After Monday’s exercise, Zac never showed up again during training. And, despite the fact that she told herself “good riddance”, Astrid still felt that disappointment in the pit of her stomach each day she showed up for training and he wasn’t there.

Ugh. The things he made her feel was disturbing. At night, she’d lie awake thinking of him and how his body felt against hers. She was still wondering if she’d imagined it, or that last bit when she felt his surging erection against her. He’s a guy. If Zac felt anything it was because it was a natural function of the male body.

Still, it wasn’t good for her sleep or her sanity. She’d only had three hours of sleep that night, that’s why she was grumpy when she answered the phone call that came in at about seven o’clock that morning.

“What do you want?” she groused.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were living at Fenrir?” came the very annoyed voice of Deedee Creed.

“Hey, Deedee,” she said casually.

“Don’t ‘Hey, Deedee’ me.” Her best friend really did sound genuinely mad. “I had to hear from my mother, who heard from your mother, that the Alpha is punishing you for a whole year. Why didn’t you call me?”

Astrid rolled over and pulled the covers above her head. “I’ve been busy, okay? I’m sorry.”

“Sorry isn’t good enough,” Deedee said with a sniff. “I want details.”

“Fine.”

“Over dinner.”

And so that night, Astrid found herself walking into Petite Louve, a French restaurant in the trendy SoHo district in downtown Manhattan. Deedee was already sitting at the table when she arrived.

“Astrid!” she greeted as she stood up to hug her. Although Deedee was five years older than her, they had become best friends over the years. She was like the older sister she’d never had and probably one of the few people around her who knew the awkwardness of having a five-inch growth spurt at the age of fourteen.

“How’s life, Distinguished Professor Creed?” she teased. After she finished her PhD in London three years ago, Deedee came home and became a professor of Archeology at New York University. Just last week, however, she had been named a Distinguished Professor at NYU to honor her achievements in the field. “So, does everyone have to bow down to you when they pass you in the hallways?”

“Ha, I wish. But it’s nothing more than just a fancy title, plus a grant for me to pursue any type of research I want to do.” They sat down at the cozy two-top in the corner of the restaurant. “And as much as I’m sure you’re interested to hear about how I’m planning to study the migration patterns of the ancient people of Mesopotamia, we’re here to talk about you.” Deedee flashed her that I’m-disappointed-in-you big sister look she’d perfected over the years.

“Can we order first? I’m famished.” She opened the menu, but the gesture was more to hide from her friend, as she already knew every single dish there.

“Fine,” Dee said. “But once we’re done, you’re going to tell me why I, your best friend, was the last to know about this life changing news.”

“Oh, stop being so dramatic, Dee. I’ll tell you, okay?”

After they’d finished ordering and the waiter was barely two feet away, Deedee laid her hands on the table and said, “Talk.”

Astrid let out a sigh and gave her the entire story from start to finish, leaving out one tiny detail. Deedee was actually the only person who knew about her working at The Vixen Den, and Astrid realized she had been remiss in her best friend duties for not telling her right away. Though they tried to talk every day and get together as often as possible, Deedee was always so busy with her job and tended to lose track of time, and sometimes even the days. Plus, Astrid was always changing jobs, it wasn’t even a topic of conversation for them anymore.

“But this isn’t exactly a job,” Deedee pointed out. “This is punishment. It’s going on your record for the rest of your life.”

“Oh, for God’s sake, Dee, you’ve always been such a goody-goody.” She grabbed a piece of bread and buttered it before popping it in her mouth. “Those records at the Lycan High Council are meaningless.”

“So, what are you going to do now?” Deedee asked.

“Ride out the year,” she said. “And then move on with my life.”

“Hmm …”

Astrid put her butter knife down. “And what exactly do you mean by hmm, Miz Desiree Desmond Creed?”

“Nothing.” She took a sip of her sparkling water. “It’s just … maybe this could be a good thing for you.”

“What? Being punished is a good thing?”

“No!” Deedee put her hands up. “Astrid, I love you. You’re one of my bestest friends in the whole wide world. But do you know how many jobs you’ve had in the last four years?”

“I dunno. Five? Six?”

“Eighteen.”

“I did not!”

“Yes, you did.”

“That time I was a living statue in Times Square doesn’t count.”

Deedee sighed. “Anyway, my point is, maybe this is good for you. A job that you can’t really quit. It’ll give you—”

“Direction?” Astrid finished. She sat back and crossed her arms over her chest. “Why don’t you just join my mother’s side then?”

