Page 7 of The Denver Alpha
I stare at him for a long moment, blinking. “You?”
“Wow, don’t look so surprised,” he chuckles, running a hand through his auburn hair.
I narrow my eyes on Tobias, searching his face for a sign that he’s trying to get one over on me. “But I thought you were a pack warrior?”
“I am,” he grins. “And a pre-med student. Those things aren’t mutually exclusive.” He leans in closer, giving me a whiff of his spicy masculine scent. “Guess we’re both proof that nerds can be hot,” he drawls, waggling his eyebrows.
I bark out a laugh, shoving him away playfully. Guess I shouldn’t have judged a book by its cover.
Tobias digs a hand into his pocket, retrieving a set of keys and tossing them from palm to palm. “Are you coming or what?” he teases, grinning as he starts backing away.
I guess I have no choice but to follow. I pick up my messenger bag from the floor, slinging it over my shoulder and trailing after him to a door just off the foyer. He pulls it open and leads me down a wide windowless staircase, and I don’t even know why I’m surprised when we reach the bottom and pass through another door to an underground parking garage. Because of-fucking-course this place would have some more fancy-schmancy shit. I suppose it makes sense in light of how many people live here, but it doesn’t make it any less impressive.
The garage is chocked full of all types of vehicles, including a slick black Camaro convertible that I can’t help but eye longingly as we pass. I always wanted a convertible, but my parents insisted they were too dangerous. Fun haters.
Tobias leads me down the row of parked cars to a large black SUV, the lights flashing when he unlocks it with his key fob. I hop up into the passenger seat while he climbs in on the other side, and a minute later, we’re pulling out of the garage, winding through the gated community bound for the city. My eyes are fixated out the window for the duration of the drive to Denver U as I take it all in with eager eyes; the urban landscape, the sheer amount of people. Tobias makes casual conversation, but I’m only half listening, completely entranced by my new and exciting surroundings.
The rest of the afternoon passes by in a blur as we arrive at campus and Tobias shows me around. We stop in the registrar’s office to get me all set up to start classes in a few weeks, then hit the bookstore where I drop an obscene amount of money on textbooks and Denver U swag- because it’s not official until I’ve got a hoodie with the school logo, right? After that, Tobias gives me a full tour of the campus so I can get the lay of the land and treats me to ice cream from a little shop across the street. Actually being on campus only ramps up my excitement to pursue my degree here, and after we’ve seen all there is to see and Tobias suggests we head back to the packhouse, I’m a little sad to leave. That is, until he drops a bomb on me when he tells me about his plans for the night.
“A club?” I blink, staring at the side of Tobias’ face as he navigates the city streets on the way back to the packhouse.
“Yeah, the pack owns a bunch of them around the city,” he replies coolly.
“And we’re allowed to go?” I question dubiously. “Are they shifters only or something?”
“Nah, babe,” Tobias chuckles, shooting me a smirk. “Man, you guys don’t get out much over there in the six-pack, do you?”
“We do,” I retort defensively. “We just have our own bars and stuff on our territory. We don’t typically mingle with humans much.”
“Well it’s a whole different world here. We just blend right in.”
I’m trying my best to not come across as a total fish out of water here, but it’s hard when my reactions give me away every time.
“Come out with us,” Tobias urges, sliding me a flirtatious glance. “We’re gonna head out around ten, you can catch a ride with me and my boys.”
I don’t even have to take a second to consider whether I’ll take him up on it- a real nightclub in the city with drinks and dancing and the whole shebang? It’s a no brainer. “I’m in,” I grin, immediately starting to mentally catalogue my wardrobe and plan my outfit. It’ll be my first night out in Denver and I intend to make it count.
“Damn, girl,” Shay says approvingly, whistling as I do a little spin in my silver sequined dress. It’s a simple tank dress with a scoop neck and a low back, but the stretchy material hugs my curves perfectly, the length just enough to tease without being obnoxiously short.
“Yeah?” I ask, even though I know I look damn good. The dress is glam enough on its own, so I just straightened my hair and left it down, keeping my makeup understated with silvery eye shadow, winged liner, and mascara.
“Oh yeah,” she nods, grinning from the doorway of my bedroom. “It’s no wonder your brother kept you on a tight leash, the guys at the club are gonna be all over you tonight.”
“And without Jax around, they may actually dance with me,” I point out. I toss Shay a wink, reaching for my clutch and stuffing my phone inside before tucking it beneath my arm and crossing the room to her. “You ready to go?” I give her a once-over. “You look hot as fuck too, by the way.”
Shay’s in a tight black pleather dress that looks like it’s painted on, the fuchsia heels on her feet matching the streaks of color in her hair perfectly.
“I’ve got nobody to impress, I’m taken,” she scoffs with the wave of a hand, backing into the hallway as I close the door to my room and lock it behind us. She flashes me a bright smile, eyes twinkling as she links her arm with mine. “But thanks.”
The two of us make our way through the quiet halls of the packhouse to the foyer, our heels clicking against the floor noisily along the way. When I returned from campus earlier, I ran into Shay and immediately asked if she’d be up for going out tonight. Not that I wouldn’t have gone without her, but it’s nice to have someone familiar to lean on while I try to navigate my new life here. I was thrilled when she agreed right away.
“Speaking of being taken, I’m surprised Sam lets you out of the house looking like that,” I tease. “He’s cool with you going out without him?”
“Of course, we trust each other. And he works a lot, so I have to occupy my time somehow.” Shay shrugs, steering us down an adjacent hallway. “I’m a warrior for the pack so I spend some of it training, but on nights like this when he’s working late, I’m not just gonna sit around and wait for him to come home like some desperate housewife. He gets that. Most of the time he just meets me out whenever he’s done working.”
“So he’ll be at the club tonight?” I ask, my throat tightening with unease.
She pats my arm reassuringly. “Don’t worry, he won’t go tattling to big bro about you. I’ll make sure of it.”