Ch. 3 Beach Day

Zoe’s POV 

I was so excited! The Alphas wanted to take Kat to the beach and they’d invited everyone to join them. We hadn’t been to the beach in forever and I couldn’t wait to work on my tan.

Landon would be there too. He may not be “the one” but he was fun to hang out with and I enjoyed the attention from him. Plus, he was nice to look at. Not that there wouldn’t be plenty of other eye candy as well.

An image of Dillon with his shirt off on the training field, sweat rolling down his rippling muscles, flashed through my mind uninvited. I quickly pushed it away. Because for every mouthwatering picture of Dillon my mind conjured, it was always followed by the memory of his perfect ass as he thrust into one of his whores on that night almost two years ago. 

That sight was burned into my brain for all eternity and I hated that it was forever linked with what should have been the most special event in my life. The night Cinna came to me should have been a beautiful memory. But instead, I’d spent the whole night enduring a pain in my heart that was every bit as horrific as the pain wracking my body. And to make matters worse, I couldn’t escape his presence, tortured by the smell of her all over him through the entire ordeal.

“He was so patient and gentle with us, though.” Cinna purred in my head. “And he called me beautiful!”

“Don’t read too much into it. He says that to all the girls. In fact, I’m pretty sure it's his favorite word.” I said, rolling my eyes at her.

“Well I like him!” She huffed, stomping off to sulk

Cinna was a big fan of Dillon’s. She was always asking about him and loved to be close to him. I’d had to force her to run away that night after we shifted. But she hadn’t been with me for the year I spent loving him, only for him to crush me. She didn’t understand. It was the only thing we disagreed on. 

Shaking that thought away, I returned my thoughts to the day ahead. I chose a pink bikini with a bandeau top that opened down the middle, only thin metallic bars covering my cleavage. The matching bottoms were a skimpy cut with string ties at the side. The fewer tan lines the better!

I threw on a white, flowy cover-up and a pair of white slides, then I was ready to go. Grabbing my beach bag off the bed, I headed out the door to go meet Julia and Landon, who’d agreed to drive us. But as soon as I entered the hall, the fading smell of sandalwood, cedar and birch hit me. Dillon’s scent. What had he been doing outside my room?

Looking around, I didn’t see anyone in the hall so I shrugged it off and headed downstairs. Landon was waiting for me in the foyer of the packhouse and he lifted me off the ground in a big bear hug the second I reached him.

“There’s my gorgeous girl!” He laughed, twirling me around.

“Hi, babe.” I giggled at him. 

I could have sworn I heard someone snarl but before I could search for the source, Landon was pulling me outside where Julia was waiting for us. A couple of Landon’s friends were joining us and they were already waiting by his jeep so it didn’t take long for us to load up and hit the road. We were all elated to finally spend a day just relaxing and having fun with our friends.

Landon cranked the radio up and we all sang along to our favorite songs at the top of our lungs. The guys talked about getting a group together for a game of beach volleyball which Julia and I weren’t excited about, but we agreed to cheer from the sidelines. By the time we made it to the beach, I was in such a great mood, I didn’t think anything could ruin it. But I was wrong.

Before we even exited the trail that emerged out onto the beach from the parking lot, the sound of a high-pitched cackle reached my ears, already grating on my nerves. Unfortunately I recognized that laugh. Blair, the pack slut and Dillon’s personal whore was here and I didn’t need to see her to know she was draped all over Dillon.

I did my best to ignore them as we trudged through the sand, looking for the perfect spot to spread our towels, but her squeals were hard to tune out. Despite my best efforts, I found myself turning in the direction of the sound and immediately wished I hadn’t. Dillon was talking animatedly with one of his warriors, and as predicted, Blair was pressed up against him, smashing her huge tits into his arm.

She was wearing a white bikini that left little to the imagination, her tan skin practically glowing in the sun. Her long, dark hair fell down her back in a french braid, skimming her perky, round ass. Nobody should look that perfect. Especially a bitch like her. 

