Chapter 20

Ava POV

I glanced back at Chris, who looked angry and offended. I remembered how unhappy he had been before when I talked about his being like a brother. I wrapped my arm around him.

"This is my boyfriend, Chris," I told George, wanting Chris to smile again and very much wanting George to go away. Chris did smile, but the man didn't budge.

In fact, George snorted and spread his arms wide. "Aw, honey, with your looks you can do better than a kid spending his parents' money on car racing."

I opened my mouth to tell him what I thought of his offer when another driver from the race jogged over to us, yelling, "Great job, Chris! I almost had you in that last lap."

"Yes, Frank. You were, what? Only forty cars behind me?" Chris joked, turning away from George in an obvious dismissal.

The man didn't like that and actually took a step toward us. "You need to watch yourself, kid."

Frank frowned at him. "Kid? This is Chris of Moonstone Pack."

"So what?"

"So, he's the most famous and youngest werewolf billionaire in the world." Frank looked the man up and down. "You're with Coke, right? Considering how much they spend on NASCAR, I wonder if your bosses would like to know you're pissing off one of the most famous drivers out there."

"Well, I see," George said as he looked around. The entire pit crew was looking at him. "I'm sure I didn't mean anything."

"I'm sure you didn't either," Chris said.

"Yes, well." George nodded and walked away, disappearing quickly into the crowd.

"What an unpleasant person," I commented.

Frank laughed and held out his hand. I shook it with a smile. He was quite tall, which was unusual in a driver, and thin as a whip in his tight red suit.

"This is Ava," Chris said. "This is her first time at NASCAR."

"Great to meet you. Did you enjoy the race?"

"Very much. I had no idea it could be so thrilling to see a race in person."

"Doesn't hurt that your man won, I suppose," Frank said wryly. He nodded at something behind us and muttered, "Time to be pretty for the cameras."

Several people came up to Chris, including a cameraman and someone holding a microphone.

"You've got to be happy with that win," the man with the mic said.

"Absolutely," Chris said with an easy smile and waved to the crowd, which cheered.

Later, after Chris had received his trophy and the crowd was making its way out, I hung out with the pit crew while he took a shower and changed back into regular clothes. I found out Chris was popular with his crew, which hardly surprised me.

I told them how impressed I had been with their work during the race. I had timed Chris's pit stops, which were all around twelve seconds, during which time they fueled up the car and changed the tires, which were large and heavy. I could tell they all had to stay in excellent shapeto move so much equipment with such ease.

I had been amazed at how they worked together so seamlessly, as though in a dance. Now, I watched as they carefully cleaned and stored their equipment.

"Do you work with Chris?" one of the guys, whose nametag read "Kim," asked me.

"I'm currently serving as his Luna, but it's a temporary position."

"Is that like an assistant?"

I shrugged. "Basically. I'm helping him with Pack business."

"That's right," the only woman in the crew said. "He's the head of your pack, right?"

"Yes, he's our Alpha."

"Chris doesn't talk much about it," Kim said. "I mean, it's easy to forget he's a werewolf sometimes. And being an alpha. Is that like being a prince or something?"

The woman laughed. "Prince Chris!"

"It's not an inherited title," I said. "Although it's common for alphas' children to be alphas themselves."

"How do you get the job, then?" Kim asked.

"Alphas are chosen by the Elders, who are guided by the Goddess Luna. Chris was named Alpha as a child."

"Gossiping about me?" I heard Chris say from behind me, and I turned to see him standing there looking freshly scrubbed.

"Yes, I'm telling them all your secrets."

He laughed and congratulated his crew for the win. Soon enough, we were walking out of the arena and back to the limousine.

"So, I'm your boyfriend now?"

I ducked my head. "Sorry, but that man was being so awful. Besides, you said I was your date, and in wolf terms, that's basically the same thing."

"I'm liking this more and more." He put an arm around my waist as we walked, and I couldn't help but think how easy it would be to fall in love with him, and how inappropriate.

"So, where should we head next?" he asked as the limousine came into view. The parking lot was still full of people, but the car was in a sectioned-off lane. I remembered what Frank had said about Chris's fame and wealth. Considering the life Chris had made for himself in the Human World, I realized how little Moonstone Pack had to offer him.

"You're thinking sad thoughts," he said, stopping to look into my face. "What's wrong?"

"You have so much here," I said.

"Isn't that a good thing?"

I shook my head, trying to find the right words to explain myself, when my phone rang. I would have ignored it, but the ringtone was the one I'd selected for Juniper, and I knew she had to be calling about Pack business.

I explained this to Chris quickly and took the call.

"Ava," Juniper said. "It's Olivia."

"What about her?"

"She's taken her two slaves out of the packhouse. She was screaming about how something is all their fault. She's beating them. She seems unhinged. I'm worried she'll kill them."

"Chris and I are on our way," I told her.

Chris sighed and nodded, and we made our way to the car.