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Archer elbows his brother. “Head in the game, Ares. We need a plan to handle the threat first.”
He slumps back in his seat with a frown, pouting like a fucking toddler.
“Let’s bring it to the council first, then regroup here tonight to come up with a plan,” I suggest.
Everyone else grunts and nods in affirmation, pushing out their chairs and rising to their feet. As they murmur amongst each other and start making their way to the door to leave, Sloane twists around in my lap, her eyes meeting mine. “What’s so bad about the initiation?” she whispers, searching my face like she’ll find the answers there.
I shake my head. I wish I could tell her all about it, but tradition dictates that she’ll go in blind. Though if I can’t figure out a way to change things up for her initiation, I may have to break the rules and give her a heads-up.
I clench my jaw, tightening my grip around her protectively. “You’ll see.”
30
It feels ridiculously indulgent to be out drinking with the girls tonight when we all know that trouble is knocking, but Avery wouldn’t take no for an answer. After everything that’s transpired over the last few days- getting shot, having that vision, meeting with the squad leaders and the council, coming up with a plan to head off the hunters- we’re all desperate to return to some semblance of normalcy, and tonight just happens to be ladies’ night at the Stillwater Tap.
Madd wasn’t super pleased when Avery told him she was stealing me away for a girls’ night out. He’s been stuck to me like glue ever since we worked out why we couldn’t communicate after I moved to Denver, like he’s afraid that if he lets me out of his sight, we’ll lose this fragile peace we’ve found and things between us will change again.
I suppose I can’t blame him.
Now that we’ve reconnected, it feels like we’re stuck in this strange state of delicate suspension, holding our breath as we wait for the bottom to drop out from beneath us.
We’ve come this far, but what if it’s all for nothing?
Not knowing whether we’re actually fated mates is like the ever-present elephant in the room that neither of us has the guts to acknowledge. We used to say that if we weren’t fated, we’d still bond as chosen mates, but I’m not sure whether that’s still on the table after everything… and I sure as shit don’t want to be the one to bring it up.
At this point, we’re both avoiding the inevitable- partially because we’re not sure if we’ll even get to run together this full moon, but mostly because it’s a whole lot easier to just live in the moment rather than planning for the future. If we never had to leave Madd’s bed, we’d be golden. It’s the one place trouble has yet to find us.
“Sloane, you’re freakingglowing,” Andie remarks, her comment pulling me out of my tangled web of thoughts and thrusting me back into the present.
Lo shoots me a sly grin, waggling her brows. “Must be all that make up sex with Madd,” she teases. “We’ve barely seen you two since you sorted your shit out.”
Avery grimaces, sliding off her barstool and flicking her long blonde hair over a shoulder. “Think I’m gonna go grab more drinks while you guys have this conversation.”
“Aw c’mon, don’t you wanna hear all the dirt?” Andie laughs.
“My room’s down the hall in the packhouse,” Avery replies, deadpan. “Trust me, I know what they’ve been up to.”
I slap my hand over my mouth to stifle a giggle, Lo and Andie completely losing it as Avery moves away from our table to head to the bar.
“So?” Lo asks as soon as Avery’s out of earshot.
I can’t hold back the grin that stretches my lips, my cheeks blushing. “Okay, yeah, it’s totally the make up sex.”
“I knew it!” she exclaims, slapping a palm loudly against the table to punctuate her victory.
“Well, we still have a ways to go,” I amend, smoothing a hand over my hair. I spent over an hour straightening it, taming every frizzy curl, but it’s so sleek and glossy that it was totally worth it. “I mean, it’s not your typical situation. We’re falling back into old patterns, but so much time has passed that there are bound to be hiccups along the way. We’re not the same people we used to be, so we’re kinda trying to navigate that. It’s strange getting to know someone again when you’ve also known them since infancy.”
“I bet,” Lo says, nodding in understanding. “Though anger issues aside, I’m not sure Madd’s changed all that much since we were teenagers.”
Her statement gives rise to an unexpected flare of jealousy, my wolf perking up territorially. It’s not fair that she got all that time with him while it was robbed from me. All of them did- Andie, Lo, Avery, the guys… everyone else was still part of his life, while I was cruelly cut out.
“I’m sure you guys will work things out,” Andie pipes up reassuringly. “Even when he was pretending to hate you, we all knew he never stopped loving you. You guys are meant to be.”
“If you’re not fated, there’s no hope for the rest of us,” Lo adds with a snort.
“Alright, babes, bottoms up!” Avery sing-songs as she approaches the table with two shot glasses in each hand, the rims lined in sugar and lemon wedges resting atop each one. She sets them down, sliding a glass to each of us as she retakes her seat.
“Ugh, lemon drops?” Andie asks, eyeing the shot in front of her warily.
