He seems nice, Selene says.
Yeah, he does. When we part so I can return to Lisa's side, he doesn't cling or say anything, just waves off and wanders back into the crowd.
Feeling buoyed by my success at dancing with a stranger and managing a conversation with soone in the pack, I hunt Lisa down. The dance with Teddy has cented sothing inside of ; no matter how handso another man is, he doesn't bring about the flutters that a single word from Lucas can stir in my belly.
I need girl advice tonight.
Trying to find Lisa in the throng of shifters is impossible. She's nowhere to be found. My skin prickles with the sensation of being watched, assessed. Whispers hiss through the air, just quiet enough that I can't make out the words. But I can imagine well enough what they're saying.
Mia and Chloe are holding court with a group of male shifters. Mia's dark hair tumbles over her shoulder as she laughs, leaning into the broad-shouldered man beside her. Chloe's green eyes flick to mine, a smirk curling her lips. I quickly look away.
I don't know what their goal was in bringing here, but I don't need to know.
They're not on my side. That's enough to know I want nothing to do with them.
Soone jostles from behind and I stumble, barely keeping my balance. A red plastic cup is shoved into my hand, sloshing sticky-sweet punch over the side.
"Oops, sorry!" a male voice calls, but when I turn to look, he's already disappeared back into the crowd.
I stare down at the cup in my hand, the sickly artificial scent of fruit and alcohol wafting up to my nose. My stomach churns. I don't want to be here anymore, suffocating under the weight of shifter superiority and teenage hormones. I just want to find Lisa and go ho.
Clutching the cup, I weave my way through the mass of bodies, heading for the refuge of the kitchen. It's quieter there, only a few people milling about. I set the cup down on the counter with a shaky hand and pull out my phone.
[AVA: Where are you? I can't find you anywhere.]
I hit send and lean back against the counter, watching the three dots that indicate Lisa is typing. They disappear. Reappear. Disappear again.
[LISA: sry went 2 get air, u ok?]
I snort. Air. Right. More like she snuck off with Brendan to make out in a shadowy corner sowhere. Not that I can bla her.
But then I stare at her text, a sinking feeling in my belly.
Lisa never uses text speak.
[AVA: I'm fine. Think I might head out soon though. Not really feeling the party vibe.]
[LISA: kk where r u?]
[AVA: Kitchen.]
The cup I'd set on the counter draws my gaze, the sticky-sweet scent of punch mingling with the bowl beside it.
I still don't understand why soone would just shove it in my hands. Did they think I wanted one? Did soone think I was just picking up trash?
It's clear that parties aren't my scene. I feel lost here.
Sothing's not right, Selene whispers in my mind, her presence a comforting warmth. Stay alert.
I nod, more to myself than to her. She's right. Sothing is off. Between Lisa's sudden use of text speak and that odd wrong feeling that's been plaguing since I got here…
The hairs on the back of my neck prickle, a shiver running down my spine despite the warmth of the room.
A familiar face appears in the doorway. Teddy. His warm brown eyes et mine, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he weaves his way through the small clusters of people.
"Hey, you okay?" he asks, his brow furrowing as he takes in my expression. "You look a little…" He trails off, shrugging.
"I'm fine," I say automatically, the lie tasting bitter on my tongue. "Just tired, I think. It's been a long day."
Teddy nods, his gaze dropping to the cup next to . Sothing flashes in his eyes, too quick for to catch, but it makes my stomach twist. He reaches out, plucking the cup from my fingers before I can react.
"Here, let take that," he says, his voice light but his expression serious. "It's probably better if you don't drink this."
I blink at him, confusion warring with a sudden surge of unease. "What? Why?"
Teddy doesn't answer, just turns and dumps the contents of the cup into the sink. The sickly sweet sll is stronger for a mont, but he turns on the water and rinses it all down the drain, his movents quick and efficient, before tossing the cup in the trash.
When he turns back to , his expression is carefully neutral. "Just trust on this one, okay? There's so stuff going around that you don't want to ss with."
I stare at him, my mind racing. What does he an? What kind of stuff? And why would soone give it to ?
"Who are you?" I ask, hating that I'm suspicious of the one person at this party who's treated well.
"Just a wolf who cares about his pack," he says, with a faint smile. "The alcohol level in the punch is a bit much for a newbie. You don't drink much, do you? I can tell by the way your nose wrinkles every ti you look at a drink."
"Okay," I say slowly, my voice sounding small even to my own ears. "Thanks, I guess."
Teddy nods, his shoulders relaxing a fraction. "No problem. You sure you're okay? You need to walk you out or anything?"
I shake my head, still feeling uneasy. "Thanks, but I'm good. My friend's eting here."
Teddy hesitates, looking like he wants to say sothing more, but then he nods. "Alright. Well, take care of yourself, okay? And if you need anything, just let know. I know how it feels to be new around here."
New?
It's unusual for a pack to get new blood, but it feels awkward to pry. He hadn't ntioned it, even when he talked about his job and aspirations. It might be private, and I don't want him to feel the way I did when Mia cornered with questions.
"Thanks, Teddy. I will."
He gives one last smile, his eyes holding mine for a long mont, before he turns and disappears back into the throng of the party. I watch him go, my heart racing in my chest.
Sothing's off.
And I can't help but feel like Teddy knows what that sothing is.
He's a good one, Selene murmurs. You can trust him.
It's the first ti I truly doubt Selene's judgnt. He's hiding sothing.
Selene huffs a little in my mind. He has no intention of hurting you.
Maybe. But…
Not everyone who watches is going to hurt . But that doesn't an they stop what they're seeing.
Selene goes silent.
Good people aren't always good. Sotis, a good person to another is just another villain in soone else's story.
But I'd like to hope that Teddy's not hiding sothing. That he's just a nice guy, and we shared a friendly dance, and his light flirtation and quick smiles are there because he genuinely likes , not because he's up to sothing.
I want to have more friends. Not more reasons to hide.
As I pull out my phone to text Lisa again, a commotion in the living room catches my attention.
Sounds like a fight, only—
There's the sound of breaking glass. Of growls and snarls. Through the doorway, I can see people running. So have shifted.
There's sothing wrong.
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