in the eye.
“She has a really distinctive voice,” Dominic added. “How long has she been performing here?” He hadn’t seen her before.
“Not long,” replied Charlene. “So anyway . . .” The fox chattered on and on, and Dominic nodded in the appropriate places, but his attention was on Mila. She absolutely fucking owned that stage, and his wolf found her rather entrancing.
“You’re not listening to me, are you?” Charlene sighed.
Dominic blinked. “Sure I am. I’m just enjoying the show.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right.” Her brow furrowed. “She’s not your usual type.”
True. Curvy Charlene was more his type—which was why they’d had a fling many, many years ago. “Doesn’t mean I’m not still appreciating the view.”
At that moment, the song tapered off, and the crowd once more went wild. Mila launched right into another song—this one more upbeat, which had people going crazy on the dance floor.
Charlene swiped the tray off the bar. “Got more glasses to collect. See you guys later.”
“Later,” said Dominic. He glanced at Madisyn. “Is Mila mated?”
Dante sighed heavily. “You have a group of females sitting at your table, waiting for you to get your ass back over there.”
Yeah, well, none of them really appealed to Dominic. No matter what others thought, he wouldn’t fuck anything that moved.
“Aren’t you tired of flings and one-night stands?” asked Dante. “Honestly?”
Tired? A little. Dominic had perfected the art of seduction long ago. It was like a dance, in some sense. But for a while now he’d become bored with the steps. Bored of the song. Bored of how easy it all was. But he had no wish to dive into a relationship, which meant keeping things shallow and simple.
As Dominic didn’t like “talks,” he asked airily, “Why would I be?”
The Beta’s mouth thinned. “You know, I once thought something serious might come of you and Charlene.”
Dominic’s brows drew together. “Why?”
“Because you kept her around for longer than a month.”
That hadn’t been out of some deep interest in the fox. Back then, Charlene had been much like him—in no rush to mate and happy to stick with flings. Later, that had changed for her, and she was now fully imprinted on a lion shifter who Dominic kind of liked. Dominic, however, hadn’t changed.
“By behaving like a player, you’re cheapening yourself.”
Dominic shot his Beta a glare. Okay, Dominic might come across as a player, but . . . “I’m not some asshole who treats women like they’re sex objects or something.”
“No, you’re not,” Dante conceded. “You show a girl a good time. You treat her with respect, you don’t play games, and you don’t lead her on. Which is probably why I’ve yet to hear any female talk smack about you. But you don’t give them even a little bit of you. You just give them the illusion that they know you.”
“Illusion?”
Trey nodded. “On the surface, you’re social and open, so no one expects you to have secrets. But you’re not really such a simple creature, and you have more boundaries than most.”
“If growing old alone will make you happy, keep going as you are,” said Dante. “But if it won’t, get your shit together.”
Dominic bristled. “You talk like I’m a middle-aged guy clinging to his freedom.”
“I just don’t want you to become that guy,” said Dante. “But you’re on that path.”
Dominic snorted. “You’re only on my ass because I’m the last unattached adult male in the pack. Just because the rest of you are mated doesn’t mean it’s wrong that I’m not. And just because all of you are happy in your mating doesn’t mean that being single makes me unhappy.”
“But that’s the thing, Dom. I don’t think you are happy. I don’t think you’ve been happy in a long time. And I don’t like it.”
“Happiness isn’t always linked to whether or not you’re in a relationship.” Mating bonds could be a blessing, but they could also be a trap. Dominic’s parents had been trapped in a broken relationship, and his mother had been so desperate to escape that she’d walked out, condemning her own mate in the process. So yeah, the need to find his true mate had never nagged at Dominic. Even his wolf was in no rush to find her.
Dominic wasn’t stupid. He knew there was every chance he’d be as happy with his true mate as his pack mates were with theirs. But he also knew that he’d be a difficult partner. He’d find it hard to open up and bare his soul. He’d struggle to