Chapter 9

Shirley

We’re sitting at a table near the center of the room - surrounded by finely-dressed waiters, high-priced wine, and soft candlelight. I smile at Ralph as I listen to him, swiveling around my wineglass as I brush the delicate material of the tablecloth under my hand.

He gladly accepted my invitation for tonight, not hesitating to make the reservation and sending me the confirmation for the restaurant only ten minutes later. And now here we are, chatting in the perfect romantic ambiance.

He’s already apologized for last night, and for all the lies he told me. Upon sitting down, I relayed some of the things Keith had revealed to me last night, letting him know I was now aware of his mate and child. He’d been red in the face when I’d finished, his eyes wide as he’d jumped to explain himself.

He’d admitted he had a mate, a family. But he’d also told me the relationship was in jeopardy and they were thinking about ending things.

Ha.

He said he was so shaken up about the whole thing that he was just looking for a breath of fresh air to distract himself. It was as if he was trying to paint Jean as the bad guy and himself as the perfect saint.

Again, ha!

According to him, Jean and him had been together for three years, but things became tense as they’re both bored. He also described Eliot as some dreadful two-year-old who only causes trouble. Which is an absolute lie - Eliot is an angel. But then Ralph moved on to talk about himself.

He explained that he’s been focusing a lot on work as it’s very busy and there’s been a lot of pressure put on him lately. Apparently, the pack has another large acquisition case and it demands a lot of his time and attention. I listened the entire time, making it seem like I was very understanding and appreciative as he grumbled. It was easy too, considering I just needed to nod at the right places and appear as an ignorant college girl.

But I made him feel adored, validated. And when he finally finished rattling on about himself, I was able to give him a gentle smile.

“It sounds like you have a lot on your plate,” I confess now. “It’s a good thing you have a supportive friend at your side.”

Although Ralph has already fed me such an elaborate story, I can’t help but notice he’d never mentioned Keith. It seems a little odd considering how good of friends Keith made them out to be.

“Keith?” Ralph asks then, as if needing clarity.

I nod in reply. “Are you two close?” I ask, taking a quick drink of my wine, making it seem like the question is harmless. In reality, I just want a little more information on his busybodied Alpha.

“Oh, of course. Keith and I have been friends for forever,” Ralph declares. “In fact, he’s like a brother to me. He’s family.”

And yet he has no idea what you’ve done, I almost say. If they really were that close then Keith would have known all about Ralph’s lies and abuse.

“He seemed a little shocked when you told him about the baby,” I say, taking a lighter approach. “If he’s family then I’m surprised he didn’t know sooner.”

“Oh-oh well, that’s…” Ralph begins to stutter, forcing me to keep a smile off my face. Instead, I throw him a bone as I soften my eyes.

“I get it,” I say. “It’s not always easy to tell people everything. Especially things that will break their heart.”

I know it’s the right thing to say as I watch Ralph relax, giving me a grateful smile as he nods.

“Exactly,” he says, as if I’d taken the words right out of his mouth. But really, I know he’s just glad that I covered for him.

“You know,” he begins. “For a college girl, you’ve got a pretty good head on your shoulders.”

He’s trying to flatter me, change the subject. And I let him, showing him that I’m delighted by his words as I grin.

“Maybe it’s because you’re so smart and hardworking,” I slip out the disgusting lie. “You might be rubbing off on me.”

Ralph hums in satisfaction, drinking me in as he leans closer to the table. I have every urge to shift backward, but decide to copy his actions instead.

It’s all too easy, making him want me. Every little thing I do, everything I say - he just eats up. And he’s eating me up again, his stare suggesting he could devour me right there in the middle of the restaurant. But I need to keep the conversation going, keep his mind busy before he tries to pull something. So I open my mouth to ask him another question. However, someone is already interrupting me.

As I hear their voice, I instantly turn, my blood hot as I expect to find Keith standing at the side of the table. After all, he seems to have an art for intruding on us, and I assume tonight is no exception.

However, it’s not Keith. Instead, it’s a dutiful waiter who is already wearing an apologetic look.

“I’m sorry,” he tells us. “But I’m going to have to ask you both to leave.”

“What?” I reply first, dumbfounded. “Did we do something wrong?”

“No, ma’am,” the waiter replies. “Of course not.”

Then what was the problem? It seems ridiculous that a restaurant with this reputation would act so rudely to their customers. I don’t know what makes them think they have the rush to us, to completely kick us out.

“Then what’s going on?” Ralph demands.

“The whole restaurant is being reserved. Pack orders,” the waiter explains.

Pack orders?

Oh. My blood turns even hotter. Keith.

He knows. I’m not sure how he knows, but he does. This has to be his doing. Somehow he figured out Ralph and I would be here tonight and now he’s throwing us out.

Where is that psycho control freak? I could kill him.

“Oh, well,” Ralph mutters. “I guess we should go then.”

I want to sigh. Of course…we have no choice but to leave. There’s nothing that either of us can do since it’s “pack business.” So we begin to gather our things, and Ralph pays for our expensive drinks - looking as though he’s thankful he didn’t have to drop a fortune on dinner.

As Ralph signs the rest of the bill, I can feel myself practically shaking with rage as I glance around the room, noticing the other empty tables. However, my attention is then turned as I see the front door of the restaurant opening.

A pure picture of ease, Keith walks in, leading a group of other men behind him as he takes in the room. Only, he suddenly stops, allowing the other men to pass him as he spots me.

We stare at each other, neither of us moving as we exchange a long and challenging gaze. But then, I see his features change, so subtle that I could have missed it if my eyes weren’t burning into his face.

He smirked. The corner of his lips barely raised as a spark passed through his eyes.

I’m right. This wasn’t a weird coincidence or oversight. He’s done this on purpose.

Yup. I could definitely kill him.

“Hello?” I hear Ralph say behind me, causing me to rip my eyes away from the Alphahole as I glance back to him. I expect him to also be looking in Keith’s direction, calling out a greeting. However, he’s not talking to anyone present.

Instead, his phone is pressed to his ear, his brow furrowed as he tentatively listens to whoever he’s talking to. And then he’s nodding, his back straightening.

“Okay,” he states. “See you soon.”

I watch as he hangs up the phone, sliding it back into his pocket as he turns to me.

“That was work,” he informs me. “I need to go handle something.”

Meaning our night has come to an end. It’s a little annoying, but I guess I’m grateful. I’m not really in the mood to be out anymore considering Keith has put me in such a bad mood.

“I understand,” I state casually, grabbing my purse as we walk out together. However, once we’re outside, we quickly say our goodbyes and go our separate ways.

Sliding into an Uber, I don’t hesitate to release a sigh, not at all bothered as the driver gives me a look through the rearview mirror. I just direct my attention out the window, huffing again as we begin to drive.

Keith. Stupid Keith.

I really can’t believe him. After everything we talked about last night…he still chose to stick his nose in our business.

My business.

Again, I’m nearly shaking as we turn down streets and exit the heart of town. We’re nearly back at my hotel when my phone chimes.

I expect it to be Jean, or maybe even Ralph with another apology. But I’m thrown when I see a number I don’t recognize. Curious, I unlock my phone and open the message.

Unknown: There’s a party at my house tomorrow. Here’s your official invite.

What? I furrow my brow as I read the message again, my fingers eventually typing out a reply.

Me: Who is this?

I wait - only for a few seconds - and then I see the response. The single name written across the phone makes me want to throw it out the window.

Unknown: Keith.

What could he possibly want?