Love, After Dark

Chapter 41

BRICE

The music was too loud. The bass thudded through the marble floors of the mansion, through my chest, through my skull. It should’ve drowned everything out. It didn’t. I stood near the kitchen island with a red cup in my hand, pretending to laugh at something Luke said. Pretending the burn in my throat was from the alcohol and not the constant replay of her face in my head. The guys thought I’d rejected Siri. That I’d decided she wasn’t worth it and I was moping because I “let her go.” If only they knew.

Luke had told me it was for the best. Said things would get complicated. Said I needed to think about the pack, about timing, about strategy. Chris told me I needed to get out of the house. That sitting alone wasn’t helping anyone. So here I was. Drinking. Smiling when expected. Dying quietly inside.

Brice Westin wasn’t afraid of anything. Not since I could remember. Long before I’d ever even had my wolf, I was reckless. Jumping over rivers just to see if I could make it. Climbing trees so tall the ground looked like a blur. Picking fights with guys three times my size just to feel the rush. Fear had never lived in me. Not until I met her.

Meeting my mate should’ve been the easiest thing in the world. Instead, it was the one thing that brought me to my knees. The thought of rejecting her- of looking into those eyes and telling her no- made me physically sick. My stomach twisted just thinking about it. So, I drank. One cup after another. Enough that even Wynter’s voice started to dull at the edges. She’d been on me all day. Nagging. Questioning. Watching me too closely. I didn’t have it in me tonight.

Our group stood in a loose circle near the living room. Wynter was at my side, her arm looped possessively through mine. Chris and Luke were talking about some stupid game last weekend. And then the she-wolves started. “Did you see what she was wearing yesterday?” one of them snickered. “As if she even belongs here,” another added. Wynter smirked. “Please. She’s so—” They all started laughing.

They were talking about Siri like she wasn’t even a person. Like she was something beneath them. Chris shifted uncomfortably. “Alright, new topic,” he said quickly, glancing at me. Luke nodded. “Yeah, let it go.” But they couldn’t. They hated her. For no reason. And that’s what pissed me off the most. The alcohol simmering in my veins tipped from warm to volatile. I let out a low, humorless laugh.

“You know what’s funny?” They all looked at me. “If you were honest with yourselves,” I continued, voice calm but sharp, “you don’t hate her because she’s annoying.” Silence fell. “You hate her because she’s not a miserable b***h like the three of you.” The words hung in the air. Wynter’s face went white. Then red. “f**k you, Brice!” she screamed, ripping her arm from mine. Her two friends shot me venomous looks before storming off after her.

Chris shoved my shoulder. “What the hell is wrong with you?” Luke shook his head. “It’s one thing if you want to ruin your girlfriend’s night, but you didn’t have to drag our girlfriends into it.” I rolled my eyes and took another drink. “They’ll live. It’s not like they haven’t said worse about- oh, I don’t know- every girl they’ve ever met.” Chris stared at me like he didn’t recognize me. Maybe he didn’t. I grabbed the bottle and poured another drink.

That’s when it hit me. Her scent. Sweet. Soft. Addicting. Every muscle in my body went rigid. My wolf surged forward so violently I nearly dropped the bottle. Mine. What was she doing here? The room faded. The noise dulled. My heart pounded so hard I could hear it in my ears. My friends noticed immediately. “Brice?” Luke said slowly. I turned toward the entrance of the mansion.

And there she was. Walking in beside Keisha. The entire room seemed to pause. Conversations faltered. Heads turned. She looked— My breath left me. An off-the-shoulder blue top clung to her skin, a small slit at the center revealing just enough to make my control snap like a frayed wire. Ripped skinny jeans hugged her legs. Her hair fell perfectly around her shoulders. She scanned the room. And then her eyes found mine. Everything else disappeared. No music. No crowd. No Wynter. Just her.

We stared at each other like that for what felt like an eternity. Like something invisible tethered us together and neither of us could break it. I wanted to cross the room. To pull her against me. To apologize. To explain. To claim her as mine. Luke elbowed me hard in the ribs. I blinked. “Brice,” Wynter’s voice cut through. I turned. She stood beside me, arms crossed tightly over her chest. Tears shimmered in her eyes as she followed my line of sight. She had seen all of it. The way I looked at Siri. The way my body reacted. The way I forgot she even existed.

I whipped my head back toward the crowd, searching for Siri. But she was gone. Swallowed by bodies and flashing lights. “Are you kidding me?” Wynter whispered, her voice shaking. I turned back to her, and in that split second, I understood the mistake I’d just made. The entire room had watched. She slapped me. Hard. The crack echoed louder than the music. Gasps rippled around us. “Unbelievable,” she choked before storming toward the hallway. I didn’t even think. I shoved my cup onto the counter and took off after her, pushing through the back doors into the night air. Cool wind hit my face. And for the first time all night, I realized everything was about to fall apart