Page 17 of Tempting Fate

Chapter Nine

Patch

I can hardly believe my eyes when Cecile comes bounding into the pub on Saturday. She beelines straight for the bar, not sparing a glance at the wolves looking her way, and when I open my mouth, she holds up a hand.

“I’m doing you the favour here,” she says.

“You moved to our pack?”

She stares at me for a full five seconds. “No,” she says slowly, like I’m the one acting strangely, then shrugs. “I spoke with Sage. It’s cool. We’re all in and out of Alpha Kieran’s territory anyway, so she and Alpha Axel don’t mind.”

I don’t mind. I don’t care about territory, not that much. But I think it would have been smart of them—Alpha Axel and Sage, one of his betas—to give us a heads-up before letting a wolf from another pack into the pub.

Still, I’m not about to say that. Not to Cecile. Not only could she hand me my own arse if she felt so inclined, I also genuinely like her.

“Okay. What am I getting you, then?”

“Ugh. A round, just—” She pulls her phone out of her pocket and glares down at it, then starts rattling off drinks. I recognise Dax’s usual order and Vince’s, but that means—

“Who’s coming?” I ask as I pull one of the pints. “Seems like you all usually meet up over near Alpha Kieran’s anyway.”

Cecile’s smile is enigmatic. “Like I said. A favour for you. Vince is meeting Jamie and Nick’s new housemate tonight.”

Jamie. Jamie. Fuck. My hand trembles and I almost drop the pint glass I’m holding.

“Jamie’s coming here?”

“Yeah. Nick, too. That’s why I suggested here.” She glances around, leaning in a little when she speaks again. “I know plenty of wolves come here, but you’ve got regulars not in the know too, right? The new housemate doesn’t know about everything. And Nick won’t go to the usual places—he’s still kind of in denial about it.”

I consciously set the pint down on the bar and level her with a look. “Did you tell Alpha Axel about all this?”

She levels me right back. “No. Alpha Kieran did. Well, he told Alpha Axel and Alpha Levi and Alpha Rhea, pretty sure, but Alpha Axel suggested here. He said you and Dax would do a great job of keeping everything—and everyone—in line.”

And then never gave me a fucking heads-up, though maybe that’s because Jamie is coming and my alpha is no idiot, either. I sigh and grab another pint glass. “If he runs out of here screaming, that’s not my fault.”

“The new guy? Nah, I think he’ll be good. From what Jamie said, anyway.”

“He told you about him?”

“We catch up every week,” she says, and her gaze on me is significant now. Did Jamie tell her about what happened between us? What didn’t happen, I guess. My stomach twists. I’ve not reached out to Jamie since, and I should have.

“So what’s he like?”

“Don’t know yet. You can come meet him too, you know. Not like you’re working alone all night.”

I grunt in response. “We’ll see.”

Cecile doesn’t take to heart my lack of response as I make the rest of her drinks, but then that might be because she can probably smell the trepidation on me. Maybe I need backup, too. I always used to come here when Dax was working because he had a bunch of regulars who were absolute shitheads and needed reining in, but maybe I need Flynn to come and distract me from Jamie.

Cecile pays and heads to a table well within my line of sight, and when I’m sure no one is waiting for a drink, I snatch up my phone and send a quick text to Flynn.

SOS. Come to the pub.

He replies instantly, which is surprising, even if I know he’s only staying at home tonight.

Hot girl??? Hot guy???

Will explain when you get here.