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I licked my lips, taking in his handsome face, those broad shoulders, and the way his biceps strained in his short-sleeved shirt. I started feeling things I knew I shouldn’t, and I tried to subtly rub my thighs together to quell the tingling in my core. His nostrils flared, and his hands curled into fists on the table. I licked my lips again, more slowly this time. I wasn’t sure what I was doing, but I knew it felt right.
Movement just over Night’s shoulder drew my attention. Dom had lifted his hand to wave at me, beaming at me from across the room. Night turned to him, shoving his shoulder. Dom laughed even as he regained his balance on the bench.
I tore my eyes away from the intense, broody Alpha and his goofy beta to take in the room again. Other than a few mutterings, no one attacked me or bullied me, and I started to relax a bit. The Wargs were nothing like the terrifying beasts I’d grown up hearing about. All I saw were happy faces, families, young pups, and community. How could my instructors and my own mother have gotten these wolves so wrong?
At our table, Tavi and I enjoyed the food and chatted amongst ourselves. Toward the end of the meal, a few other wolves joined us. Tavi introduced her friends as Jasper, Mark, Preston, Brent, Hallie, Lora, and Vanessa. I recognized Jasper—he had been with Night the day that I was kidnapped.
“It’s um, nice to meet all of you,” I said gently, glancing at Jasper. I wished I didn’t feel so awkward, but it was the first time I’d been surrounded by wolves my own age who didn’t immediately want to hurt me. In my experience, the wolves my age were the cruelest in the pack, and I was preemptively on guard.
“It’s nice to meet you too,” Lora said. She was blonde with chin-length hair. “We’ve all been so curious about you since you arrived.”
“Oh really?” I tried not to squirm.
“Yeah. We heard you were part of the Kings’ pack. What was that like?”
“Oh, um...” My heartbeat spiked, and for a few moments, I wasn’t sure how to respond to the question.
“Lora, it’s like I was telling you,” Tavi said, swooping in to save me, “she was adopted by them, but she’s not pack really. She hates them just as much as we do.”
I stuffed my mouth full of mashed potatoes to collect my thoughts. On the one hand, my mom was part of the Kings’ pack, and I could never abandon her, but on the other…it wouldn’t feel right to defend the entirety of the Kings’ pack—especially when the Wargs loathed them as much as they did.
After I swallowed, I nodded. “I never fit in with the Kings, and I don’t consider them family.”
“That’s a relief,” said Hallie, a wolf with curly, auburn hair tied up into a bun. She leaned forward on her elbows, her dark brown eyes full of genuine concern. “We’d heard a rumor that the Kings either kill any human they came across or keep them as slaves.”
“O-oh. Really?” I tried not to let the words affect me, but I was immediately reminded of Troy and what he’d planned to do to me.
“We’re just glad that that’s not your situation,” Lora nodded. “That would be awful.
As the wolves talked around me, I couldn’t help but let my mind be dragged back into the darkness of those moments. I’d thought for sure that I would live the rest of my life as Troy’s sex slave.
I felt a gentle hand on the back of mine and fought my way out of those memories. The hand was Tavi’s.
“By the way, guys,” her voice rose over the conversation and pulled the attention of the group, “I was hoping to get more details about the trip you’re taking into the city.”
I gazed at my friend, my heart full. I squeezed Tavi’s hand, trying to convey how much I appreciated her changing the subject to safer territory. She squeezed back and bumped me lightly with her shoulder.
“Oh, yeah!” Preston said. His head was shaved but for a Mohawk of black hair. “Was there anything you wanted us to bring you back for your birthday?”
“I’d love a new scarf,” she said. “Maybe something red this time?”
“Sure. What about you, Bryn?”
I jumped as the attention of the table returned to me. “M-me?” I stammered. “Oh, I couldn’t ask you to bring me anything. I don’t have a way to pay you back, and—”
Preston shook his head. “Don’t worry about that. Think of it like a gift.”
“Okay…” I blushed, racking my brain for something I would like. “A book.”
“Yeah? What kind?”
“I’d love a romance, or maybe a fantasy. Anything new and with an exciting cover.”
“Sure.” Preston grinned at me. “We’ll add it to the list.”
The conversation resumed, and I breathed out the tension that collected between my shoulder blades. I tried to relax and allow myself to enjoy the company of these wolves, memories of Troy fading away from my mind. As we talked, I began to feel eyes on the back of my head. But these weren’t unwelcome eyes—they were Night’s. I was tempted to look over my shoulder and catch him, but it was safer to simply let myself be in the moment.
As lunch ended, the Wargs began to leave the mess hall, leaving behind their cups and plates. Tavi gave a little gasp.