“Astrid.” She reached over and placed a hand on her arm. “I’m on your side, okay? Whatever happens. I’ve upset you, I’m sorry. We can talk about something else.”

“You know you can never upset me, Dee,” she said. “I just … this was just a couple days ago, okay? I’m still figuring things out.”

“All right. We can talk about something else. But you’re not trapped at Fenrir, are you? You’ll still make it to my party tomorrow, right?”

“Oh shit, is that tomorrow?” This was the party to celebrate Deedee’s promotion. She didn’t want one, but it was actually Deedee’s mother, Aunt Jade, who’d convinced her she should celebrate her accomplishments. “I still have to do a shift at The Vixen Den.” She didn’t want to give up her job as a bodyguard because the girls needed her. She was only able to convince Nick and her mother to let her keep it because A, it worked with her training schedule and B, she reasoned that although the forgetting potion worked on making everyone lose their memories of her using her powers and shifting, it might seem strange if she suddenly just disappeared.

“It’s not till late,” Deedee said. “It was kind of a last-minute thing, and not everyone can come for dinner. So, I’m having supper with my parents first and then inviting everyone to come to Blood Moon after. My mother had the VIP room reserved for me.”

“Oh good, I’ll be there for sure.”

The waiter arrived with their appetizers, and the tension between them dissipated. However, as they enjoyed their escargot, Astrid couldn’t help but notice her friend looking around her nervously. Dee’s eyes darted around and she fiddled with her napkin a lot.

“All right, Dee. Your turn.”

Deedee’s light green eyes looked up at her. “Am I that transparent?”

“Yes.”

“It’s nothing, I mean …” She wiped her mouth with her napkin. “I was wondering … have you seen Cross lately?”

Ah yes. Her MIA oldest brother. Before Astrid had been born, it was Cross and Deedee who had been attached at the hip. But Astrid’s arrival didn’t cut in on their friendship; in fact, it had only strengthened it, and over the years, they had been an inseparable trio.

Eventually, all of them grew up and had their own lives. Deedee went off to London, Cross remained in New York, and Astrid was … well, she was being herself. Still, they had always kept in touch and spent as much time together as they could, especially since Deedee returned to New York. Cross’ withdrawal from his sister and best friend had been more of a recent phenomena.

“You know he’s been kinda … weird the past year,” Astrid said.

“And he hasn’t talked to you or anything?”

“Nothing of note.” Come to think of it, it had been a while since she’d seen or anyone even mentioned Cross.

“Oh.” Deedee looked down at her lap.

This time, it was Astrid who reached over to Deedee. “Are you going to tell him?”

“Tell him what?”

“That you’ve nursed this crush on him since you were sixteen?”

“What?” Her eyes widened and a blush spread over her cheek. “I have not.”

“Please, Deedee, it was so obvious.” Astrid said. “Our moms thought it was cute.”

“Well, I can’t believe you’re only telling me now that everyone knew.” Deedee pouted. “Anyway, that was more than ten years ago and I am not crushing on him anymore. I’m just concerned as I haven’t heard from him for a while. You know he didn’t even show up for our traditional Christmas dinner.”

“I know,” Astrid said. “I’m sure he had his reasons. But, well … maybe you could tell him how you feel next time you do see him? You did invite him to your party, right?”

The blush deepened on her cheeks. “I did. He said he’d try. But I can’t say anything. I mean, I don’t feel that way anymore.”

“Oh please, Deedee! What could it hurt? You know, our moms would be over the moon if you guys started dating and then got married and had babies—”

“No. It could never happen,” she said firmly. “We’re just friends. And maybe he won’t even show up.”

Astrid eyed her friend carefully. Did Deedee have deeper feelings for Cross than she made it sound like? “Dee, come on. I would be thrilled too—that means we’d really be sisters.”

“Astrid you know—oh!” Dee pointed behind her. “Look who’s here!” She waved her hand. “Zac! Zac, over here.”

Oh, no. Astrid covered her face with her hands. Maybe it was a different Zac? She grabbed another piece of bread and stuffed it in her mouth. Fat chance. Her inner wolf was practically beaming as it scented Zac Vrost. Oh, shut it, you stupid animal.

“Deedee,” Zac greeted as he came closer. When his eyes landed on Astrid, he seemed just as surprised as she was.

“Zac, you remember Astrid? Aunt Meredith’s youngest kid?” Deedee said.

“I do,” Zac said curtly. “Actually, we’ve been reacquainted this weekend.”

Deedee’s eyes narrowed at Astrid. “You have?”

“Yes, I saw her at her, uh, place of employment.” Zac said in a bemused voice. “Old and new.”

