“Yeah, right.” While Isabelle loved Maxine with all her heart, her cousin was one of those people who texted that they were “around the corner” when really, they were just getting out of bed. Which meant she’d be alone for at least another hour.
A strange feeling washed over her, and the hairs on the back of neck prickled. It felt like someone was watching her. Which was weird because she was used to people looking at her, but this was different. Before she could figure out who was watching her, the sound of glass clinking on top of the bar caught her attention.
“Here you go.” The bartender nodded at the cocktail glass in front of her.
“Thanks.” She slid a bill at him. “Keep the change.” Not bothering to wait for the guy to thank her, she walked away from the crowded bar. But where to go? Nowhere really. So, she stood at one of the empty cocktail tables at the edge of the dance floor, set her purse on the top, and sipped at her drink. Maybe I should just go home.
“Oh God.” The thought of spending an evening by herself in her apartment made her knock back the rest of her drink in one gulp. You’re only twenty-one, she reminded herself. She would rather die than be alone at home like some loser, just because she was heartbroken. He’s just a guy. With a snap of her fingers, she could have any man on his knees, panting after her.
Okay, so maybe Zac Vrost wasn’t just any guy. He was the perfect man—tall, blond, and hot—plus he was probably going to inherit a big chunk of the Vrost family fortune, not to mention his father was Beta of the New York clan.
They would have made a gorgeous couple—him, Nick and Cady Vrost’s favorite golden boy, her, the darling youngest daughter of not one, but two Alphas. It should have been a match made in heaven.
At least it was, until Astrid Jonasson ruined it all.
How Zac could have picked that … that … fashion-challenged little nobody was beyond her. Astrid and her family didn’t even rank high in the Lycan hierarchy nor were they long-standing members of the New York clan. She probably wouldn’t know what bronzer was if it hit her in the head and constantly wore gross second-hand clothing from the Salvation Army.
Yet, Zac picked Astrid. It was like shopping at Zara instead of Prada, or vacationing in Daytona Beach instead of the Maldives, or, she thought with a shudder, drinking boxed wine instead of champagne.
And they had just gotten married two weeks ago. The thought made her wish she had got herself a second drink.
Of course, the only thing that soothed her ego at losing out to someone who probably couldn’t even pronounce Christian Louboutin was the fact that Zac and Astrid were True Mates. It was something no one can deny. And when Maxine asked if she was depressed about losing Zac to Astrid, she laughed it off. “Well, fate intended them to be together. How could I possibly compete with that?”
That didn’t mean it didn’t hurt any less. Especially when she had her heart set on her own happy ever after with Zac. It had been so clear in her mind—he would work all day and go to meetings, and she could stay home and lunch with the ladies while focusing on her thriving social media modeling career. Maybe she’d start her own charity. Something with dogs or cats or other cute animals. And when she was ready, have a pup or two. I would have looked so cute in maternity clothes and matching mommy-and-me outfits. And once he or she was born, she could foist them off on the nanny, and she could work on getting her pre-pregnancy body back.
But now …
I’m young, hot, and every man wants me, she reminded herself. She really needed to stop moping over Zac. He was too old for her anyway. And she was way too young and free to settle down.
Biting her lip, she marched toward the door. The cold blast of air as she stepped outside felt like a cool balm. As a Lycan, her body adjusted to the temperature easily, and while she didn’t need to close her fur coat, she did it anyway out of reflex. She was always careful—as all Lycans were—to ensure none of the humans suspected that wolf shifters were living among them. Her father was especially cautious in protecting them from unwanted attention.
Unfortunately, that was what they had been clashing about recently—because how was she supposed to amass even more social media followers to advance her career when they wouldn’t let her do any media interviews, photo shoots, or magazine covers?
Ugh. Maybe I won’t go to that dinner after all. She checked her phone again. Where the hell was Maxine? If she had her driver, she could have sent him to fetch her. But unfortunately, the Lycan drivers and bodyguards assigned to her were loyal to her father, and then he could have easily tracked her down and demanded she attended that dinner. Thus, she had to take a—shudder—cab here all by herself, and now, she’d have to take another one to leave. But the street was empty, and there was no taxi in sight. Ugh, where are these cab drivers when you need them?
Suddenly, that feeling from earlier in the club came back. It wasn’t just the hair on the back of her neck that stood up, but also on her arms. Her wolf, too, went very still.
Pivoting on her heel, she turned around. Her breath caught in her throat when she realized someone really was watching her. A tall figure was casually leaning against the wall, hands in his pockets, looking straight at her. An
