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“You’ll explain the rules?”Jason asked, his voice dropping a bit in tone and his authoritywashing over them like a tide. He was alpha the way her father wasalpha, powerful not just in title but in every possible sense ofthe word.
“I’m on it,” Kinleypromised.
“Have fun,” McKennasaid.
Kinley and Bella headed tothe tables of food, picking up plates and filling them. Bellapicked steak, pasta salad, and a wedge of cornbread. She followedKinley to a table with several other females.
“Guys, this is my friendBella. Bella, you remember Araya and Lainey from the club. We alsohang out with the twins, Soleil and Summer. Soleil has green eyes,and Summer has blue eyes, otherwise they’re identical.
“Except in our shifts,”green-eyed Soleil said.
“True,” Kinleysaid.
“Welcome to town,” Summersaid.
“We all grew up together,”Kinley said as she sat and gestured for Bella to do the same. “Ourparents are all best friends. My mom, Araya and Lainey’s mom,Faith, and the twins’ mom Sunny have been besties forages.”
Bella nodded. She’d had friends likethat until she couldn’t shift.
Then it had alldisappeared.
“So you can’t shift, huh?”Araya asked.
The blunt words caught Bella offguard, and she dropped her fork and the bite of steak.
“Shit, girl, shut up,”Kinley hissed.
“No, it’s okay,” Bellasaid, clearing her throat. Her nerves kicked up and she ignored theurge to run away and not face the truth. “No, I can’t. Everyonethinks I should be able to, but my wolf won’t come out.”
Kinley bumped her shoulder with herown and smiled encouragingly. “I think a change of pace with ourpack is just what she needs to shake her wolf intoemerging.”
“I hope so,” Bellasaid.
“You don’t sound like youthink it will happen, though,” Soleil said.
“I’m not sure,” she said,shrugging. “I’d like it to, of course, not being able to shift hasreally held me back in the pack. But if I can’t, I’m still lookingforward to hanging out with Kinley.”
“Because I’m awesome,” shesaid, winking and clicking her tongue.
The other females rolled their eyesand then dissolved into laughter when Kinley told them to shutup.
“Shift or not, good thingshappen in Allen,” Kinley said. “Tonight is going to beawesome.”
“So what are the rules youralpha mentioned?” Bella asked.
“Oh, right, so no one cango hunting alone. Which is no biggie for us because we always go asa group. But it’ll just be me and you so I can shift and then ifyou end up not being able to, you can hang out with me in thewoods. And if you do shift, I’ll be howling up a storm and happydancing.”
“Me too, trustme.”
Bella turned her attentionto her plate and ate while the females discussed the males theywere thinking about hooking up with ahead of the hunt. Bella didn’twant a one-nighter, even if she did happen to find a male whowouldn’t mind hooking up with a non-shifter likeherself.
She desperately wanted to believe thatbeing in Allen was going to make all the difference, but shecouldn’t shake a strange feeling that had plagued her since she gotto town. She rubbed the space over her heart again.
“Want seconds?” Kinleyasked as she wiggled from her seat at the picnic table.
“No, I think I’m going tograb my hoodie from your mom’s car. Do you think it’sunlocked?”
“Yep. I’ll be here,stuffing my face. Cades’ mac and cheese is my favorite.”
