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“I’m not sure that I get it.”
“You will. Gonna run today?”
“If this stuff goes well, then yeah, I think.” I looked him over. “How have you been?”
“Okay, I suppose.” He shoved his hands into his pockets.
Something about his demeanour irked me, but I couldn’t pinpoint exactly why, only that he needed something. “Want to hang out for a bit?”
Byron beckoned us both over before he could answer. “Well?” he said to Victor.
“Clear,” Victor said. “Didn’t take long either. She’ll be number one, no problem.”
“Number one?” I asked. “What does that mean?”
“Byron thinks you might be the most dominant teen,” Dorian said with a grin.
“Shocking,” Victor scoffed. “Not like she hasn’t been bossing us around for ages. Even Mara didn’t make her back down.”
“Bossy? Me?” I was weak and puny. Were they making fun of me?
“I can’t say you’renotbossy,” Dorian said slowly.
“Wow,” I said. “You’re dead now, and I’ll get away with it because I’m just a baby wolf.”
He and Victor laughed hard, making me feel worse.
“We’ve had a lot of problems with the younger crowd,” Byron explained. “They should function together within the greater pack. It hasn’t worked that way, so Amelia wondered if you and Dorian could be the balance that helps it stay on an even keel. You both have had stable influences in your lives, and I wonder if that’s the difference. You could be the missing piece of the puzzle.”
I felt uncomfortable. “That’s a lot of pressure.”
“It’s a theory,” Byron said easily. “Ready to meet the rest of the teens?”
Whether I was ready or not, he was determined to get the meeting over and done with. I already knew the other teens, but Alison was the one I knew best. When I noticed her look uncomfortable and maybe even a little frightened, I knew I had to do something.
So I greeted her as an old friend, acting as though she had never challenged me. It didn’t bother me, and I knew it didn’t bother the wolf because she didn’t care that I greeted Alison so warmly. The others seemed to relax after that, and later, Alison pulled me aside.
“I’m sorry.” She refused to meet my eyes. “I don’t know why I did that. I shouldn’t have started anything with you.”
“It’s all right,” I said. “I don’t remember much about it. I reacted, but I didn’t know why.”
“I get it.” She hesitated. “You’re not dying anymore, right?”
“You would know.”
She nodded. “I’m glad. I hope you go back to the drama club. It’s not the same without you.”
I wasn’t sure she meant it, but still, it felt good to hear.
The lot of us hung out in Byron’s living room all afternoon, eating and watching a movie. It felt so good and comfortable that I wanted it to last forever. I didn’t think about harbingers or my parents or school or dying or anything weird. I hung out with people who didn’t mind my presence and acted as though I belonged with them. Dorian being by my side made it even better. He was always there when I needed him.
Victor still seemed off though. He needed somebody to be there for him, too.
Later, Dorian brought me to his house to meet the baby. Jeremy’s mate was there, too. Zara’s pregnant belly was massive. She kept shooting envious glances at Perdita who didn’t have to suffer through that anymore. I decided there and then that I never wanted to suffer through that at all.
Nathan stood by Perdita’s side, keeping a close eye on me.
“I’m okay,” I told him. The wolf was curious, but not aggressive. Holding Dorian’s hand, I walked over to Perdita and looked down at the baby in her arms. She was a sweet, chubby-cheeked little thing, and although I wasn’t keen on babies myself, even I felt momentarily charmed.
