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"Sorry, big guy, that's two questions," Nico says at last, leaning forward slightly as if forcing himself to adopt a more relaxed posture, his eyes adamantly avoiding Lucy's. "But to answer the first... I like that Lucy didn't inherit her brother's temper. She always sees the good in people, and she makes the best out of the most awkward situations."
I can't help but admire the carelessness of his shrug and the ease of his smile. Mark just exposed this boy's feelings. But after the initial shock of Mark's rude revelation, Nico takes the situation in stride as if it were all a good-natured joke, maneuvering the discomfort with humor and diplomacy.
Maybe not so goofy after all.
"Alrighty then, my turn," Nico goes on, and I wonder what sort of sorry fate the red-haired boy would have faced with the Bane pack instead of the Rovers. Viktor only valued the kind of strength used to destroy and dominate. Where my uncle would have only seen weakness, the Rogue King saw someone worthy of being his Gamma.
Every attempt to protect me from Tristan, every friendly smile from Lucy or appeasing gesture from Amara, every open window and lovely flower in the enchanted garden...
This place—this pack—is nothing like I thought it would be.
Awkwardness and odd ends included, the Rovers are good people, and I can't help but wonder if this is what home is supposed to feel like. Before I can ponder that any further, Nico turns toward his Alpha, and I feel Tristan stiffen beside me as the game continues.
"My question is for you, boss," Nico says, his words casual. "Are you actually planning on marking your lovely new mate? Or did you just claim her as part of some mysterious scheme we should know about?"
Chapter Sixteen
Mark's eyes widen, the corner of his lip twitching almost imperceptibly with the trace of a relieved smile as he realizes he's no longer the boldest one at the table. The inappropriate nature of his own question is instantly forgotten as everyone's eyes turn toward Tristan.
I swallow hard, setting down the juicy pear I'd been about to sink my teeth into and staring down at my hands.
"Sophie's vision revealed that my... mate" —Tristan says the word with some difficulty— "is tied to the future of our pack, and it was in the Rovers' best interest for me to find her."
Amara leans forward in her seat, her thick brows furrowing. "So this isn't just about the mating bond?" she asks.
Lucy scoffs. "Of course it isn't. You know Tristan. Since when does he- ow!" Before she can finish, Amara kicks her under the table, glancing between Tristan and me in a pointed warning.
What was Lucy about to reveal?
"But is she even your mate until you've marked her?" Mark asks, and I'm surprised to find that there's no malice behind his question this time, only genuine confusion and curiosity.
"It's not like we're expecting you to throw some big mating ceremony," Nico adds. "But are you going to make it official? Is flower girl over here going to be the new Luna of the Rovers or just our guest?"
Luna? Me?
I feel beyond foolish for not having thought of it sooner. Of course, Tristan is the Alpha of his own pack, and if I'm his mate, then that would naturally make me his Luna. Yet, somehow, the notion never even crossed my mind.
This whole thing has been unconventional, to say the least, and even though he's been kinder to me than I could have expected, he also made it clear that he's not fond of my uncle and my old pack. Besides, I'm hardly the stuff of leaders. I've been a slave my entire life, a freak. Not to mention the fact that I don't have a wolf. Can I be a proper mate if I'm not even a true shifter?
I certainly can't be a proper Luna.
"For now, the girl is my guest. The rest does not concern you," Tristan says sharply, to which Nico makes a dissatisfied sort of grimace.
"Well, according to Sophie's vision, this concerns the entire pack, so excuse me for wanting a little clarification," Nico says, folding his arms over his chest, eyes darting between his Alpha and me.
"The boy has a point," Amara adds softly, and I can almost sense Tristan's resentment as he glares over at her as if to say, 'Really? You too?'
"Come on, boss," Mark huffs. "You're saying this girl may or may not be the future of the Rovers, and she may or may not become your Luna. But we don't actually know anything about her. Who is she? Has she even told us her name?"
I wince at this. Even if I gave Mark the answer, he would not like it. A nameless servant mongrel as a Luna would undoubtedly be unwelcome. I curl into myself with shame, shoulders hunched as I try to make myself small enough to disappear, but as I shrink in my seat, Tristan straightens.
"Don't," he snarls. "Don't talk about her as if she's not sitting right here." Tristan's voice is low and husky, so quiet in a barely controlled sort of way. The threat is so plainly written in his eyes as he speaks that, even though he's perfectly still in his chair, he's never seemed more dangerous.
The color drains from the Beta's face, and I get the sense Mark's just stepped on a landmine.
I don't speak, I don't move, I don't even breathe as two males stare at each other with an intensity I have never seen on Tristan's handsome features.
"I think that's enough questions and games for now, wouldn't you agree, Lucy?" Amara says at last, and her words slice through the silence. Her expression is calm and controlled.
