That was a conversation Addie was glad she wasn’t forced to have.
Addie pushed past her mother, the first to walk down the stairs and greet the guys in the living room. They were supposed to be the ones who stumbled over their words at the sight of her, but the instant she laid eyes on them, she found almost every thought process in her head ceased.
Maze wore a long-sleeved navy shirt, three buttons up top with a small collar. Clean jeans, and a black leather belt she knew he would never wear on normal occasions. He’d shaven, his dimples fully visible and making her stomach flutter the very moment he locked eyes with her and started to grin. His blonde hair hung over his forehead, messy but in a neat way.
Beside him, Dylan looked just as good. A similarly-styled shirt, only in a dark grey. His hair was slightly longer than Maze’s, and it was combed back so it would not fall into his eyes, over his glasses. Addie thought about making a joke about how nerdy he looked with the slicked-back hair and the thick-rimmed glasses, but she couldn’t, because even if he looked like a nerd, he was a hot nerd, and Addie was a nerd-lover.
Plus, no nerd had muscles like that.
Addie was almost hesitant to look at Landon, who stood behind the twins with his arms crossed. He’d recently shaved too, his stubble-free face making him look younger even though he was older than Maze and Dylan, and a few years older than her. He wore a plain black shirt, coupled with dark pants. The dark clothes with his light brown hair, only served to bring out his eyes, their blue deep and intense. The injuries he’d sustained from Clay’s torture were nearly all healed, the skin on his arms mostly just tan and muscular, toned to the extreme.
Oh, yeah, Addie wanted to say something smart, something to make them laugh because she liked hearing them laugh, but her words didn’t work. Nothing came out. When she saw them, she was speechless. Utterly and totally speechless. Cleaned up, they looked even better than they did on a normal day, which said something, since these shifters were more attractive than anyone she’d ever seen.
As she was lost in her own mind, wondering why the sight of them together made her so tongue-tied, Maze took a step toward her, brown gaze eating her up. “You look…” For once, Maze was speechless, too. Apparently it was going around.
“Amazing,” Dylan finished for him. His glasses could not hide the fact he was checking her out too, regardless of whether or not her mother stood on the stairs near them, watching it all unfold like a strange, proud mother hen.
Addie felt her cheeks start to warm. She wanted to thank them, to say they looked amazing as well, but still, a cat had her tongue, and the darn feline would not let it go. She probably looked like an idiot. A big, pretty, dolled-up idiot who turned into a drooling mess when her guys were around.
How pathetic. How silly. How…
She couldn’t even think of another word. It was that bad.
“Landon!” Her mother called from the stairs, “Aren’t you going to compliment my daughter?”
“After I finish looking at all these holes, maybe,” Landon muttered, purposefully turning his blue gaze away from Addie and staring at the nearest book-shaped hole. Still bitter about it, clearly, and just as much of an ass as he was before.
Addie and her mother exchanged a quick look as Sarah said, “You have a lot of work to do on that one.”
Addie chose to ignore her mother’s comment, instead turning back to the twins. “It’s not too much?” She really should’ve looked in a mirror before coming down instead of trusting her mother’s makeup skills, but it seemed as if the guys liked it. Although, she knew, they’d probably still like her if she came down in a full-body sloth costume, but still.
Maze hurriedly shook his head while Dylan said, “Not at all.”
“Your eyes,” Maze finally spoke, “they’re greener. How’d you do that?”
She chuckled. Boys were ridiculous, no matter what the age, and clueless about makeup. “The powers of makeup,” Addie mused, linking her arms with theirs, one through each. The middle of a twin sandwich—a sandwich she wouldn’t mind taking a bite out of.
Oh, God. That was a thought she probably shouldn’t ever have, especially with her mother so close and her emotions so obvious on her face.
“Landon,” Addie took on an authoritative tone, “get the door for us, will you?” She flung her head back and gave the grumpy one a dazzling smile. If he wanted to play this game, she was more than happy to go along. She did not need him so hot and cold. He would either have to let her in completely, or shut her out entirely. Not tonight, and not in the foreseeable future, but after things cooled and settled, Addie planned on having a long talk with him.