All I wanted to do was close my eyes, feel the sun on my skin and block out the world. I turned my back on them and peeled off my cover-up, tossing it on the ground beside me when a loud rumble vibrated around me. I panicked, looking around to see where the threat was, only to find Dillon glaring at me like I’d committed murder.

“What the fuck are you wearing?” He linked me, shaking Blair off his arm. I could practically see the steam coming out of his ears.

“What is your problem, Dillon? Have you seen what your slutty girlfriend is wearing? Why don’t you worry about her?” I spit back, crossing my arms over my chest indignantly. Who the fuck did he think he was?

“Fuckin’ hell, Zoe! I don’t care what she wears. I’m worried about you. Every guy on this beach is eye-fucking you right now. You’re asking for trouble.” He looked around, snarling. 

“I’m not your problem, Dillon! You made sure of that a long time ago. Go back to your little tramp and leave me alone!” I flung the insult at him.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He asked, sounding hurt.

“Fuck off, Dillon!” I sneered then shut him out.

I stretched out on my towel and closed my eyes, focusing on the sounds around me. Anything not to think of Dillon and his domineering attitude. Julia was chatting up a guy next to her so I focused on her conversation. I must have dozed off, because the next thing I knew Julia was shaking my arm.

“Wake up! The Alphas are here and they’re bringing Kat over!” She whispered, continuing to nudge me,

“Chill out, Jules. She seems really nice!” I tried calming her nerves. Julia was shy for reasons I never understood.

“I know, but what if she is our Luna? I don’t want to embarrass myself in front of her.” She worried.

“You won’t! Just be your usual awesome self!” I reassured her with a wink.

I called out to Kat and Julia and I both waved her over. Reegan and Ryan brought her over and agreed to let her hang out with us, even after I jokingly threatened to spill all their dirty secrets. I was excited to spend some girl time with her.

Kat’s eyes followed them as they left, clinging to them like a lifeline. I briefly wondered what it would be like to feel that way for someone but I doubted I ever would. Brushing off that thought, I couldn’t help but follow her line of sight, curious about what she found so interesting. I was sure she was staring at the Alphas but what caught my attention was the man standing next to them.

Dillon stood there in nothing but his swim shorts, sun glistening off the water droplets lingering on his muscular frame. His wet hair was slicked back but still dripping, telling me he’d just gotten out of the water. He looked good enough to eat, sending pleasurable tingles straight to my core. But no matter how scrumptious he looked, I couldn’t get past the fact that yet another woman was wrapped around him like cling wrap.

Karla was a well-known rank chaser in the pack. She’d gone after both the Alphas and my brother with no success. So now she was after Dillon. She had her arms coiled around his waist, melting into him. I had to wonder how Blair felt about another woman moving in on her territory. I nearly snorted out loud at that thought. 

“So Kat, your job sounds so exciting. I’m not sure I want to work with moms and babies but maybe something in the medical field. Will you tell me about it?” I asked, returning my attention to her, refusing to give Dillon and his new floozy of the hour another thought.

“Sure! And if you decide it’s something you want to pursue,  I’d be happy to put you in contact with the right people and help you with your application.” She offered.

“Really? That would be amazing!” I said, thanking her profusely.

Julia and I both listened attentively as she told us all about her training and the different options I could look into. The more she talked, the more excited I became. It was gratifying to know I could be something more than just a mate and breeder. I could do something important with my life. Suddenly,  a future without Dillon was looking brighter.

Again, my mood soared, until a snippet of Dillon’s conversation reached my ears. 

“I’ll catch ya later, sweetheart.” He told Karla with a wink, using that seductive tone that promised all sorts of forbidden pleasures. 

Something ugly twisted in my gut. Something that felt suspiciously like jealousy. But I didn’t want Dillon anymore. I hadn’t for a very long time. So why did it still hurt to know he didn’t want me?