The Slaughters carefully avoided the topic of Annika, and I commend them for their restraint when they must be dying inside for any insight into her after all of the years. Heck, if Sabrina slipped out onmewhile I was sleeping and I had no idea what happened to her? I’d have gone mad within a week. But whether it’s because they’re afraid of chasing her off, or they genuinely want to build a relationship with her, they’re trying.
And it’s got me all shades of fucked up in the head, because these are the men that I watched rip several people I grew up with limb from limb for taking a step too far in the river and crossing into their territory. Yet here they are, spending a small fortune to make sure Sabrina can continue a job she loves, and tripping over themselves to make her like them. I love that for her, when she deserves parents that actually care, but I’m terrified that it can’t last, that they’re going to burrow past her defenses just enough to rip her fucking heart out.
A few dishes clatter into the sink as Merrick huffs. “Yeah, no, don’t get up.” Under his breath, he mutters, “Lazy sons of bitches.”
The cabin is set up as one main room that holds the living room, dining table, and kitchen. Four doors lead to the various bedrooms, another to the bathroom, and then the two exits. Honestly, the luxury of such privacy is enough to make me squirm, but also piss me off. In our territories, everyone lives in the communal bunks until someone’s mated, in which case we all pitch in to build them a separate home, but it’s nowhere near as spacious or as nice as this.
Leo’s in full agreement, shooting a disapproving scowl toward the table we’re all uncomfortably seated around, waiting for this fever dream to break. For the Slaughter’s to show their true colors and pluck out our eyeballs with grapefruit spoons.
I may have possibly gotten some of my inspiration for torture techniques from watching them over the years.
To Sabrina, he emphatically declares, “You could do better.”
Leaning her hip against the counter as he shoos her away from helping clean up, she crosses her arms with a chuckle. “Maybe, but then I’d have to start over from the beginning, and that sounds exhausting. Plus, I’m almost out of space in my notebook, so, fortunately, it looks like my seating chart is already filled up.”
That finally gets a reaction out of Cinjin who snorts his amusement. Immediately, Sebastian narrows a glare his way. “Something funny, boy?”
Saving himself from answering, Cin takes a long drink, but where the mini tangents the Slaughters went off on throughout the course of lunch were taken in stride, apparently the least offensive quip of the day was a step too far, and Sabrina goes rigid. “He has a name. And of everyone here, he’s the one that’s put in the most effort to be nice, so I’d appreciate it if you used it.”
Merrick rolls his eyes, leaving the dishes to soak and drying his hands on a rag. “Effort? He hasn’t said a word the entire time.”
“Exactly.” He turns to me with a raised eyebrow as I fold my hands behind my head and rock back in my chair. “He hasn’t tried to steal any of Sabrina’s attention all afternoon, or distract her so that she could carry on with your conversations uninterrupted, and didn’t even sneak out the back door to start a fire for something to do in the meantime. He sat here bored as shit so she wouldn’t worry about where he drifted off to, never uttering a peep until now, so really, you should be grateful.”
I’m dead. Going to have to take after Hunter and sleep with one eye open for the rest of my life. How has Cinjin pulled shit like this every day andnotlost his head by now?
Wolf receding a bit over the course of lunch, now steel grey eyes narrow on my face as Merrick coolly asks, “Is that so?”
Damian steals the words right out of my mouth, forcing Merrick to thin the intensity of his disdain across multiple targets. “Seeing as we didn’t have to bring her back here at all, or could have said that Adrian was wrong in his assumptions? Yeah, you should be grateful that we’re all sitting quietly while you insult us left and right in front of our faces.”
With a scowl, Hunter adds, “Whether your relationship with her is a good one or not is on your heads. We’re not going to put her in a tough spot where she feels like she needs to pick between defending us or you, but at least acknowledge that this entire situation is fucked up and we’re doing the best we can.”
Glass now empty, Slade slides his chair back and carries his dishes to the sink with a calm countenance at odds with the tension in the air. But thus is the benefit of him signing his pack over to Damian; he doesn’t have to worry about anything other than Sabrina. “So no, we didn’t decide to make ourselves at home or jump up the moment you did, tripping over ourselves to make a good impression when you’ve already decided to hate us. Not only because it doesn’t matter whether or not you approve of us as her mates, but because the more you get to know her, the more you’ll start to pick up on her tics.”
