Page 120 of Red

“No, Red, that’s not about trust. No one gets to touch my mate. You’ll learn.” He grabs my hips again and pulls me up tight against him.

“No hugs?”

“I can hug you.” He wraps his arms around my back.

“Handshakes?”

He grunts. “Short ones.”

“What about . . .”

His lips hit mine before I can come up with a response.

Chapter 35

Finally, the members of all four cohorts pack up and leave. I haven’t seen Nikki since she blew up on me. Even Kiya, Mitus, and Lirea have gone home for the first time in weeks.

I lift myself up onto the couch in the pit after a few goodbyes.

“I think we’ll be meeting again soon. We’re staying until they make a decision about the red wolf,” says Oliver.

Merik crosses his legs. “The reports are interesting, to say the least.”

“I’d love to see it, wouldn’t you?” Iris turns to me.

“It would be something.” I smile back at her.

Stark takes a seat next to me, resting his hand on my leg.

“I have that painting, remember, Aloka? In my office. It has a red wolf on it,” says Merik.

Stark’s hand squeezes, and I let my legs flame; his grip doesn’t change.

Don’t worry, I didn’t let him kiss me.

Stark gives Merik a menacing glare, and I hold in the laugh bubbling in my chest.

“When I head home, I’ll have to check when and where it was painted.”

“Jeffery’s report is the most unusual. The ruthlessness of the red wolf does sound concerning. If they didn’t say it was red, I would’ve thought the stories were about you, Stark,” Oliver says.

“It’s not like the red wolf is going to come hurt us,” Serena adds.

Oliver taps the armrest. “We don’t know that. Think of the formations we used to attack one or two humans at a time with a gun. He managed to do it alone and take out multiple. That’s the type of speed and strength most of us don’t have on our best days.”

“He?” asks Merik.

“Well, I just assume.”

“I think the same.” Hendin joins the conversation, standing above us. “Should we organize the Elders and figure this out? I’d like to get home.”

“I’ll have them come later today.” Stark rubs my leg before getting up and walking off with Hendin.

One good aspect is they think it’s a man. I’ve never thought of myself as ruthless, but I’ve also done my best not to think of that day. Bile rises in the back of my throat. The sooner this is over the better.

When the forum is filled again, Stark stands front and center with Hendin.

Oliver walks down the steps holding a mini stack of papers. “We are meeting to address the concerns about the red wolf. I have the compiled list of sightings. For example”—he shuffles the papers—“‘the red wolf stomped two humans into the ground while staring down a man with a gun,’ ‘the red wolf appeared in front of me and ripped two bodies in half.’ The list contains several matching accounts from different perspectives. Along with my own sighting, a few of the other Alphas also have reports. We have concluded that this red wolf was not a mirage of adrenaline.”