Page 24 of Knotty, Nice, & Holiday Lights
“Well, hang on. I never said I would go.”
Will gives me that “Oh, really?” look that reminds me of my mum, and I let out a growl.
“I take it you know where he’s staying?”
Lilly’s Floral Shop is like a central piece of Crescent Lake. Everyone loves the quaint location as much as they love its owner, Lilly.
It’s after closing now as I climb the side stairwell up to the private entrance to the second-floor flat and knock firmly on the solid door. It isn’t long before there’s rustling on the other side, and the door swings open a touch, revealing a young man, dark hair and beard, looking more than disheveled in sweatpants and a tee shirt.
He squints up at me. “Yeah?”
I’m unimpressed. “Matthew, right?”
He blinks and stands up straighter. “Who’s asking?”
A sneer stretches across my face as I stand out in the cold, looking at this… dick. His attitude needs immediate readjustment. And I find myself downright pissed off when the energy rolling off him in waves smacks into me, proving that Will was right. This arsehole is our pack brother, gods preserve us.
I stand quietly, lip curled, and stare long and hard until Matthew’s entire body seems to deflate. With a hunched upper back, he steps aside and waves me into his apartment.
Which is an absolute wreck.
He flips on the overhead lights to reveal junk food wrappers and fast food drink containers strewn all about, mixed with gaming equipment as far as the eye can see. The couch is covered in blankets and pillows, like he’s been sleeping there instead of on a mattress.
He moves to the couch, shoves all the blankets and pillows to one side before gesturing for me to take the plush armchair adjacent to it, which I scrutinize with care before sitting down, stiffly.
When Matthew drops down onto the couch, his elbows rest on his knees, his chin in his raised hands. “I know who you are.”
“Doesn’t take much. I’m on the telly and internet enough.”
“Not just that,” he sighs and leans back. “You’ve got a pack bond with that other guy, Will, right? And Iz is staying with you both.”
I watch his movements, slow and almost groggy. Too much so for this early in the evening, despite it being dark outside.
Will was right. Again. Something else is happening here.
“That’s right,” I tell him with care.
He lets out a frustrated growl and leans forward again, nearly folding his body in half with the sudden move. Then, he turns different color eyes on me. “I know you think that I’m your packbrother, like Will. I can feel something when I’m around you two. Something I’ve never felt before.”
And just as I start to think he isn’t a complete lost cause, he opens his mouth again.
“But I’m telling you now to walk away. I’m not pack material. I’m damaged goods. Just ask Iz.”
Chapter Fifteen
Like I wasn’t already completely insecure, in walks this guy, with his British accent, good looks, money, and fame. The way Iz’s lemon blossom scent clings like a lifeline to his warm amber frustrates the fuck out of me. Those scents shouldn’t complement each other the way they do. Neither should her scent make that Will kid’s vanilla bean warmer and more inviting.
It goes against all logic.
Even now, I can scent the three of them here in my apartment, and I don’t know if I’m happy or enraged about it.
The last time I had Iz’s scent linger where I lived…
I grumble to myself, saying nothing.
I’ve been in Crescent Lake, surrounded by packs, long enough to recognize that when a pack is mated, their scents meld intoone chorus, each member of the pack smelling exactly the same. It’s a mutation, of sorts. An evolution that lets others know to stay away, I’m guessing.
But this Asher guy… his scent is clearly standing beside the others, not melded into one. So, they haven’t mated yet.