Landon shot her a glare, acting as if he wanted to say something, but surrounded by her twins, she was feeling bold and brave. She did not back down from his glare; she met him with her own, plus a smirk she knew would drive him nuts.
He let out a groan, moving around them, heading to the front door. Landon opened it with a dramatic flourish, shooting her a glare as he gestured for them to venture outside like he was the new and improved Vanna White.
Beside her, Maze laughed. “What else do you think we can train Landon to do? Let’s make a list. It’ll be fun, yeah?” His head turned to her, and she answered him with a smile.
Anything that annoyed Landon sounded like a plan to her. And truckloads of fun, to boot.
“We should go,” Dylan said. “Don’t want to be late.”
“Although, if we are late, it would be worth it,” Maze whispered, leaning in toward Addie’s ear. His breath was hot on her neck, eliciting a whole bunch of feelings she did not need right now. Not in front of her mother.
Addie pulled the twins along, keeping her arms locked in theirs as she said, “See you later, Mom.” Her voice only wavered a little, cracked just a bit. Well, at least it wasn’t completely obvious what was on her mind, right?
Wrong. Wolves were intuitive. Her mother, along with the wolves on her side, probably knew every little thing she was thinking, because Addie was not good at hiding her emotions. She wore them on her face, expressive and uninhibited. It was something she never had to practice, never had to worry about, until coming here. Until these wolves drove her absolutely bonkers.
They ventured out of the house, and Addie glanced up at the sky as they walked off the porch. The sky was cloudless, an amber color. Full of oranges and a small hint of pink. Dusk was not here yet, but it would arrive soon.
Dusk would not be her friend on this night.
Chapter Fifteen
The shore of Crystal Lake was already jam-packed full of shifters. Addie noticed they all looked nicer, dressed in more finer clothes, and all the small children were missing. These things must go late into the night; that or there was too much drinking. She’d seen half a dozen coolers at the edge of the park, where the greenery gave way to the rocky, sandy shore of the lake whose waters were the clearest and cleanest Addie had ever seen.
The trench the others had dug was nearly thirty feet long, traversing along the shoreline, a few feet deep and full of kindling, surrounded by stone. A makeshift wooden structure was built atop it, flat so the bodies resting above it were not at an angle whatsoever. The corpses had been wrapped in blankets, cocooned in warmth that would only make their surviving family feel better. These shifters lost so much, all because of one man.
How could a single man hold such power over life? Were all death priests so strong, or was it just Clay?
Addie rubbed her arms. Though she wore her jean jacket, she’d immediately felt the loss of Maze’s and Dylan’s warmth the moment they unhooked their arms from hers. Shifters must run hot, she thought. She never knew until then how much she needed that heat.
They were part of the crowd around the structure, around the bodies, but Dylan nudged her softly, whispering, “Forest wants you up there.” He pointed to where the alpha stood, watching the crowd, his pack.
Forest spotted them and headed their way. The alpha wore the nicest clot
hes of them all. An actual dress shirt that looked insanely soft to the touch, black pants that made him seem leaner, taller, somehow. His dark hair was swept to the side, his jaw clenched tightly. Everything on him was black, except for his white skin and cerulean eyes. He was the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome. He was too attractive for his own good, his body too toned and sinewy, too thick with power. And those shoulders…
Addie had to look away. Ogling her alpha, the man who should’ve been her mother’s mate, was not something she should be doing. It made for some really awkward and guilt-inducing thoughts. And that wasn’t even to mention the whole read her like a book thing. She didn’t want anyone to get any wrong ideas. Her mind was filled with enough of them already.
“I’m going to officially introduce you to the pack,” Forest said. He’d shaved too, and just like Landon, the absence of facial hair and stubble made him look younger. He looked like he was in his mid-twenties. “I know it’s not what we’d hoped, but it’s the best we can do at this point. And the pack deserves to see who led them to their missing family.”
