CHAPTER 72: CHAPTER 72 THE BET

Caroline’s POV

The girls truly lifted my spirits.After our heart-to-heart conversation and several rounds of mimosas, we decided to head upstairs to the gaming lounge. The place was incredible, a huge luxury room that looked like a high-end Vegas casino. There were card tables, roulette wheels, and slot machines spread across the entire floor.

Elle approached the cashier, purchased chips, and distributed them among us.

"Let’s have some fun, ladies!" she said, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Oh, we’re definitely going to—" Kyle’s voice trailed off as she gestured toward a poker table at the far end of the room. The table was surrounded by a group of women, all leaning in and laughing flirtatiously.

My heart sank when I spotted Draven sitting there, a sleek brunette practically draped over his shoulder. His face was partially turned away from me, but I could see his profile as he smiled at something she said.

"That asshole Luke," Kyle hissed, narrowing her eyes at her mate who was enjoying the attention of a redhead in a tight dress. "After everything we discussed today, he’s going to pay dearly for this."

"And there’s my traitorous mate," Elle growled."Nate knew exactly what he was doing. Oh, he’s going to feel the whip crack tonight!"

I watched Elle angrily type something on her phone before stuffing it back in her purse.

"I cannot believe this," Ruby muttered, staring at Ryan who was laughing as a blonde whispered in his ear. "And I was just starting to think he might be worth my time."

"Carrie," Elle turned to me with a frustrated look. "Oh god, when I called you this morning, Nate was right there in my bedroom! He must have heard everything about bringing you here. Of course he brought the guys - he has a membership to this place."

I managed a smile. "It’s fine."

But it wasn’t fine. Just yesterday, Draven had been desperate to win me back, and now here he was, entertaining other women.

"Well girls," Ava said, fixing her top with a smirk, "let’s show these boys what they’re missing."

"That’s thinking small," Ruby grinned wickedly."See that table over there? My brother Jax and his hot friends are here." She gave a little wave, and a good-looking guy who looked just like Ruby flashed us a sexy smile.

"Wait, are we going to make our guys jealous using your brother’s crew?" Elle’s eyes lit up with mischief. "You’re evil and I love it! You know how possessive they get when other guys look at their girls."

"But is that fair to your brother?" I asked hesitantly.

Ruby snorted. "Trust me, Jax would love nothing more than to mess with an Alpha’s head, especially one like Draven Thorne. His friends will be more than happy to play along."

"Then it’s settled," Kyle declared. "Let’s go, ladies!"

Ruby led the way as we crossed the room, deliberately avoiding eye contact with our men while making sure to pass within their line of sight. We approached Jax’s table where he sat with four other equally attractive men.

Jax’s face broke into a wide grin when he spotted us. "If it isn’t my beautiful sister and her gorgeous friends!" He stood and greeted each of us warmly.

"Caroline," he said, taking my hand and kissing it softly. "You’re an amazing dancer. It’s a shame we only had one dance last night. Will I see you at my bar tonight?"

I blushed, feeling my cheeks get hot. "You’re not so bad yourself. Maybe we should make up for lost time."

Ruby playfully punched her brother’s arm."Stop flirting with my friends, you menace."

"I’m merely being hospitable," Jax protested with mock innocence. "Let me introduce my pack brothers. This is Dominic, my business partner, and these are Wesley, Theo, and Paul."They were all good-looking guys - tall, muscular, and handsome. They stood up when we walked over, offering their seats like gentlemen.

"Please, join us," Dominic said with a charming smile. "Our table just got way more interesting."

We sat down, and I could feel someone staring at my back. I knew it was Draven watching.

Dominic praised us again, saying their table was surrounded by the most beautiful women he’d ever seen, when our guys stopped and stared at us.

"Having fun, wife?" Luke leaned down to ask Kyle.

"Oh yes, Luke, seems our women are enjoying themselves," Joseph said to Ava, his tone threatening.

"Miss Eleanor, anything I should know about?" Nate grabbed Elle’s hand.

Jax and his friends watched, amused and ready for confrontation.

"Gentlemen, join us! The ladies seem to love our company," Jax said mockingly.

"These ladies are very friendly indeed. Too bad we’re leaving." Draven smiled coldly at Jax before grabbing my waist and lifting me up. "Hi, darling!" he said, looking into my eyes before giving me a quick kiss.

"Look, you can go, but we’re staying here with our friends," Eleanor said, flipping her hair.

"Sorry honey, but you’re not," Nate said, putting his hands on Elle’s waist to make her stand.

"Well, we appreciate you gentlemen entertaining our women, but we have other plans," Joseph pulled Ava against him.

Luke had already gotten Kyle up. The scene was ridiculous. Jax’s eyes sparkled mischievously, like he was plotting something, and his friends seemed ready to back him up.

"Ruby, come with me, I promise you’ll love my surprise," Ryan was practically crawling after Ruby, like a puppy wagging its tail.

"Gentlemen, shall we have some fun?" Jax asked casually. "Listen, I propose a game so we can all enjoy these beautiful ladies’ company."

"I have a better idea," Kyle quickly cut in, "you guys sit down and play. Winners take us to dinner."

"Are you drunk, Kyle? You’re absolutely not having dinner with other men." Luke scolded his wife.

"What’s wrong, man? You that bad at games?" Wesley taunted Luke, winking at Kyle. Luke was furious, like the others.

"Are you messing with me?" Luke asked angrily. "I’m excellent at poker."

"So everyone else must suck?" Dominic mocked. This wasn’t going well.

"Listen, nobody here sucks at cards, we’re all pros," Ryan snapped. "We could leave you in your underwear!"

"Now we’re talking! Betting money, women, and clothes?" Theo jumped in excitedly.

"Oh, I’d love to see these handsome guys in their underwear because of us," Eleanor whispered in my ear, making me laugh.

"Darling, care to share Eleanor’s joke?" Draven said sternly, gripping my waist tighter. I quickly shook my head, saying it was nothing.

"So, gentlemen, are you scared?" Jax provoked again.

"Nobody’s scared. We just don’t want to waste time playing cards with a bunch of bearded men when we could be with our women," Draven retorted.

"Well, you’ve already wasted time since they came alone," Paul added.

"Come on, afraid of a little competition? Just friends playing cards and having dinner, no big deal. Besides, if you’re that good, you’ll crush us," Jax encouraged.

"Deal!" Ryan slammed the table, shouting impulsively.

"Damn it, Ryan," Luke muttered.

"What?" Ryan asked casually. They looked at each other, frustrated.

"One game. We’ll win," Draven hissed, then whispered in my ear, "You’re not having dinner with that guy!"

"Then don’t lose!" I shot back.

The guys took their seats, exchanging names and betting money. The stakes were high,cash and dinner with us. Luke kept pushing to bet clothes too, but no one wanted to risk getting thrown out of the club in their underwear.

The staff brought extra chairs, and we squeezed in between the men to watch them play.

The cards were dealt, and the betting started.

While the guys focused on their cards, Elle whispered to me, "Now let’s mess with their heads."

I nodded, hiding my smile. I was secretly enjoying seeing Draven jealous, even though I wasn’t ready to forgive him yet.

Elle quickly texted all of us,"Time to make them suffer. Let the games begin."