street fair doesn’t sound like something Maverick does for fun, so I’m skeptical about why he agreed to it, but I keep my mouth shut as we make our way to the car. When we get inside, I turn to look at him, wanting to explain why I have Red’s scent on me and his phone number scrawled onto my skin.

“You saw Red,” he says before I can even open my mouth. “That’s his number on your arm.”

“Yeah,” I say, feeling fury boil up in him, the possessiveness swirling around my chest. It sets me ablaze as well. I love that he wants me this much.

It’s just the bond.

“I can feel the guilt you have. Why do you have his number?” he asks as he pulls out of the parking lot and makes his way toward Main Street. His knuckles are white on the steering wheel, and I can almost hear the way his bones are creaking.

“He told me Sage contacted him and said he’d agree to get us into his pack if I…” My words trail off and I swallow, feeling that nausea bubble up again.

“What did he say?” he nearly growls.

“After the bond is broken, I use him for my next heat.”

Mav is silent for a moment. And then he asks, “What did you tell him?”

“I didn’t say anything. Hence the phone number on my arm.”

“But you didn’t say no.”

I swallow, that guilt Maverick felt so keenly inside of me almost pulsing out of my chest. “Yeah. I know. I was caught off guard. I didn’t expect to see him at that restaurant.”

He says nothing as he drives slowly down the road, almost as if he’s laser-focused. As if he’s worried that his anger will propel us into danger.

“I’m sorry,” I finally manage to add when I find my voice again.

“It’s my fault for biting you in the first place. And now you’re in this mess.”

That makes something very much like regret flare to life inside of me. But I don’t feel like being with Maverick is much of a mess, to be honest. I’m happier than I’ve been in a while. And so well-fucked.

And he takes care of me.

The only issue is school and the fact that soon, our lives will diverge, and we’ll be forced apart. I won’t survive without him.

I need him, and that’s what I hate most.

I always wanted to be independent, to make something of myself, and here I am, tied to an alpha. A very hot one, but an alpha nonetheless.

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