SIXTEEN

SIXTEEN
I laugh along with Selene and take a sip of water, which apparently catches the attention of both Max and Jade.

“She’s right—it was definitely worth the wait,” Jade says, his eyes fixed on me.

I’m not sure how to interpret that look, so I glance away—only to meet Max’s gaze. He nods, and then I notice Ethan hiding a smile behind his beer bottle.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen him smile before, but there’s no time to dwell on that. Max pulls my focus again.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen your hair up like that. It looks good, Aria,” he says, his brow creased like he's trying to piece something together.

“Yeah, Tiny,” Jade teases with a wink. “Who’d you get all dressed up for?”

“Who are you calling Tiny?” I scoff, mock-offended. “I had no say in any of this. I’m basically the victim of a fashion hostage situation led by a very persuasive friend.” I toss a smile at Selene, who’s laughing at something Leo just said.

Before Jade could reply, Selene jumps in.

“It was not a hostage situation! I was just being a good friend and highlighting all your best features.”

I roll my eyes at her—but she’s not wrong.

She found this gorgeous blue coat that brought out the gray in my eyes. Then she did this amazing eye makeup that made them glow almost silver.

She styled my blonde hair into a high ponytail and curled the ends, which somehow made me look taller, more confident. I still wore my jeans, T-shirt, and black combat boots from school, so it wasn’t a complete transformation—but the little changes made me feel like a new version of myself.

I don’t know how long we stood there chatting, but we had the guys’ full attention the entire time.

Even my brother and Ethan eventually joined the conversation. Turns out, Ethan is insanely smart—he takes tons of advanced math classes.

He and I ended up in a deep discussion that clearly went over everyone else’s heads. At least someone else around here likes school—it makes me feel a little less alone in that.

Max and Jade talked about their dad prepping them for becoming co-Alphas and all the pressure that comes with that. Milo even joined in, mentioning how much pressure our dad puts on him to be the perfect beta.

I also learned all five of them are into sports and training. They’ve tried just about every outdoor activity there is—most of which I’d love to try with them.

Selene has this way of pulling people in, like a magnet. If she chooses to draw you into her world, resistance is useless. I don’t think I’ve ever had these kinds of conversations with these guys—definitely not ones that made me feel like I belonged.

Jade strolls past me on his way back from grabbing another beer. He stops right beside me and peers down with a smirk. “You really are tiny, Tiny. What happened? Did Milo get all the height genes and leave you with nothing?”

He towers over me—he must be pushing six feet now. I have to tilt my head all the way back to see his face.

It should feel intimidating having him this close, but it doesn’t. None of them scare me. Around these guys, I feel... safe.

“I guess I never realized how small you are, Smalls,” Max says from behind me. I barely have to move my gaze—he’s that close. Not touching me, like Jade, but near enough that I can feel his warmth.

Still unbothered, I respond the best way I know how—channeling Selene.

“Some of us hit perfection early,” I say, smirking. “Others are still sanding down the rough edges.”

They both flash me slow, wicked smiles that send my pulse into overdrive. I inhale deeply, trying to steady my racing heart.

“Like a fine wine, Little Bit—we’re just getting better with age,” Leo calls out, his arm still wrapped securely around Selene, where it’s been ever since she switched to beer.

The whole group bursts out laughing.