Chapter 71
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Ash let out a low whistle. “Well damn.”
Lachlan muttered, “If that’s nae the face of a woman who just saw the moon.”
I raised an eyebrow as Taya beelined toward me, dropping into the chair next to mine and grabbing my drink like she owned it.
“You missed all the eyebrow flirts and awkward boners,” I whispered.
She rolled her eyes, sipping dramatically. “Rylen took me to the woods to remind me why I don’t need any of this. Let’s just say I walked in… curious. I walked out with shaky knees and zero interest in sharing.”
I howled, nearly snorting water through my nose. “Girl. I am LIVING for this energy.”
She winked. “I’m not done. We just needed hydration and a snack.”
Rylen dropped into the seat beside her like a smug golden retriever of a man, giving her a look so possessive it made my wolf purr.
“I can smell her all over you,” Daxon teased with a smirk.
Rylen grinned. “Good. Everyone else should too.”
Ash blinked. “Okay, sir.”
Taya leaned into me and whispered behind her hand, “He said I’m his moon. His.”
“Oh my gods,” I whispered back. “This man talks filth and feelings. You’re so screwed.”
Her smile turned soft. “Yeah. I know.”
The next speed dating round started, but the attention had shifted. The pack was buzzing, new mates forming, hearts breaking, egos being crushed under the weight of fate. And through it all, me and my circle of chaos just sat back, watching it burn like the queens of the damn court.
The second round of speed dating was somehow even worse than the first.
One dude tried to recite a poem. It started sweet, then spiraled into some Shakespearean level tragedy about losing his first mate to a rogue vampire and ended with the line, “Would you let me howl at your moon, my lady?”
Taya leaned over and whispered, “Somebody please muzzle that man.”
We were mid snort laugh when it happened. It was like the air shifted. The whole tent froze. Wolves went still, their noses in the air, heads tilting, pupils blowing wide.
Then came the growl. Loud. Primal. From a tall, copper haired male on the left side of the tent. He was halfway through a “What are your hobbies?” convo with a beta girl when his head snapped to the right…and he damn near flipped the table.
“Oh shit,” Daxon muttered, already turning toward the source.
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Chapter 71
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Across the tent, a petite girl with wild curls and a power walk that said fuck around and find out locked eyes with him. Her lips parted. His wolf howled.
Then it was on.
He bolted across the tent, knocking over two chairs and a whole ass tray of muffins. She shrieked…not in fear, in pure joy…and launched herself at him like she’d waited lifetimes.
They crashed together with a sound that echoed like fate slamming the damn door shut. Lips locked. Arms tangled. Sparks of aura light burst around them like fireworks as the bond snapped into place. It was so loud, I felt it in my bones.
Someone near the back screamed, “FATED MATES!”
And the whole tent exploded in cheers. Wolves howled. Someone started clapping. Taya stood up and yelled, “GET IT, GIRL!”
Ashrian just blinked and muttered, “Well damn, I wasn’t ready for a Nicholas Sparks scene with tongue.”
The newly bonded pair didn’t even acknowledge us. They were still locked in a deep, starved kiss, totally oblivious to the chaos around them. The tent exploded in cheers as the fated pair made out like no one else existed.
Taya hollered, “THAT’S what I call speed dating!”
Ash muttered, “Do we cheer now or give them privacy while they suck face for eternity?”
Rylen was on his feet clapping. “Hell yeah! That’s the kinda shit I wanna see!”
Then Lachlan leaned in beside me, grinning like a fox in heat. “Aye, now that’s what I call proper bloody chemistry. The way he lifted her? Lass, if I pick ye up like that, ye best hold on tight, aye?”
I snorted, my cheeks blazing. He winked and added in a low, growly murmur, “Or maybe yer no ready fer how Scotsmen do fated bonds. We don’t just claim…we worship.”
Ashrian fake coughed. “Is he always this horny in public?”
Lachlan just shrugged, totally unbothered. “Only when I’m near the woman who’s ruined me standards fer life.”
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