I blink, caught off guard by the sudden intensity. “I’m okay,” I say quickly, forcing a smile. “I am wearing my collar,” I point out, not wanting to give my alpha anything else to worry about. This evening is already stressful enough, and besides...nothing really happened.
Still, Rhett’s jaw remains tight.
I want to laugh at him to lighten the mood—after all, I was almost poked by some posturing alpha, not shot. But I can’t deny how deeply wrong it felt that someone I didn’t know might lay hands on me in public,in front of my pack alpha.
Rhett’s thumb brushes my cheek, slow and careful.
“You sure?” he asks, quieter now, the anger bleeding out of his voice, but none of the tension going with it.
“I promise. He just startled me a little.”
“Okay.” Rhett nods, a hint of relief softening his expression. “Are you feeling anything else?” His dark eyes sweep over the mostly empty ballroom, making sure we’re alone. “Any aches or pains?”
He doesn’t say the wordheat, but I know what he means, and I shake my head gently.
“No, I feel fine, alpha,” I say, then step in close. I rest my cheek against the solid warmth of his chest. His arms circle my waist as he presses a kiss to the top of my head.
He smells so warm and sweet and familiar. For a second, I let myself sink into it, tired from all the smiling and small talk, content to be held.
But then Oli’s face pops into my head. The way he looked at Rhett…that flicker of something deeper. It wasn’t just concern. It was…wariness.
And Myrick told me they’re family friends. I assume Oli’s known Rhett for years. Maybe even his whole life?
My stomach knots, small and hard.
Oli clearly didn’t want to leave me alone with Rhett.
I wish I knew why.
After Dinner
Charlie
Thank goodness,dinner is over.
The second I step outside, I breathe in like I’ve been underwater for hours. The cool spring air hits my face, but it doesn’t do a damn thing to cool me down. My skin still burns. My shirt is sticking to my back with sweat, and I’m positive I aged ten years trying to remember which wine glass was which.
And everything hurts.
My back’s tight from sitting up straight for two hours. My stomach aches from the way I kept holding it in. Even my eyes hurt—from all the polite smiling, maybe. Or maybe from not blinking enough while trying not to make direct eye contact with anyone who looked important.
I lean against the stone column outside the entryway and roll my shoulders back, wincing. "Thank god, we survived," I mutter under my breath.
That had to be the tensest meal of my life. And if I had to do it again tomorrow, I’d fake my own death.
I run a hand through my hair and let my head fall back against the stone.
I need one minute of quiet.
Maybe two.
And then I can pretend like I wasn’t two seconds away from a full-blown panic attack over soup spoons.
Slowly, the rest of my pack filters out of the giant mansion, finally catching up. Myrick’s already laughing about something, probably making fun of someone’s tie. Rhett’s got his hand on Autry’s back again, gentle but constant, and she’s leaning into it like she’s just as relieved as I am. She glances around, expression calm, but I can tell by the way she holds herself that her nerves are still jangling beneath the surface.
And Oli…
I spot him a few feet behind me, his body stiff like he's still waiting for something to go wrong. His eyes scan the parking circle like we’re still in enemy territory, and not standing outside a castle-shaped mansion full of drunk CEOs and overpriced chandeliers.
