He could tell from her expression that she wasn't really interested in books, and her next statement all but confirmed it. "Is that so? I read books with lots of mystery in them too." She chewed on her bottom lip. "Mysteries like, 'when is that hot guy she met at a party going to put his hand down her pants?' Or 'is he going to rail her behind a tree and clamp a hand over her mouth to make sure none of the other guests hear them going at it?'" She winked at him. "Those are my favorite kinds of mysteries."
Against his better judgment, heat stirred inside Ken. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd had sex; it was probably another one of Rick's ideas to try and help Ken get over Beth, but of course, it hadn't worked. Lily ticked all the boxes—hot as hell, eager, and she didn't look much younger than him.
But ... she wasn't Beth, and Ken didn't think a quick shag in the woods was going to make him get over her, as good as it might feel in the moment.
"I'm not sure those kinds of mysteries are appropriate for a get-together like this, do you?" Ken said casually.
Lily placed a hand on Ken's muscular bicep. "I don't see why not. It's an easy mystery to solve, don't you think? You could be this town's first detective."
In another life, he might have liked Lily's forwardness. Right now, it just annoyed him. It wasn't her fault. The odds were stacked against anyone who had an interest in Ken; he hadn't come here to hook up or find someone worth giving a chance.
He gently peeled her hand off of his bicep. "I'm flattered by your interest, Lily. You'll find your detective amongst the fine men here if you keep looking, but that's not me."
"You're turning me down?" She sounded shocked. "Did you even look at me?"
He scoffed. "Of course I did. How couldn't I? But I'm really not interested. Please let me eat my sandwich in peace."
"You must be gay or something. No one's turned down an offer like that before."
"Well that's just fucking rude, isn't it?" Ken could feel his wolf's anger building, a pocket of air in his stomach that could pop at and second. He really didn't want to make a scene. "Wanting something different doesn't give you the right to insult me or anyone's preferences."
Despite his attempt to contain his anger, he'd raised his voice a little, enough to draw the attention of people nearby.
"Is there a problem here?" Another person came up behind Ken, and he glanced over his shoulder to see a male with the same bright red hair as Lily.
She gained a smug look on her face. "I think we're fine. Thanks, bro. The big guy just can't keep it in his pants." She tossed her long hair over her shoulder. "He's upset that I refused his offer to go fuck like animals in the forest while the rest of his lame-o's flirt like they're still in 10th grade. Of course, I was aghast by his forwardness, but I can take care of myself."
"What the fuck?" Now the anger boiled inside Ken, and he took a step toward Lily. "That's not what happened at all. Why are you lying?"
Lily's brother grabbed him by the arm. "You're disgusting, propositioning a perfect lady like that out of the blue. Don't you have any pride? Step the fuck back."
A low growl reverberated from Ken's throat, but after one glance at everyone else around him, and he saw that there was no winning this. Of course they were all going to believe Lily over him. It wasn't like Ken had a reputation for being mild-tempered, and they'd all conveniently forget that he wasn't the kind of guy who slept around just because it didn't fit the narrative they were constructing.
He shoved his wolf down. His fists clenched at his sides, and he stepped away from the table in the opposite direction.
"Asshole," Lily muttered. "That'll teach you."
"You're lucky I don't fucking deck you," Ken said under his breath, not trusting himself to speak any louder.
He could feel everyone's eyes on him as he made his way away from the food tables, and he knew they were all judging him. He wanted to tell them that they didn't know shit about him. But everyone who'd lived in Silvercoast for a while had already formed an opinion about him: theyallthought there was something wrong with him, and this would only reinforce their beliefs. It wasn't fair, but he didn't want to give her the satisfaction of causing a scene, so he kept his mouth shut.
He didn't do anything wrong, and yet he was the one who was being made to feel like the bad guy. He tried to remind himself that it didn't matter what other people thought, but it was hard when he doubted himself, too.
Beth had left him, after all, when he'd thought they'd been a happy couple. They'd bitten each other and made an official proclamation as mates. They'd planned on building a family together. And then, one day, she'd unloaded all these problems onto him—ones that, to him, had seemed make-believe. It had all come out of nowhere.
And then she was gone.
If Ken had lost the only woman he'd ever loved, without understanding why, and being oblivious to everything she'd complained about... then maybe hewasthe asshole. Maybe he deserved to be the outcast and ostracized.
Maybe it would be easier if he just gave up and let people believe whatever they wanted about him.
He stomped through the grass until he made it back to the tree he'd been hiding under before. He hesitated there before stuffing his stupid sandwich into his mouth. He'd long since lost his appetite, but he wasn't one to waste perfectly good food.
There was nothing keeping him here anymore. He wiped his mouth and scanned the area for the nearest garbage can, ready to make a quick escape, but Rick had freed himself from his conquests and was hurrying toward Ken.
"Did you score?" Ken asked before Rick could say anything; his cool blue eyes were wrinkled with worry. "Saw you over there with two blondes. Just your type, huh?"
"You know it, man. They flocked to me before I spotted them!" Rick laughed nervously and patted his pocket. "Got their numbers for later."