APEX

Ch. 6: Request for an Ex

Calla

As soon as our meeting ended, Rhys pulled me aside, sporting a gloating expression that made me immediately apprehensive.

My arm felt hot under his grip.

"What's with you two?"

Fuck. Dev's snide statements had given too much away. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Denial clashes with those Louis Vuittons. Try again."

"Detective Kim and I have worked together for years."

"Yes, but were you also in the same fraternity?"

"Stop it, Rhys." Despite attempts to keep my blood pressure from rising, my cheeks heated.

"Oh my God, you giant hypocrite!" Rhys opened his mouth wide like a teenager who just learned his two favorite popstars were hooking up. "You slept with him, didn't you?"

"Shhh, lower your voice."

"Fine," he whispered. "But don't expect to live this down any time soon. After your stupid lecture on the moral wrongs of asserting situational power over humans, and then berating me from being chummy with Dev... Oh, I see now—our close rapport makes you jealous, doesn't it?"

"Jealous? Why the hell would I be jealous? Did you sleep with him too?"

"I wish I had because the fact that he loves me and can't even look you in the eye would make this so much better. But no, I'm as uninterested in men as he is."

"He can look me in the eye, he just prefers not to."

"Because why? Did you dump him when you realized a human couldn't quite cut it for you? He left you unsatisfied, didn't he? I've never had that happen, obviously, but I imagine it would be the sort of ego-busting experience that would leave a mark. Poor Dev."

"You don't know what you're talking about. On multiple levels. God, I can't believe this is still my first day working with you. It feels like I've been trapped at Apex for a decade."

"So, what was the nature of your relationship? A one-night stand? Or did you go back for seconds?"

"Do I have to remind you that I'm your boss? This is Human Resources material right here."

"Fine," Rhys said. "You're right. I won't bring it up again."

"Thank you."

"For at least thirty minutes."

"No, you won't bring it up ever again."

His hand remained gripped onto my arm. Almost as if he was the jealous party. We hated each other but chemistry didn't care about that and neither did our wolves. As amusing as he seemed to be, he must be seething on the inside, discussing a man who had once held a claim to me and knowing he never would.

Peeling his hand off finger by finger, I gave him my best stern expression. Despite my position over him and my personal loathing of him, not to mention that I still believed he knew something about my friend's disappearance, it still took more energy than it should have to stand up to him. Alpha males held the biggest sway in the werewolf community. Even a pack Luna like myself was meant to defer to them. It was times like these that I hated the rigid social structure we'd wrapped ourselves in. I tended to ignore any reason for subserviency, but in this case, a little mild pleading would work in my favor. "Please, Rhys. You know what could happen to me or to Dev if this got out. Besides, it's over. Like, completely over."

"Judging by his body language, I wouldn't be so sure about that, but...since you asked so nicely." He pantomimed a zipper going across his lips.

I didn't trust him for a second, but I at least had to pretend like I did. "Good. Now what I need you to do is head back down to the car and wait for me."