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It’s almost enough to make me forget how uncomfortable this dinner is going to be.
Near the end, I taste a spoonful of my sauce. The spices and herbs burst on my tongue. After I add a pinch of salt, it tastes perfect.
I can’t believe I made this.
I plate the pork and pour my sauce over the top of it. It smells delicious, I’m surprised no one has come down yet to try and steal some.
The doorbell rings and I stay in the kitchen plating my meal, letting Anna get it.
I hear voices coming down the hall and know I only have another few seconds alone before I need to turn on the charm.
Maybe they’ll be more focused on hating Aksel than me. Should I call him Akshole in front of them as a reminder?
“Rion, you remember Aly and her mates Nicoli, Jeremy, Jay, Kiran, and Ajax. Right?”
Her smile is forced and I know she’s nervous about how this is going to go.
“Rion?” Aly asks.
“That’s my true name and since my brother has tainted the name Ryan with his sins, I wanted to return to my roots,” I explain.
Aly nods and reaches a hand out to me. “Let’s start over.”
I breathe a sigh of relief, wipe my hands off on a towel and shake her hand before she can rescind her generous offer.
Her mates all tense and stare at the place our skin touches until I move away.
Which is silly since I’m faster than all of them and Aly is probably the one most likely to catch me if I did act since she’s a hunter but I’m not going to remind them of that.
Everyone is stiff but the attention comes off me as the rest of Anna’s mates trickle in.
Nicoli and Aksel are staring at each other with frowns. While most everyone else forces smiles, except Jeremy and Blaze. Those two look like they could get into a grumpy contest. I would put my money on Blaze.
“Ashford,” Aksel says.
Nic dips his head only slightly and says, “Lenoir. I hear your father is missing. Are you taking over his seat?”
“Yes, I am but I’ll have help.”
It’s so fucking awkward.
“Can’t say I’m sorry to see him go,” Jeremy taunts.
I can see the shock on their faces when Aksel replies, “I’m not either.”
“It smells like respect in here,” Felix stage whispers to me, which makes Anna and Aly laugh.
All their mates relax at the sound.
“Should we eat? Rion cooked,” Anna says.
Jay takes a big sniff and grins.
Everyone slowly moves over and sits at the table.
Anna is staring at the dish in awe and butterflies erupt in my stomach.
“It smells delicious. It was a tease when I was upstairs,” Felix says, taking a seat one away from Anna.
