Jealousy Alpha's Regret novel Chapter 43

Chapter 43

I closed my eyes, the last thing I wanted was social interaction. But

the alternative was sitting here alone with my thoughts, and that

seemed worse.

“Megan’s here too,” Blake added, a hint of suggestion in his voice.

My grip tightened on the phone. Of course she was. “I’ll be there,” I

said curtly before hanging up.

I crushed the cigarette in the ashtray and started the engine. My wolf

was restless, agitated by Iris’s rejection and the lingering scent of her

that still clung to me. I needed a distraction. Alcohol would have to

1. do.

When I pushed open the door to the private room at Moonlight

Lounge, the music hit me like a physical force. I hadn’t bothered to

change, my white shirt still partially unbuttoned, my appearance

distinctly disheveled.

I felt every eye in the room turn to me, taking in my rumpled clothes,

the loosened buttons of my shirt. Let them speculate. I didn’t give a

damn what they thought.

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My gaze swept the room, landing briefly on Megan standing among a

group of laughing wolves. Her eyes lit up when she saw me, a smile

spreading across her face. The sight only irritated me further.

I deliberately ignored her, heading straight for the bar. “Whiskey.

Neat,” I told the bartender. I needed something strong to burn away

the memory of Iris’s scent, her defiance, the sting of her rejection.

“Sebastien! You finally made it!”

I recognized Megan’s voice without turning around. Her scent–too

sweet, too deliberate–reached me before she did. I took my drink

from the bartender and turned slowly.

She stood there in a white dress that was clearly chosen to catch my

attention, her smile practiced and perfect. “Let me take your jacket,”

she offered, reaching toward me.

I stepped back instinctively. “I’m fine.”

I saw the brief flash of hurt in her eyes before her smile returned,

slightly less confident than before. It was nothing like Iris’s genuine

reactions–her anger, her defiance, her disgust. Everything about Iris

was real, even her hatred of me.

“Everyone’s been waiting for you,” Megan said, gesturing toward the

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group. “Come join us.”

I looked over at the crowded seating area, immediately noticing there

was only one spot left–right next to where Megan had obviously been

sitting. The setup was so transparent it was almost insulting.

I followed her reluctantly, maintaining as much distance as possible

as I took the seat. Her scent was all wrong–artificial perfume trying

to mask her natural wolf scent. Nothing like the clean, simple scent of

Iris that drove my wolf crazy.

I felt the eyes of the other wolves on us, their knowing looks and subtle nudges. They all expected me to fall back into old patterns with Megan now that my marriage was failing. The thought made me

want to laugh. Or break something.

I grabbed my drink and downed it in one go, feeling the burn in my throat. It wasn’t enough to wash away the memory of Iris’s scent, her

touch, the fire in her eyes when she defied me.

“I got a new phone,” Megan said, pulling out her latest model smartphone. “I lost all my contacts. We should exchange numbers

again.”

I looked at her, then at the expectant faces around us. They were all waiting to see if I would take this obvious invitation. Blake was

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practically grinning from ear to ear.

“I have a marked mate,” I said coldly. “I don’t exchange contact

information with other female wolves.”

Blake choked on his drink, spitting alcohol across the table. The

shocked silence that followed was almost worth the evening’s

humiliation.

I reached for another drink, avoiding everyone’s eyes.

Let them talk. Let them wonder. Iris was right about one thing–we

were in the Cooling Period now. But deep down, I wasn’t sure I was

ready to let her go.