Chapter 30

Emma’s POV

That mutt Jackson might just be out of his mind.

I shake my head with a chuckle as I watch Aurora type away at her computer. There’s no way this human could be Thorne’s mate. She’s so… plain and human. By default, humans are weak and nearly worthless in our world, and this woman is no different.

Yesterday, after overhearing Jackson’s assistant tell Jackson that he thought Aurora was Thorne’s mate, I invited her to the party. I shouldn’t have been so gullible, but my crush blinded me, and I wanted to see how the human and Thorne acted around each other when they weren’t at work. It was stupid.

Yes, Aurora had stuck by Thorne’s side, but she barely talked to him the entire time. She didn’t grow jealous when other women talked with Thorne.

They left the party together, but that could have been a coincidence. Thorne is a nice man, so he could have just been making sure his weak human assistant got home safe.

I’ve known Thorne for a long time, which has helped me develop a crush on him. Not only that, but I know him well enough to know that he wouldn’t choose a human to be his mate. Though, the part of me that has a crush on him demands I find proof. I need to know what’s happening and I want to find out for myself if Jackson’s theories about Aurora are true.

Pulling my phone out, I send a message to my friend Ethan.

Aurora is human, but Thorne is all Alpha, and werewolves are possessive of their mates. If I’m going to test Aurora and Thorne to see if Jackson is right, I need bait to rile Thorne up.

Aurora’s POV

I push through the door of the restaurant, feeling a bit out of place in the fancy restaurant. I glance down at my work outfit, hoping that it’s appropriate.

Emma hadn’t told me where we were going when she invited me to join her for lunch.

“Aurora!” I turn at the sound of my name to see Emma wave at me from a table not far away. I notice she’s not alone, either. There’s a man sitting with her, and when I reach the table, Emma smiles and motions to him.

“This is Ethan. He’s one of the Gammas in the pack,” Emma says. “I’ll admit this isn’t an ordinary lunch, Aurora. I invited you two because I think you would make a cute couple, and Ethan agreed to come because he wanted to meet you after the party.”

I glance at the man. He’s handsome, but something holds me back from feeling attracted to him.

“Sit. Sit.”

I take the seat across from Ethan, beside Emma, and smile politely before scanning the room. My eyes soon land on a familiar, broad set of shoulders across the room. Thorne greets a man, an Alpha, from the look of him, and I remember he left right before me for a lunch meeting today.

Quickly, I bring my attention back to my table, not wanting to seem like I’m following Thorne around.

“It’s nice to meet you, Aurora,” Ethan says.

“You too,” I murmur and sip the water in front of me.

“I didn’t get a chance to approach you at the party, but I’m glad Emma reached out so we could meet today,” he says. I’m not sure why he wanted to meet me, but again, I offer a small smile.

Before we can get into conversation, though, the waiter brings several plates out and lays them on the table.

“I hope you don’t mind,” Ethan speaks. “I took the liberty to order for us.”

I do mind, but I don’t say that.

“Thanks,” I say instead, “I’ll have the pasta if that’s alright.” I try not to feel awkward as I reach for the plate and pull it in front of me.

“Tell me about yourself, Aurora,” Ethan says suddenly. The air between us is stiff and uncomfortable, especially since Emma is more interested in her phone than her guests. I tap my foot against the floor to release some of the anxiety rushing through my veins.

“Oh, I have to take this,” Emma says as her phone begins to buzz. “You two have a good conversation.”

Then, she’s out the door and gone.

“What do you do for work?” Ethan asks, pulling my attention off the front doors. When I look back at him, my eyes skate over Thorne to find him staring at me. I quickly move my gaze to Ethan, feeling a bit unsteady.

“I’m an assistant to Alpha Thorne,” I answer. “What about you?”

Ethan cuts into his steak while answering, “I work in the heart of the pack as a funds manager, but I’m also a Gamma, so I help with security and protection when necessary.”

I nod, taking a bite of my pasta. Our conversation is stiff for a while, but soon, we fall into a polite rhythm of taking turns asking questions.

“Did you always want to be an assistant?” Ethan questions, looking up from his plate. “Or did you have a dream job that’s different?”

“Wow, um. No one has asked me that in a while,” I admit. “Actually, I never dreamed of being someone’s assistant. Since I was a little girl dreaming about princesses, I’ve wanted to be a wedding dress designer.”

Ethan hums in what seems like surprise before he says, “That’s a lofty dream. It’s a good one, though. Have you designed anything before?”

“I have, but they’re just sketches. I would need to go to design school to actually be a designer, and I’ve never had enough money to be able to do that,” I tell him, lowering my eyes to my food. I’m not sure why I admitted that to a stranger. I haven’t even told my mother that before, not that it was easy to talk to her.

Unexpectedly, Ethan reaches across the table and touches my hand. I jump, startled by the sudden contact.

“I’d like to see your sketches sometime,” Ethan says, and I blink against the nerves growing in me. Why is he touching me? Did I give him some kind of signal that I wanted to be touched?

I try to think over my words and actions in the last two minutes but find nothing of the sort.

A growl sounds from somewhere in the room, but when I look up, the only person who is paying me any attention- other than Ethan- is Thorne. His eyes bore into me from across the room, and immediately, I pull my hand back from Ethan’s touch.

This impromptu date is beginning to make me a little uneasy.

“Do you have any sketches in your phone?” Ethan asks.

“No. I-I’m not sure where they are,” I lie, thinking about the boxes Jackson had packed full of my things. My sketchbook is in one of those boxes with the rest of my meager belongings.

As I continue to eat, I can still feel Thorne’s gaze, but it doesn’t make me uncomfortable. At least, not in the same way Ethan’s touch did. Thorne’s gaze is heavy on me, making me want to look up at him again, but I don’t.

I keep my attention in front of me and my hands to myself, wondering how I can end this strange date.