“She never mentioned about you being there.” Deedee looked daggers at Astrid. “Did you, best friend of mine?”

Okay, so that was the one tiny detail she didn’t tell Deedee. “Oh, did I forget to mention that Nick and Cady had brought Zac along? And that he was there for my first day of training?”

Deedee smirked. “Yes, you did forget to mention that fact.”

“Well, he was,” Astrid said nonchalantly. “End of story.”

Zac looked at her strangely, then turned to Dee. “So, how have you been, Deedee? It’s been a while since London.”

“After graduation, I went to.…”

As Deedee gave him a rundown, Astrid wanted to kick herself. She forgot that Deedee and Zac had studied in London at around the same time, so of course they were friends too.

“—and the job’s been great,” Deedee finished. “So, are you here alone? Want to join us for dinner?”

Astrid wanted to scream no at Deedee but kept a tight smile on her face.

“Actually, I’m just here to pick up an order before I go back to my hotel.”

She breathed a sigh of relief.

“But I’m sure I could ask the waitstaff to plate my meal so I can sit down with you.”

Oh crap.

“Sounds like a plan. We’ll wait right here while you go talk to them,” Dee said sweetly. As soon as Zac was out of earshot, her gaze narrowed at Astrid. “Speaking of childhood crushes …”

“Oh, shut your dirty mouth.” Astrid tossed a piece of bread at her. “That was years ago.”

“Five years ago. Hannah’s wedding.”

Astrid cringed at the reminder. “Which only proved my point: he didn’t even know I existed back then.”

“Right.” Dee brushed an imaginary piece of lint from her blouse. “So, tell me the entire story this time.”

Astrid knew she didn’t have a choice, so she filled in the details of how Zac fit into everything. She tried to pass it off as casually as she could without giving any hint of what had passed between them. Because, as far as she was concerned, there was nothing between them.

“Oh, my. Do you think Zac’s going to be the next Beta?”

Hmm, she hadn’t even considered that. “It seems logical, I guess. He is Nick’s son.”

“It’s not that logical,” Deedee said. “The position of Beta isn’t passed on, like Alpha. Oh wait, shush, here he comes and—uh-oh.”

“Uh-oh? What do you mean, uh-oh?”

“Zac’s coming back, but he’s not alone.”

Astrid looked behind her and saw who else was headed their way. Fucknuts. “The twins.”

Isabelle Anderson and Maxine Muccino weren’t really twins; they were actually first cousins as Isabelle’s mom, Frankie, and Maxine’s dad, Dante, were siblings. But, the two of them might as well have been twins because they looked so similar—same height, same petite frame, and the same mismatched blue and green eyes that everyone descended from the New Jersey Alpha shared. Both were also vapid and vain, and at one point, made Astrid’s life a living hell despite being younger than her.

“Hey, Dee!” Isabelle greeted. “Oh, and … Astrid? Astrid Jonasson?” The tone of her voice sounded like she had smelled days-old fish.

“Hello, Maxine. Isabelle,” Astrid said with a tight smile. Isabelle Anderson had been particularly mean to her, mocking in particular, her dismal fashion sense. As the daughter of a billionaire Alpha, Isabelle was always dressed from head to toe in the latest designer outfits. “Nice to see you here.”

“Well, we wanted to see Mama and Dominic,” Maxine said. Her mother, Holly Muccino, owned Petite Louve, and her oldest brother ran the kitchen on most days.

“But we ran into Zac, isn’t that nice?” Isabelle placed a hand on his arm. “And we thought, we should sit down to dinner together.”

Isabelle’s fingers stroking Zac’s arm really shouldn’t have bothered Astrid, but it did. She had to rein in her she-wolf, who was now gnashing its teeth at her.

“All of us,” Zac added.

“But this table is so tiny.” Isabelle pointed to the two-top Deedee and Astrid were sitting at.

Zac looked around the half-empty dining room. “It’s not too busy, I’m sure the waitstaff could put us at a larger table, right, Maxine?”

“Of course,” the girl replied cheerfully, which earned her a pointed look from Isabelle. “Er, let me go talk to the maître d’.”

After a bit of shuffling around, all five of them were seated at a larger, circular table, and Astrid found herself seated to Zac’s right with Isabelle on the other side.

“Nice shirt, Astrid,” Isabelle looked her up and down. “Did you get it at a vintage store? They seem to be popping up everywhere these days.”

She looked down at the pink T-shirt with the faded logo for an old bubblegum brand. “As a matter of fact, I did.”

