Chapter 7

TARYN POV

“You’re home early.”

I roll my eyes as I enter my apartment in the packhouse, unsurprised to find Blake parked on my pink velvet couch with the tv on, a ginger beer in one hand and a piece of pizza in the other.

“Was it a bust?” she calls after me as I walk down the hall to the single bedroom.

I just ignore her and start pulling out clothes to change into — plaid flannel pajama pants, fuzzy green socks, and an ivory waffle henley top, to be more specific — and take them with me into the bathroom. I peel off my turtleneck, skirt, black tights, and black ankle boots, toss the clothes into my hamper and the shoes into my closet, then throw on my pajamas and put my curls up in a high puff on the top of my head with a dark pink satin scrunchie, leaving a few loose pieces framing my face.

“It was a bust, wasn’t it?” Blake repeats as I walk back into the living room and plop down on the other end of the couch.

I pull a turquoise throw pillow into my lap and fluff it a few times before I hug it to myself.

“It was actually really great,” I tell her.

“Then why are you back already?”

“It’s 10pm.”

“I know! I wasn’t expecting you to be back until at least midnight if it went well,” she replies. “So I ask again, why are you back already?”

I sigh and lean back against the couch, staring up at the ceiling. “Cookie Monster Beta is Reid Thomas,” I admit.

“Reid Thomas?” she asks, and I nod, turning my head to look at her. “Reid Thomas, the beta from Crescent Lake?” I nod again. “Reid Thomas, the biggest playboy in the area — no, make that the entire state — the male who everyone knows has no interest in having a fated mate? THAT Reid Thomas?”

“Yes, Blake, THAT Reid Thomas,” I say.

“What the fuck is he doing on Date-to-Mate?” she asks.

“He lost a bet,” I chuckle. “He lost a bet to his pack’s delta, so he had to go on a ‘real’ date. No one-night stand or sleeping with the girl at the end. And I was the lucky she-wolf his best friend chose to be his blind date.”

“Okay, that’s actually hilarious,” Blake says with a snort of laughter. “I mean, I know you were hoping to meet someone who could be a potential mate, or, even better, your actual fated mate, but getting to be the only girl the playboy of Crescent Lake has ever taken on a date is priceless,” she adds as she reaches for another slice. “Want some?” she asks, pointing at the bbq chicken pizza.

“I just had dinner, remember?”

She scoffs. “Like that will stop you. You’re always hungry, especially for pizza, and especially with all the extra workouts you’ve been doing lately to show Alpha Dominic you’re serious about being a warrior.”

I bite my lip and stare at the offered pizza, eyeing the mouthwatering crispy pieces of bacon sprinkled amongst the other toppings. She isn’t wrong. I love pizza. And even though I had a wonderful meal with Reid, complete with dessert, the drive back up to Silver Ridge from the city takes over an hour, so it’s no surprise that my stomach is rumbling a little already.

“All right. Hand it over,” I sigh, sitting up and setting my pillow aside.

“I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist the pizza,” Blake laughs as she pulls two slices out, the cheese stretching between the pieces and the whole pie left behind in the box.

That sight alone makes my mouth water even more, and my stomach growls, giving away my genuine need for sustenance.

“I just had dinner, remember?” Blake mocks.

“Just hand over the pizza,” I snap, holding my hand out for it.

“Grumpy,” she teases, tossing it on a plate and handing it to me. “It’s been far too long since you’ve gotten laid. You should have gone for a roll in the hay with Beta Reid.”

“Ooh girl, if he had offered, I wouldn’t have even thought twice about saying yes.”

“So he lives up to the hype?”

“He was fine,“ I tell her.

I close my eyes and picture him again. I remember the stretch of the white fabric across his chest. I remember his bright baby blue eyes and his sparkling smile. I remember the way those black pants hugged his ass and his thighs as he stood to great the chef and as he walked away from me to his car when the evening was over.

Warmth spreads through me and my heart stutters in my chest. I open my eyes and cut my musings off before I start undressing him in my head.

“So fucking fine,” I sigh with a smile. “I would have climbed him like a tree.”

“So why didn’t you?” she asks.

