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 him? Luca Shane.

His bully-turned-mate had invited him to a pool party, on the very day he intended to evaporate from his grasp. Darcy stared down at the invitation in disbelief.

Darcy felt a rush of courage. He 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 Darcy completely off-guard, having opened the door to him in his pjs with a toothpaste moustache. They had never spoken to each other, and his alpha presence was intense.

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

Darcy skidded to a halt back at his 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 him.

“I found it,” he 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 him further.

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

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

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

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

A sultry voice curled into his ear. “Who would have thought innocent little omega Darcy would be into rimming?” Darcy jolted and his skin heated. His mate’s voice always brought out the worst involuntary reactions from his body, even when he was talking nonsense. Darcy jerked away but Luca followed, keeping his body in tight next to him 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 Darcy’s 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 him in black ink.

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

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

Luca’s cheek pressed against his as he dipped his face closer. He growled into the shell of Darcy’s ear, “I’ll tongue you till you cry, puppy.” Darcy’s knees almost buckled at the thought. His brain was flooded with filthy fantasy. Luca between his thighs. Bending him over a table. His legs too short to reach the ground…

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

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

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

Darcy spent the two-hour block forcing herself to concentrate not only on the lesson, but cooling down his libido and getting his half-hard dick back down. The affect that Luca had on his body with only words was terrifying. Even with his best efforts, he knew he would need to head straight to the bathroom to splash his face once the bell rang. His skin was on fire.

Luca was waiting for his outside the boys’ bathrooms when the first break arrived.

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

Darcy hesitated in answering.

“Just five minutes?”

Darcy pinched his 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 him the option to say no. Too often, Luca seemed to be giving him only the illusion of choice. He needed to learn to accept his decisions, even if he didn’t like them.

“No,” he said simply. Darcy sidestepped him as daintily as he could. Luca watched him go.

“Sure, no worries,” he replied softly.

And now Darcy’s chest hurt. He groaned quietly and spun on his heel.

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

“I swear, it’s just a private talk.”

Darcy gave him a wary once-over with his 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, himself, and the fates. He followed like the little puppy he was.