Great. Addie would have to stand near Forest while he gave some speech, all the while trying not to look at him and simultaneously acting normal. Like mass funerals were things she was used to.
Easy-peasy.
Addie swallowed, not wanting to do any of it. “Okay,” she spoke, sounding weak, unsure. Feeble. She sounded pathetic, and in a way, she was. Just because her wolf wanted to be claimed, just because her wolf was in some kind of heat did not make Addie the same. Addie wasn’t in heat. She didn’t need to daydream about taking off anyone’s clothes.
Especially Forest’s.
Awkward didn’t even cut it.
Forest started walking away, and she assumed she had to follow him. Addie glanced at her guys, mostly Maze and Dylan, since Landon was playing the whole ignoring her card, and they gave her supportive smiles.
As long as she didn’t have to give any speeches, she’d be fine.
The pack seemed to know what was going on, for they assimilated before the structure, lining up. Some of them had beer bottles open, others just looked sad. All of their conversations quieted and stopped when Addie and Forest stood between the pack and the soon-to-be funeral pyre.
When Addie exhaled a loud, shaky breath, Forest looked at her, saying softly, “I don’t know why you’re nervous. You’re not the one giving the speech.” He set a hand on her shoulder, warm and strong, calloused, though she couldn’t feel his skin through her jean jacket—probably a good thing. She didn’t need any more conflicting feelings. “You’ll be fine,” he added, his hand sliding off her shoulder as he stepped forward, everyone’s attention on him.
Addie tore her eyes from the back of his head, gazing out to the pack, to the crowd. The masse of bodies all started to look the same. Where were Dylan, Maze, and Landon? She couldn’t spot them, couldn’t smell them. There were too many people here, too many shifters all at once, clouding her senses, blending together. How did shifters function in such a large pack?
Forest began speaking, jumping right into it, “We’re here tonight, as you all know, to pay our respects to those we lost. To honor the ones that didn’t get to live a full life. Our brothers and our sisters who were taken from us, years before their natural time. We’re here to pay homage to their memories, to remember them not as they are, but as they were. Happy, funny, kind, loving. And of course, we’re also here to thank the one who led us there, the one who brought us to our missing family.”
Right. That was her. She should puff up, look tough, or contrite, or something. As Addie wondered what to do, she froze when Forest put a hand on her back. All this touching was not helping her confused thoughts, not to mention only making her inner wolf go crazy—and there was already enough craziness around here.
“Adeline Smithson,” Forest continued, “Henry Smithson’s granddaughter.” In the crowd, Addie spotted her grandfather, the one wolf she didn’t really care to see. The smile that spread on his lips when he was given credit for her made her want to punch it right off him, but now wasn’t the time for that, so she held back.
A hard thing to do. She should get a cookie, or an I-O-U. Maybe she’d punch him later.
“Without Addie, it’s possible we never would’ve known. We wouldn’t know our enemy, wouldn’t know how badly we were hurting until we were in single-digit numbers. Addie is the one to thank for this night.”
Well, she wasn’t sure she should be thanked at all, since this was a funeral, but…
“She might be new, but she is one of us. She is one of the pack now, and I would say she’s already earned my respect.” Forest, his hand still on her back, turned to face her, and though she did not want to meet his eyes, for now she knew the reason behind their sorrow, she had to, because he would not finish this speech until she did, it seemed. “Thank you, Addie, for everything you’ve done. We are eternally in your debt.” He bowed his head.
Was she supposed to pat him on the shoulder and say it was no problem? What in the world was she supposed to do? No one had gone over shifter funeral etiquette with her. Seemed kind of important now.
She opened her mouth, but was rendered speechless when the rest of the pack bowed their heads in unison. They all bent their heads toward her, just as Forest was doing. Surely she didn’t deserve such respect. Yes, she’d found them, but it was by pure accident. She didn’t even know she wasn’t a full shifter until recently. Magic was mumbo-jumbo, carnival type stuff. It wasn’t like she knew what she was doing when she’d come across the barrier.