“Because he was trying to prove a point to Sebastian, and because the whole point of this date-to-mate endeavor was so I could find someone serious.”

“I mean, yes. That was part of it. So you could try to find a mate, either fated or chosen. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun while you’re at it.”

“While I see your point, I thought it was sweet that he was trying so hard to be respectful and follow through on his end of the agreement. It didn’t seem fair to push him on it. And I really don’t want another friends-with-benefits type arrangement, or one-night stands. Not anymore,” I say.

“Well, let’s pray to Selene you don’t dry up while you wait.”

“Blake!”

“Taryn!”

I take a bite of my pizza to avoid snapping at her more. Again, she has a point. I could still have fun while searching for my mate. I could keep myself satisfied with whoever offers me a good time.

But that’s not what I want. I want commitment. I want love. I want a family, and I want a male who wants all of those things, too. And as much as I would like it to be, that male isn’t Beta Reid Thomas.

I finish my pizza and lean forward to grab another two, pulling them out of the box and again watching the melted cheese as it stretches. I bite right into one piece, not even waiting for it to cool off this time. The combined aroma of the toppings, sauce, cheese, and crust are too mouthwatering to resist.

“What are you even watching?” I ask her as I try to tune into her show.

“Some show where the humans get married as soon as they meet each other.”

I scrunch up my nose. “Why?”

“For money I think.”

“No, I mean, why are you watching it?” I laugh.

“Oh. I don’t know. Nothing else sounded interesting and I wanted something mindless,” she says with a shrug. “We should probably turn it off soon though,” she adds, glancing at her phone. “Unless you want to be a zombie at training tomorrow morning.”

“Speaking of training,” I say, wiping my mouth with my napkin. “Reid offered to give me some pointers and be a fresh set of eyes.”

“Ooh, a one-on-one session,” Blake teases, waggling her eyebrows.

“No! Not like that!” I groan, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Sparring. Fighting. He said he’s been in charge of their warrior program at Crescent Lake for over five years now, and he’d be willing to help me out. If I wanted.”

“Are you going to take him up on it?”

I shrug with one shoulder. “I don’t know. I don’t want anyone to think I am cheating or anything like that.”

“How would it be cheating?” she asks.

“Because it’s extra practice? It’s an extra set of eyes and extra training with someone who isn’t even part of our pack?”

“Exactly,” Blake says, pointing at me. “No one can say anything, because it’s outside the pack. It wouldn’t be any different from hiring a personal trainer at a gym. If it was a private lesson from, say, Beta Troll or Alpha Dominic, then, yeah, I could see how others might say that. But it’s not. It’s just a friend helping another friend.”

“You really think so?” I ask, scrunching up my nose.

“I do. And I think you’d be foolish to pass up the opportunity to get some training from him. Crescent Lake’s warriors are a formidable group. If he’s the one who has been training them, then yeah, I’d kill for a chance to get even one pointer from him. And it’s not like you’ve never turned down extra training help before.”

I roll my eyes and stare at her with pursed lips. “Us meeting to train in secret as teenagers whenever I came to visit my Aunt Gigi is not the same as me seeking help from someone who does that as their job.”

“I’m just saying,” she replies, throwing her hands up. “If it was me, I wouldn’t even think twice about saying yes.”

Blake turns back to the crappy reality show she is watching on my television, and I think about what she said. I need every advantage I can get, since Dominic still isn’t taking me seriously, and since what I’ve been doing here at Silver Ridge clearly isn’t enough.

And beyond that, my heart flutters and dances at the thought of seeing Reid again. Of being near him and touching him or having him touch me, even if it is only because we’re sparring together or he’s correcting my technique. Even though nothing more will come of it, because I’m determined to only develop a relationship with someone who is serious or with my fated mate, and because he isn’t the one woman type, it will be nice to have another friend here. Someone I can trust and confide in.

I stand up from the couch and go to my purse hanging by the door, and pull my phone out, shooting off a text to the phone number he gave me before we parted ways.

Me: Is the offer for extra fighting practice and pointers still on the table?

I don’t have to wait long at all for his reply. It pings through on my phone after less than a minute.

Reid Thomas: Of course. Just name a day and a time.