Teach her a lesson

Henry had expected the night to be eventful from the moment Thomas had said he wanted Mia to join them at dinner. But he hadn’t expected that it would be the night Ethan found his mate. It wasn’t obvious to everyone else around the table, but he found out through the mind link between them. He was happy for Ethan. Not every werewolf got to meet their mate. He could tell from Ethan’s reaction that he was more shocked than elated. Which made sense, since Ethan had feelings for Eleanor. The fact that his crush’s best friend was his mate was almost like fate playing a sick joke on him. Eleanor’s friend seemed like a nice person. He didn’t know anything about her, but he didn’t think Eleanor would keep anyone who wasn’t decent around her. If Ethan gave her a chance, they’d make a good couple. Henry stood from his chair and pulled out the one next to him when Eleanor got to the table. She looked at him and then at Thomas. Henry lifted a brow. Her husband was sitting at the table with another woman. She didn’t care what he thought, did she? Eleanor smiled at Henry. “Thank you,” she said, taking the seat. Henry sat back down beside her. “Should we order?” he asked, looking around. “Those two might be a while.” “What’s up with them?” Eleanor asked. “I didn’t know they knew each other.” He shook his head as he motioned for the waiter. “I have no idea.” He didn’t want to reveal what had happened. It was up to the two to decide whether to let others know or not. They made their orders, with Eleanor ordering for Sophia and Henry for Ethan. “That’s not how you do it,” Henry said a moment after their food was delivered. His eyes were on Mia, who was sitting across from him. “The knife goes to your right, the fork to your left.” Mia mumbled an almost inaudible thank you as she changed the cutlery. “It’s fine,” Henry said, arranging his napkin on his lap. “I heard you are a rogue, so, of course, this must be your first time at such a place, right?” “Yes,” she mumbled. She looked at Thomas, and he gave her an encouraging smile. Eleanor gave Henry a curious gaze. What was he up to? “You must be having a hard time fitting in,” Henry continued, slicing off a piece of his steak. “Most rogues spend all their lives hiding in the jungles, without any basic amenities. No wonder you’re lacking basic table etiquette and social skills.” Mia blinked, her cheeks turning red. Thomas frowned at Henry. “I mean, you are trying,” Henry added, “but even dressed like that…” He tilted his head, as if he was inspecting her. “It’s still obvious you don’t belong here.” Mia’s eyes fell to the table. Her fingers gripped her fork and knife hard. When Thomas had told her they’d be having dinner with some friends, she had thought it would be a good chance to make a good impression. She no longer thought that was possible. This man was Eleanor’s friend, and he was intentionally embarrassing her. “Look at your hair, for instance,” he said, gesturing to her head. “It looks dull…and dry and…dead. Looks like it’ll take more than a visit to a salon to get it fixed. You’re so lucky you can have nice things to eat now, right? That definitely helps.” Mia wished she could disappear into the ground. She also wished Thomas would say something to defend her. Eleanor was all for putting the woman in her place, but she worried Henry was taking it too far. It was nice to know he was on her side, but if he didn’t stop, it looked like Mia would burst in tears and bring attention to their table. Also, it might arouse Thomas’s suspicions. Clearing her throat, Eleanor looked at Henry. He looked at her and she held his gaze. “I’m sure she’ll catch on soon,” she said. “It must be tough living among rogues.” “You think?” Henry asked, sitting straight in his chair and resting his arm along the back of her seat. “You can take the rogue out of the wild, but it’s quite tough to take the wild out of them.” He lowered his hand to touch her shoulder. Eleanor widened her eyes at him fractionally in warning. He smiled and pulled his hand away. Henry pulled his arm away and picked up his fork. “But you could be right. To me, she doesn’t look very promising, so…” he trailed off with a shrug. Across the table, Thomas was taken by surprise by Henry’s comments. Why did he dislike Mia so much when they hadn’t interacted yet? It was almost as if he knew her beforehand and was trying to embarrass her intentionally. Not only that, but it appeared as if he and Eleanor were familiar with each other. The way they interacted, it was as if they knew each other. They kept exchanging glances and smiles as if they were in on a secret the rest of them were unaware of. He even had the guts to sneak a touch. Jealousy boiled inside him. Who exactly was this man, and what connection did he have to Eleanor? Was Eleanor cheating on him? The thought had never occurred to him before, but now, it seemed like a possibility. Had she decided to find a lover because he had insisted on keeping Mia at the pack? The more he thought about it and the more he watched the two of them, the more angry he became. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t notice Mia rise until she spoke. “Excuse me,” she said, pushing her chair back and leaving the table. “Mia, where–” she had gone too far before he could ask where she was going. Mia kept her head lowered as she headed towards the exit. She had decided to leave early to avoid further humiliation. It wouldn’t be so bad if Thomas defended her, but he said nothing! She rushed through the door and almost bumped into Sophia and Ethan as they made their way back inside. “Oops,” Sophia said, taking a step back. “Where’s our little rogue heading off to?” Mia folded her hands into fists but said nothing. She had been able to remain calm while the man inside said mean things, but she was about ready to burst. She could not take another taunting, especially not from Eleanor’s friend, without losing her composure. She gave Sophia a fake smile. “I just need some air.” And then she turned and walked away. Sophia and Ethan went back inside. Mia didn’t come back. The rest of dinner went on without much incident. When they went back to the house, Eleanor dragged Sophia to her bedroom. She had been itching to find out what was going on between her best friend and Darkfall’s Beta all night. “What is it?” Sophia asked when they were finally alone. Eleanor walked to the bed and took a seat, looking up at her friend. “Spill. What was that between you and Ethan?”