Darcy had been very generously invited, with special alpha permissions, to enter another pack’s grounds.

The Pearl Claw. Their sigil of a luminescent wolf paw, claws extended in a sharp half-crescent, was printed at the very bottom of the invitation.

The occasion? A birthday party.

Dress code? Swimsuits and sundresses.

The date? 15^th June.

The birthday boy who had invited her? Luca Shane.

Her bully-turned-mate had invited her to a pool party, on the very day she intended to evaporate from his grasp. She stared down at the invitation in disbelief.

Darcy felt a rush of courage. She snatched a pen from the dining table and got to scribbling.

Alpha-in-line Marshall dropped by on Sunday to ask if Darcy had an RSVP for him to send with the other invited members of their pack. It had caught her completely off-guard, having opened the door to him in her pjs with a toothpaste moustache. They had never spoken to each other, and his alpha presence was intense.

She backtracked barefooted and ran through to the kitchen, flustered and floundering, to find the invite she had sealed back inside the envelope. Marshall made polite small talk with her, calling through the house loudly back and forth as she ransacked the kitchen table. She couldn’t remember half the things she had said in response to his questions. Despite how many times he reassured her that he wasn’t in a rush, she was filled with frazzled energy.

She skidded to a halt back at her front door, where Marshall had courteously waited on his side of the doorstep. Wolves were strict when it came to rules regarding territory. Permissions were needed to enter other pack grounds, and additional permission was needed to enter a family home. Of course, alphas had a great deal of power when it came to getting those permissions, just like Reece had warned her.

“I found it,” she gasped.

Marshall accepted the envelope with a small smile and tucked it into his jacket.

“Looking forward to the party?” he asked with a teasing tone.

“I’m not going!” Darcy replied cheerfully.

He blinked slowly and pulled an intrigued expression, but didn’t question her further.

“I’ll see you around, then. Send my best to your parents.”

“Of course. Thank you, alpha.” She dipped her head in a mini bow and closed the front door.

Surprisingly, she didn’t hear a peep out of Luca all day.

Come Monday, she was slightly on edge, waiting for Luca to seek her out and air his complaints. She collected her books and squeezed through the crowds on her way to her first class.

A sultry voice curled into her ear. “Who would have thought innocent little omega Darcy would be into rimming?” Darcy jolted and her skin heated. Her mate’s voice always brought out the worst involuntary reactions from her body, even when he was talking nonsense. She jerked away but Luca followed, keeping his body in tight next to hers as he continued, “why keep it a secret till now?” The crowds squashed them together, like the meal of a snake. “All you had to do was ask, puppy. Your wish is always my command.” His grin almost split his face in half as he flashed a piece of paper under her nose. “Oh, that’s right, you already did.”

Darcy’s mouth fell open in horror.

On the party invitation, in the RSVP section, Darcy had scrawled ‘NO. Kiss my ass!’. It stared up at her in black ink.

A chuckle ruffled her hair. “Let’s go find somewhere private for me to kiss that ass,” he murmured into it.

All words had evacuated Darcy’s head in the shock of pure mortification.

Luca’s cheek pressed against hers as he dipped his face closer. He growled into the shell of her ear, “I’ll tongue you till you cry, puppy.” Darcy’s knees almost buckled at the thought. It wasn’t something she had ever considered, but now her brain was flooded with filthy fantasy. Luca between her thighs. Bending her over a table. Her legs too short to reach the ground…

The corridor had emptied, Darcy was officially late for her first class of the day. She had frozen in place at the sight of the invite. It was intended to be rebellious, not… sexy! She took a shaky breath and caught the scent of her own slick. Which meant Luca could definitely smell it, too.

Darcy took off, pelting her feet against the floor, and didn’t slow or stop until she burst through the doorway of her first class.

The teacher gave her a disapproving look and she slunk to her seat. Tardiness was becoming more and more of an issue for Darcy since Luca became so interested in her. Positively interested, that was.

She spent the two-hour block forcing herself to concentrate not only on the lesson, but cooling down her libido. The affect that Luca had on her body with only words was terrifying. Even with her best efforts, she knew she would need to head straight to the bathroom to splash her face once the bell rang. Her skin was on fire.

Luca was waiting for her outside the girls’ bathrooms when the first break arrived.

“Can we talk?” he said as soon as she stepped out into the busy corridor.

Darcy hesitated in answering.

“Just five minutes?”

Darcy pinched her lips and glanced at the bustling crowds.

“You can say no, Darcy. I won’t… force you.”

Talking was probably the healthy and mature thing to do, but Darcy was curious to see how serious he was about giving her the option to say no. Too often, Luca seemed to be giving her only the illusion of choice. He needed to learn to accept her decisions, even if he didn’t like them.

“No,” she said simply. She sidestepped him as daintily as she could. He watched her go.

“Sure, no worries,” he replied softly.

And now Darcy’s chest hurt. She groaned quietly and spun on her heel.

“I think talking is a good idea,” she admitted. “But whenever we talk, the chances of it turning into something else are too high.” Especially after the things he had said this morning, she added silently.

“I swear, it’s just a private talk.”

Darcy gave him a wary once-over with her eyes. “See, the word private is already telling me you’re up to no good.”

Luca slunk his hands into his jean pockets awkwardly and shrugged. “Well, I’m gonna go find somewhere quiet, if you want to come and talk…” He started walking away.

Darcy cursed him, herself, and the fates. She followed like the little puppy she was.