“You’re so forward-thinking. You’ve always shopped at Goodwill, even when we were younger.” She flipped her hair and laughed.

Astrid felt a firm grip on her right wrist. When she looked down, she saw Deedee’s fingers around her hand which was already gripping a fork. When she dropped the fork and put her hand on her lap, Deedee released her.

“My mother was very practical,” Astrid said.

“And it’s not like you grew up without money,” Zac added. “You had that awesome loft in Tribeca. It was a converted warehouse, right? Uncle Sebastian owned half, and Meredith and Daric bought the other half. I remember going there for someone’s birthday, probably Deedee’s.”

“True,” Astrid said. “But when I was younger, I asked my mom if we were rich. She replied, ‘Well, I’m rich, you’re poor. Everything you have was bought with my hard-earned money.’”

Zac threw his head back and laughed. “Isn’t that the truth.”

Isabelle squirmed in her seat which Astrid counted as a win, though for what, she didn’t know. When she smirked at the younger woman, Isabelle’s nostrils flared, but she pasted a smile on her face. “Zac, I forgot to tell you, do you remember that old man who lived your building? Mr. Jones?”

“Yes, I remember.”

“I have the most hilarious story to tell you,” she tittered. “I was walking Fifi the other day and.…”

As the meal progressed, Isabelle masterfully manipulated the conversation so only she, Maxine, and Zac could participate. Astrid told herself it was okay, and she didn’t really want to chat with them anyway. Deedee glanced at her with a concerned look on her face, but Astrid shrugged and instead, dug into her delicious beef bourguignon, eating up every morsel. Stuffing herself with food felt like a good idea right now.

Finally, dessert was served, and when the check was paid, they all got ready to leave.

“Zac,” Isabelle said in a low whisper. “Maxine and I were going to check out this awesome club in the Meatpacking district. You should totally come with us.”

“And Astrid and Deedee too, right?” he said.

“Why not?” Deedee pulled at Astrid’s arm. “Let’s go.”

“I didn’t know you liked to go clubbing, Deedee,” Maxine said.

Astrid looked at Deedee. “You hate clubs.”

“What? I can’t change my mind?” Her grip on Astrid’s arm tightened. “C’mon.”

She knew what Deedee was trying to do, but she wasn’t having any of it. If Isabelle Anderson wanted Zac Vrost, then she could have him. It was obvious anyway that the young woman had her sights set on him. And why not? She was young and the Alpha’s daughter, and soon he would be Beta, and they’d be such a perfect Lycan power couple it made Astrid want to throw up.

She pulled her hand away from Deedee’s grasp. “You guys have fun. I have early training tomorrow, and it’s pretty grueling.”

Zac began to protest. “Astrid—”

“It’s fine.” She waved her hand at them. “I’ll see you all soon. Bye now.” She didn’t waste any time and grabbed her jacket from the back of her chair, then ran out the front door. She had barely put one arm inside her jacket when she heard the restaurant door open.

“Astrid. Astrid!”

“Shit biscuits,” she muttered under her breath. She supposed she could keep going, but she couldn’t exactly pretend she didn’t hear him. “Yes?” She spun around.

“Hold on.” Zac caught up to her. “Where are you going?”

“Back to Fenrir,” she said. “Like I said, I have an early day.”

“Let me take you there, then,” he offered.

“What about Isabelle?”

He sent her a blank look. “What about her?”

“Aren’t you going clubbing?”

He chuckled. “Me, clubbing? I’m not twenty-one anymore.”

“But you were … you said.”

“Did I say ‘yes, I’m going clubbing’?”

“Er …” She bit her lip. “I guess you didn’t.”

“My car’s this way.” He took her hand, and when the electricity from his touch made her skin come alive, she jumped back.

“No!” she cried. “I mean …”

“Astrid,” he said in a low voice. The air around them became still and quiet. He took one step forward and she took one back. They repeated this until she found herself pressed up against the wall behind her.

“Zac?” she whispered, afraid to look up at him. He tipped her chin up, and she had no choice but to peer up at his ice blue eyes. They had grown dark now and he was leaning down and—

Poof.

When Astrid opened her eyes, she was back inside Petite Louve and had reappeared in front of a waiter carrying a tray laden with dishes. The woman shrieked as the plates of food crashed to the floor.

“S-s-sorry! I’m so sorry!”

Mortified, she turned tail and headed out the back door, her heart hammering in her chest. The cool air hit her face like a wallop when she burst through the rear door and ran into the alley that led to the dumpsters.

Oh God. She kept running, not really caring where she went, as long as it was far away from Zac Vrost.