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“Shut up and get him some food, jerk.”
I sat, putting my hand on Kira’s thigh.
“I was just giving them a rundown on everything that happened on the island,” Kira said.
“Nice,” I said. “I love reliving nightmares. How far did you get?”
“She’s, uh, to the part where she was slipped a drug during dinner,” her dad said. He didn’t look up as he said it, instead keeping his eyes on his food.
“Right,” Kira said. She started into her story again.
Kolton returned a moment later and put a plate in front of me. While Kira relayed our adventures on the island, I ate, chiming in with my own descriptions and details every now and then. Kolton was transfixed, his food forgotten as he listened to our story.
Kira’s parents, however, seemed less interested. Her mother hadn’t said a single word to me, and her dad kept shooting irritated glances at my hand laying atop Kira’s.
For my part, I did my best to ignore them. If Kira and Kolton noticed their parents’ iciness toward me, they didn’t show it.
I should have expected this reaction. The Dursts were the head alpha family of the Eleventh Pack, bogged down in traditions and proprieties. With me having been a lone wolf and now part of an unofficial pack, they probably didn’t believe I was worthy of being with their daughter. It stung a bit, but as long as I was with Kira, I didn’t care about their disapproval.
“You want more potatoes, babe?” I asked when Kira took a breath from explaining how Simon had kidnapped her.
“Sure,” Kira said.
“‘Babe?’” Mr. Durst repeated. “I think you meanKira, don’t you?” He glared at me with thinly veiled animosity.
Finally noticing the situation, Kolton did his best to defuse the tension. “Dad, did you know Wyatt saved a bunch of people on the island? He’s basically a hero. Zoe told me all about it on the flight home.”
Without taking his eyes from me, Kira’s dad said, “Very good of him.”
I shared a look with Kolton, who nodded and said, “Um, anyway, some of the families here donated a bunch of supplies for the Haven refugees. The folks who are too injured to help out are set up in a couple vacant houses nearby, and the rest went to the border camps to help with defense. Bentley Crew wanted to talk to both of you when you were free. He took his people out about an hour ago. Maybe the three of us can head that way after we eat?”
Kolton was doing his level best to steer the conversation away from my and Kira’s relationship. Kira’s mother gave me an icy glare, and her dad went back to his food, jabbing at his potatoes harder than was necessary.
Kira either hadn’t noticed or was doing a good job of ignoring the tension. That worried me a bit. She’d always been so loyal to her parents and her pack. Would those old tendencies weave their way back into her mind now that she was back home? I didn’t think so, but it still made me nervous that she’d push me away again. The stress and danger of the island was gone now. Without that, would she revert to her old self?
“You know what?” I said. “I’m full. Let’s head that way now, shall we?”
“Sure,” Kira said, putting her napkin down. “I can fill you guys in on the rest later.”
Kolton pushed away from the table, relief flashing in his eyes.
“Thanks for the meal,” I said to Kira’s mother, who gave me a distant half-nod.
Kira hugged her parents and joined us.
“Which border camp did you visit earlier?” Kolton asked me.
“Not sure if the camps have specific names, but the one where my packmate Darius is stationed. Do you know it?”
“I do,” Kolton said, nodding. “Crew and his team went farther north to one of the camps with the fewest reinforcements. It’s where August is headquartered.”
“Let’s go, then,” I said.
Kolton gave his sister an uncomfortable look. “Um, do we need to drive, or are we walking? It’ll take a few hours if we’re on foot in human form.”
Kira grinned. “You forget things have changed, big brother.” In a flash, she shifted, then turned her wolf eyes on us before racing off into forest.
Kolton let out a low whistle. “She looks even more impressive than she did on TV.”
