Chapter 50

Cora

It had been weeks since Kingston’s distance resettled between us like an invisible wall. After he had helped Riley recover, he had pulled back, seeming to either respect my space as a newly engaged woman or hold a grudge against me for fleeing to Ethan.

Of course, he was justified in either of those responses. I was engaged to his second in command, as far as he knew, after all.

A stubborn part of me still ached for him, still yearned for the time we were already losing. But as much as it hurt, I knew it was time to move on.

But how? How could I just... reset my life?

"Daisy," I said one night, calling her for the first time in weeks. I had been tentatively trying to salvage our relationship, knowing that not only was she the sister that I was raised with, but that Riley would be devastated to sever his friendship with Billy. I would make it work, as always, for Riley.

"I need your help,” I admitted to her.

I could hear the smile in her voice even over the phone."You want to get over Kingston, don’t you?"

I nodded, feeling the weight of it all. "I do. I need to. But I don’t know where to start."

Daisy chuckled. "Well, it’s a good thing I’ve already got something in mind."

I raised an eyebrow. Her eagerness to help was jarring. "You’ve planned something? What exactly?"

"Blind dates," she said, practically giddy. "You’re going to go on blind dates, Cora. It’ll be good for you."

I stared at her for a moment, blinking. "You really think that’s going to help me forget about Kingston?"

And find my mate, I added mentally. Daisy still didn’t know about my wolf or its encouragement to find my mate; I thought it was best not to tell her.

. "Maybe not forget, but distract. You need to get out there and stop obsessing over him. And honestly? You need to start having a little bit of fun."

I knew she was right. I had been tangled up in Kingston’s world for so long that I had lost myself in the process. I needed to remind myself what it was like to be my own person again, and if I didn’t try something—anything—then I’d keep living in that limbo. I needed a reset, a chance to find some part of me that had been buried in the chaos.

So, I agreed. Blind dates. I didn’t know what to expect, but I figured it was better than wallowing in my misery.

Though I didn’t have high expectations, I had to admit I was curious. Maybe a fresh start would give me some clarity.

The blind date Daisy set up was a werewolf named Jace. He was tall, with dark hair and a wicked smile. When I got a closer look at him, his eyes seemed to gleam with something dangerous underneath, and I couldn’t initially tell if it was a turn-on or not.

"Hi, Cora," he said, his voice deep and smooth. "I’ve heard a lot about you. It’s nice to finally meet you in person."

At first, the date went mostly well. Every time I spoke, he seemed to hang on my every word, almost as if he were studying me. And I rarely spoke to begin with, since he was so occupied talking about himself most of the time.

Throughout the evening, I tried to shake off the feeling of being scrutinized, but it lingered. I was aware of how often he inhaled, like he was savoring my scent, my every breath.

"Is something wrong?" I eventually asked, unable to ignore the sense of discomfort gnawing at me.

His gaze flickered, and I saw something flash in his expression, a hunger, a longing, something primal that sent a shiver up my spine. Then, he blinked, as if coming back to himself, and smiled.

"I’m sorry,” he said with a disbelieving chuckle. “It’s just... your scent. It’s, uh, a little intoxicating."

I froze. "My scent?" I repeated, confused.

"Yeah," he said, his voice almost a whisper. "It’s different. It’s almost like—" He cut himself off and looked away, running a hand through his hair. "Never mind. It’s nothing. Forget I said anything."

But it was too late. His words echoed in my mind, leaving an unease that I couldn’t shake off the rest of the date.

I didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but the way he had said it, the way his eyes had glinted… It was as if my scent had triggered something in him. Something felt off.

The rest of the evening passed with small talk, but the connection I’d hoped for simply was not there. Despite the conversation, I found myself watching the clock. I suddenly couldn’t wait for the date to be over.

I wasn’t sure if it was the lingering sense of discomfort or if I was simply not ready to open up to someone new. Either way, I felt like I needed to step back and was regretting my decision to go on the date as it wound down.

When we finished, Jace walked me to my car, his presence too close for comfort.

"Thanks for the night," I said, forcing a smile. "It was... interesting."

He smiled again, but there was something predatory in it.

"Maybe we can do this again sometime," he said. "I’d love to see more of you, Cora."

I managed a polite nod. “Yeah, maybe.”

Before I felt obligated to say more, I quickly got into my car, feeling the weight of his gaze on me as I drove away.

Once I was back at home, I tried to shake off the tension, but something about Jace’s behavior lingered in my thoughts like a bad smell.

Was I overreacting? Maybe. But I couldn’t ignore the unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach. There was something about Jace, something beyond his charm, that didn’t sit right with me.

The next morning, I tried to push the thoughts of Jace out of my mind. Daisy was practically bouncing with excitement when I saw her in the park with Billy, her eyes wide as she asked me how the date went.

"He was... interesting," I said, choosing my words carefully. "But I don’t think we have a connection."

We both watched as Billy and Riley took off and began to scale the large jungle gym a few yards from us.

Daisy raised an eyebrow. "You’re sure? I thought he was perfect for you."

I hesitated, uncertain how to explain what I’d felt without sounding paranoid. "I’m not sure. He seemed... a little too intense, if that makes sense. And he kept talking about my scent like it was... more than just a simple thing."

Daisy frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Like it was... special. Like it triggered something in him. It made me uncomfortable."

She didn’t respond immediately, her expression thoughtful. "I don’t know, Cora. Maybe you’re just being cautious after everything with Kingston."

"Maybe," I muttered, but deep down, I knew there was more to it than that. "But something’s just not right about him. I don’t know what it is, but I need to trust my instincts."

Daisy nodded, looking like she wanted to argue, but she didn’t. Instead, she patted my shoulder. "Well, if nothing else, at least you’re not jumping into things headfirst."

I smiled, grateful for her surprising support, but my mind kept returning to Jace. There was something in his eyes, something that screamed danger, and I wasn’t sure I was ready to face whatever that was.

But for now, I’d stay cautious.

I don’t know what I had been thinking doing this to begin with. I had enough to deal with already without adding more complications to my life.