Max's POV
I stepped out onto the porch, letting the screen door slap shut behind me.
She didn't turn.
Didn't even pretend she wasn't waiting for me.
Instead, she gripped the wooden railing, her knuckles white, staring into the dark like the trees had the answers she was looking for.
I took my time moving closer, watching her shoulders rise and fall too fast, too uneven.
I stopped just behind her, close enough to feel the heat rolling off her body.
Close enough that if I so much as leaned in an inch, I'd be pressed up against her back.
And when I did— her breath hitched.
I kept my voice low. Steady.
"Tell me, Dallas."
She stiffened.
I smirked.
"Is it that you don't want me?" I murmured, letting my words brush against the back of her neck.
"Or is it that you're scared you do?"
Her fingers curled tighter around the railing.
But she didn't say a damn thing.
She just stood there.
Shaking.
Silent.
And that?
That was my answer.
I reached out, dragging my knuckles slowly down her arm.
She shivered.
Like she couldn't control it.
Like her body was already mine, even if her mind hadn't caught up yet.
I leaned in, letting my lips barely graze her ear.
"I don't need you to say it," I murmured.
Her breath came sharper now.
Faster.
But she still didn't turn around.
Still couldn't face me.
So I gave her an out.
For now.
I pulled back, taking a step toward the door, watching as she sucked in a desperate breath like she'd been drowning.
Then, before I went inside, I tossed over my shoulder—
"Our guests are waiting, sweetheart."
I paused just long enough to see her shoulders sag.
She came back inside a few minutes later.
I saw the way she squared her shoulders, the way she forced her breath to even out, the way she looked for me.
"Dallas, honey—come sit." Came her mother's voice from the dining table where she sat with my mother, grandmother, aunt and the Luna of our pack.
I moved in behind her as she hesitated, felt the way her body tensed when I got close.
Still raw.
Still too affected.
I leaned down, voice just for her.
"Go ahead, sweetheart," I murmured. "Let's see what our mothers have been up to."
She sucked in a sharp breath, then moved to the table without a word.
She sat.
And I did what I always did.
I followed.
I took the seat right beside her, close enough that my thigh pressed against hers under the table.
She didn't move.
Didn't even flinch.
Good.
Nancy smiled warmly, completely oblivious to the war waging between her daughter and me.
"We were just trying to settle on a date for the ceremony," she said, voice too excited.
I watched the way Dallas's fingers twitched slightly on the table.
Like she wanted to grab the nearest sharp object and stab me with it.
Mom beamed.
"There are two Saturdays available in April," the Luna said, pulling out a damn calendar.
Dallas cleared her throat, voice strangled when she finally spoke.
"I—uh—" She glanced at me, like I might bail her out.
I didn't.
I just watched.
Waited.
And enjoyed every damn second of it.
"So," I mused, stretching out my legs and making sure I brushed against hers. "Which date are we thinking, sweetheart?"
Dallas's eyes snapped to mine, a barely contained murderous glint flashing in them.
I smirked.
She hated me.
I'd decided I would enjoy this until it all fell apart.
She was supposed to stammer, stall, make an excuse.
Maybe even finally pull the plug on this whole damn mess.
But instead—
She met my gaze, held it like she wasn't about to break,
And then she said, casual as hell—
"I was actually thinking about moving the date up."
Silence.
My brain short-circuited.
I stared at her, waiting for the punchline.
Waiting for her to smirk, to roll her eyes, to throw me a lifeline so I'd know she was just messing with me.
But she didn't.
She just sat there, all calm, all composed, all full of shit.
And for the first time since this whole thing started—
I had no fucking clue what she was getting at.
Mom looked confused.
Her mom even let out a little gasp.
Even the Luna looked a little taken aback.
And me?
I just sat there, staring at Dallas like she'd just spoken in a language I didn't understand.
Because what the actual hell?
I dragged a hand over my jaw, trying to play it cool, but my heart was pounding.
I wasn't supposed to be the one knocked off balance.
Dallas lifted her glass, taking a slow, measured sip, like she wasn't currently setting my wolf on fire.
Like she wasn't fucking with me in front of an audience.
I forced a smirk, tried to regain some control.
"Oh?" My voice was a lazy drawl, but I could hear the edge in it. "In a hurry to marry me, sweetheart?"
Her jaw tensed.
Her fingers tightened on the stem of her glass.
Something dangerous flared in her eyes.
I leaned in, just enough that only she could hear me.
"You wanna tell me what the hell you're doing?" I murmured, low and quiet.
Her lips curved in the slightest, most infuriating smirk.
"Not really."
"How soon are we thinking?" Luna asked.
"The sooner the better." She said smiling sheepishly.
I was still staring at Dallas.
Aunt Sarah leaned in and in an almost whisper. "Are you two expecting?"
It took a moment too long for my mind to come to the realization of what was being said.
And damn it if Dallas didn't shrug.
Because I might have started this game...
But I was no longer sure who was winning.