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GRIFFIN
The party last night taught me two things. First, the Ash Hounds could really put away some alcohol. And second, things between Emily and I—and Cassian—had changed. And I mean drastically.
We didn’t know how to handle this double-mate situation a few weeks ago, and now we’re all over each other. But, like last night and the night spent with the Ash Hounds, it came so naturally. Somehow, our jealousy had taken a backseat to the desire to please our mate.
The mate bond between us had grown. I could feel it. I’m pretty sure Cassian and Emily could feel it too. I’m sure that was why he didn’t resist the three of us being together and why his wolf wasn’t pushing me away to keep Emily for himself. It was like our wolves just knew it was supposed to be this way.
Or I was totally off base in my assumption, though I doubted that was the case. My wolf instincts on this were too strong to call it a hunch.
The morning after the party, Emily looked like hell. Poor baby had a hangover. Wolves didn’t get hangovers like that, so we were ready to leave for the Black Hole the moment dawn struck, and we changed back to our human form. Well, after breakfast, really.
But Emily… She looked like death had a field day with her frizzy, unkempt hair and the bags under her eyes. Her voice was raspy when she woke, and she groaned, holding the pillow over her face when Cassian and I tried to wake her up. But after a few Advil, she was good to go—or semi-good, I should say.
We readied our bags for the trip to the Black Hole and the Underworld, ensuring each one of us had our objects for the ferryman. Emily, Ember, and Cove piled into the backseat of the SUV, and just as I opened the passenger door, Cassian stopped me.
“Hey, Griffin. Can we talk for a minute?”
I nodded and followed him to the side to speak privately. Was this about last night with Emily? It had to be. We hadn’t talked since then, and maybe he wanted to clear the air and make sure it wasn’t awkward between us.
Or, worse. What if he was pissed about where last night was leading?
Not giving him a chance to scold me, I quickly said, “Look, Cass, if this is about last night, I know things got heated, but—”
“What? No. That’s, uh…” he trailed off, running his hand over the back of his neck, averting his eyes from mine. “We can figure all that out later. No, I wanted to talk to you about the pack.”
“What about it?”
Were members of the pack mad that I was staying there? Maybe they didn’t trust me, being a Langston and all, and they wanted me to leave. I bit my lip, preparing myself for the boot. It wasn’t the first time I’d been the outsider. Maybe it was just my luck in life.
“I know the reason you left your pack was admirable, but let’s be honest—you can’t be a rogue wolf forever. Eventually, you’re going to need the security a pack has to offer. Even after we kill Samara, there will still be dangerous elements that you can’t tackle on your own.”
“What’s your point, Cass?” I asked, my tone short, irritated. Just get to the point. Why drag it out?
Cassian nodded, blowing out a breath. “I want you to be a member of the pack, man.”
“What, your pack?” I asked, dumbfounded.
Cassian rolled his eyes. “Duh! Who else’s?”
Unable to suppress myself, I burst out into laughter. Cassian jumped back, startled. He looked at me with confusion, silently asking me what the hell I was laughing about.
“Dude, I thought you were going to kick me out!” I said between laughs, doubled over and gripping my stomach. “I thought your packmates hated me and wanted me gone.”
Hearing that, Cassian started laughing, too, and for a moment, it felt like old times. “No way,” he said. “I mean, yeah, they were hesitant with you at first. And I’m not gonna lie to you, there are probably still some packmates who don’t trust you. But there’s no way in hell I’m kicking you out of the warehouse, even if they wanted me to. You’re one of us now.”
The words were bittersweet. One of us. I never imagined I would be in another pack, let alone the Knox Pack. A part of me wanted to belong with them, to belong somewhere. But deep down, I also knew that I wasn’t one of them. I wasn’t born into their pack.
But Alpha Radolph’s words flashed through my mind. He’d left his pack and found a home with the Ash Hounds. If he could do it, why couldn’t I?
“I don’t know about all that,” I said, pretending it didn’t phase me in the least—despite my heart racing from moments earlier when I thought he was telling me to leave. “I don’t belong with your pack.”
“Bullshit!” Cassian shouted, poking his finger in my chest. “You’re one of us, Grif. Whether you want to admit it or not, that’s up to you. But deny it all you want, you belong with our pack. And don’t think I forgot about what you did to Morgan and the Langston Pack. You could’ve chosen to help your friend or brother,” he said those words with spite, “But you didn’t. You helped us. And that is what makes you a member of the Knox Pack.”
I chewed on my lip, not sure what else to say. I couldn’t deny what he said because it was true. But admitting it felt so strange. So, I remained silent.
Cassian sighed, patting my back as he led me back to the car. “No pressure, man. Just think about it. If you want to be an official member of the Knox Pack, we’d be happy to have you.”
I nodded, and we got in the vehicle, leaving the warehouse for our next mission. The two Em’s, nosy as they were, tried to figure out what Cassian and I talked about. Ember went on an interrogation spree while Emily leaned against my seat, asking in a hushed voice if everything was okay. And they did that for the entire car ride to the Black Hole.