And even now, she wasn’t so learned when it came to magic. There were certain things only another witch or warlock could teach her.
Just when Addie overcame the surprise at being bowed to like she was some kind of shifter royalty, everyone’s head rose. Forest’s hand left her back, a coolness in its absence. Toward the end there, she’d totally forgotten he was even touching her. Being bowed to by over a hundred people at once would do that to a person.
Forest reached into his pocket, pulling out a box of matches. He broke one off, setting light to it. He held the lit match against the box, lighting the entire thing up before moving toward the pyre and setting it below.
Addie inhaled, wondering how long it would take, but now she was calmer, she noticed the scent of lighter fluid. Forest left nothing to chance.
The wooden structure set ablaze, its fire first a yellow, flickering to an orange as the flames traveled along the pyre and started to lick at the bodies. Forest took a few steps away from the pyre, and Addie followed him. The fire radiated a burning heat, seeping into her core. It was almost hot enough to make her want to take off her jacket, but not quite.
She’d have to be in hell for that.
The large group of shifters broke off. Some went to the park, others huddled around the pyre, watching the flames eat away each and every corpse. Her mother was right about the alcohol. The more time went on, the more lids were popped, the more bottle caps on the ground. A few of the shifters came up to Addie and thanked her, and she could only nod, for she still did not think she’d done so much to earn this.
She wasn’t their savior. She was just a girl.
Maze and Dylan were near her, providing moral support as the other shifters came and went. Their stern looks, along with Addie’s take no shit attitude when it came to her grandfather kept Henry at bay, stopping him from approaching them. She knew what he would say, anyway. Part of the pack, now. We just have to let your wolf out, pup.
Addie had nothing to say to the man, nothing besides a few choice swearwords, which she was quickly realizing were her new favorite words.
“Addie!”
She heard her name being called, and turned to see Caitlin walking up, her mates behind her. From the sounds of it, they bickered amongst themselves, trying to get her to go back home, because being on her feet for too long might hurt the baby. Addie wanted to say, at this point, she wasn’t sure anything could hurt the b
aby. That sucker was ready to come out any time now.
Caitlin wore a nice, white dress, her black hair in French braids, wrapped around her head and laying across her right shoulder. The hue of her brown eyes was soft and kind. “You did well,” she said. “Though at first you looked like you wanted to be sick.”
Ah. That must’ve been when she was focusing on Forest’s hand.
Maze whispered, “I don’t know if sick is the right word.”
Addie wanted to punch him, but in a more loving and caring way than she wanted to sock her grandfather. She gave him a glare, telling him, “Shut it.”
“Or…what?”
“Or what?” she echoed.
“If I don’t shut it, will you shut it for me?”
Somehow, Addie had a feeling it was code for something, and while in front of Caitlin and her mates, she didn’t want to have this discussion, whatever this discussion was.
Caitlin chuckled, watching the exchange. “You’ll definitely have your hands full,” she mused with a smile. “I have my hands full with two. I can’t imagine three.”
One of her mates, the tallest man, made a groaning sound, as if he thought she was the crazy one here, but her other mate chimed in, “That’s assuming it stays at three.” The moment the words left him, Caitlin gave him a gentle swat to his stomach, which was just as flat and probably as toned as Addie knew most shifters’ were.
“Hush,” Caitlin spoke.
Addie, though, didn’t get it. “Wait, what? What are you talking about?”
With a shrug, Caitlin said, “Sorry, have to pee.” And then she waddled off, dragging her mates along, scolding the one who said something.
Addie could not wait until the woman wasn’t pregnant and could no longer use that excuse to get out of things. “What did she mean?” she asked again, looking to both Dylan and Maze, who both suddenly found the ground so utterly fascinating. She was about to swat them each just as Caitlin had done to her mate, but someone else strolled up, too smug for his own good.
Undying: A Reverse Harem Shifter Romance (Crystal Lake Pack Book 2) Page 12