As he strides right past Merrick without a blip of concern, Reid elaborates, “We’re all more than happy to pitch in and carry our weight, but we’re not going to be presumptuous either. All of us crowding around the sink trying to be helpful would only result in her being upset. Does shewantto clean up?” He scoffs. “Fuck no; who does? But she needs something to do with her hands to dispel the nervous energy, and she can’t stand to watch anyone wait on her hand and foot. Sitting around at the table while either you three, or any of us took point on dishes would make her feel uncomfortably out of place, and we’re all running on the assumption that you want her to think of this cabin as a safe haven. That means giving her time to acclimate before she’s able to let her guard down enough to allow us to help without making it weird.”
They blink at him, completely fucking confused, and I can’t really blame them. The few women we have here are treated like, well, I can’t sayprincessessince we don’t have the means, but they’re cared for as well as we can manage. There’s no shortage of men to cover any work that needs done, outside the home or within it, so the women only have to focus on being happy. A well cared for mate is more likely to get pregnant, and with multiple mates, baby related duties are spread out enough that nobody has to be stressed. So while they’re able to at least partially grasp the fact that she needs to work to be happy, hence going so far as to spend a small fortune on getting a fucking satellite installed on their roof to give her internet access all the way out here, basic day-to-day duties don’t seem to compute.
I look at Sabrina, only to find her already staring my way. For a moment, all of my words shrivel up in my throat, turning to ash on my tongue. Before she ever claimed me, I was obsessed, but now that she has? The desire to do everything and anything for her is nearly crippling, because she doesn’t want a single thing I have to give beyond respect and loyalty, which she already has in spades. Yet, it isn’t nearly enough. It’s not even a gift, but an expectation, and it leaves me floundering. Though I’ll admit, the desire to have her writhing on my cock again is a pretty solid motivator in wanting to do something to make her happy with me.
As out of their element as the rest of us, they divert the conversation back into neutral territory before they say something to piss her off. I could kiss her, I’m so over the moon that we’ve finally found the key to immunity from the Slaughters.
The fact that we’re fucking their weak spot doesn’t sound right though, so I keep the sentiment to myself.
“You can set up in my room,” Sebastian offers, striding away from us and snagging her backpack on the way, opening a door on the opposite side of the room. “I’ll bunk with Leo for the foreseeable future.”
With genuine curiosity, Sabrina asks, “Are we all going to be able to fit?”
A series of displeased rumbles fill the cabin, and it’s almost comical. But I value my tongue, so I keep it firmly inside my sealed lips as Sebastian reemerges with a scowl. “They can camp on the floor in the main room, or better yet, their own damn cabins.”
Yeah, that’s not happening.
Every head in the room swivels to face the front door as a knock echoes out around us. Sharing a quick look with Hunter, he rises to his feet, joining Sabrina in case he needs to act as a human shield, and the rest of us don deceptively casual poses, feigning disinterest. There’s nothing that pisses a wolf off more than giving him your back, unconcerned that he’ll drive a blade into it before you can stop him. While we typically don’t fall into the habit of mind games out here, not only has our time in Shadow Ridge rubbed off on us, but the fact that such an incredible -awful, but incredible all the same- drug was being produced right under our noses all this time and we were none the wiser? We could stand to take a page out of the Hawthorne’s book. We prefer to deal with our problems head on, but that only works if the cause of our distress feels the same way.
Fighting with honor means nothing if your opponent has already slipped a snake into your midst.
“Leo.” The man dips his head in respect toward his alpha before immediately settling his gaze on Sabrina, his lips parting in surprise.
“Tony! Come in,” beckoning him into the cabin, Leo beams. “Meet our daughter; Sabrina.” A moment later he scowls, looking over at her and backtracks, “On second thought, no.” Glaring from her bare shoulders to me, he snaps, “Didn’t you bring her a damn jacket or something? She shouldn’t be running around half-naked.”
