by Dannika Dark
“So who are the big honchos joining us?” April shouted across the table.
“Honcho?” Reno quietly asked her. His eyes danced with amusement.
She shrugged. “What’s Shifter lingo for the big cheese?”
“That would be Lorenzo Church,” a man said, approaching our table.
My breath caught when Lorenzo breezed by. I knew of him from what Lexi had told me, and I’d also met him on a couple of occasions, although we hadn’t been formally introduced.
Rich black hair fell past his shoulders, and he wore a tight black shirt with cargo pants of the same color. My eyes skated up to his necklace—a series of long white beads in multiple rows that fit against his neck like a choker. The bracelet he wore was similar, only a small feather hung from it.
He pulled out the second chair on Austin’s left across from Wheeler, leaving an empty seat between them. Shifters sat by rank, even among the Packmasters. So whoever was late had more power than Lorenzo, and that seemed impossible to believe.
Austin gave him a curt nod and Lorenzo returned the gesture. Only humans shook hands.
“What’ll you have?” Austin asked.
Lorenzo’s gaze traveled around the table, observing what everyone had ordered to drink. His eyes briefly paused on my glass before he looked at Austin. “Tea. It’s too early for a man’s drink.”
Austin laughed richly. “It’s never too early to be a man.”
“Yeah, but it can be too late,” Ben interrupted. “Right, Denver?”
Denver sat back in his chair and scowled at Ben across from him. “You need to shut it before I shut it for you.”
Lexi bit her lip, looking between the two longtime foes.
“And how are things with your chosen life, Alexia?” Lorenzo asked, his voice edged with judgment. He sat stiffly in his chair with his hands in his lap, and women from nearby tables couldn’t strip their gazes from his back.
She gripped Austin’s hand and kissed his knuckles. Austin looked tickled and leaned back in his chair, retracting his hand.
Lexi gave Lorenzo a jaunty smile. “I’ve never been happier. How are things with you, cousin?”
Irritation flashed in his eyes and he clenched his jaw, causing the sharp lines in his cheeks to look more pronounced. “I see you haven’t lost your sense of humor.”
She laughed quietly. “I see you haven’t found yours.”
Austin cleared his throat in a warning to Lexi. Despite their history, he needed to make sure his pack didn’t cross the line with the Packmasters. I understood the psychology since my father was also a Packmaster. If Lexi insulted Lorenzo, it would reflect badly on Austin. Packmasters would assume he didn’t have pack loyalty if they chose to behave childishly around another leader or speak to them in a condescending manner. Lexi had much to learn because of her upbringing with humans.
The waiter approached Lorenzo with his tea, having heard his order from across the room. “Sir, would you like to see the menu?”
Lorenzo gave Austin a crooked smile. “What did you order?”
“The chicken-fried steak.”
Lorenzo leaned back. “I heard only hillbillies eat that slop.” He turned his attention to the waiter standing between them. “I’ll have the largest sirloin you carry with a side of mushrooms. You might want to bring my friend a jar for his moonshine.” Lorenzo laughed haughtily. “I’m having second thoughts. Bring me your most expensive bottle of merlot.”
The nerve! He was Austin’s guest and knew his tab would be taken care of. I sat in disbelief as he so flagrantly insulted my Packmaster. The others seemed less concerned and showed no reaction. Perhaps they were afraid of stepping out of line with Austin and making a bad situation even worse, but there are subtle ways to get your point across.
“Excuse me, waiter.” I gracefully lifted my hand. “Could you change my order? I had the spicy noodles. Please switch that to a chicken-fried steak. It sounds delicious.”
Lorenzo glared at me as the waiter hurried away. He folded his arms on the table and looked at me so hotly that I focused on the hem of my turquoise blouse. The group was oblivious to the chess match quietly in play, except for Austin, who gave me an imperceptible nod.
When Izzy and Jericho returned, a few chairs noisily scooted in to make room for her. Jericho winked at her from across the table and she blushed, twirling the diamond ring on her finger.
“My apologies,” a smooth voice said. “Punctuality is usually my strong suit.”
Austin stood up and patted the man’s shoulder. “Everyone, this is Prince. Now that he’s here, we can begin.”
“Hi!” Maizy sang, drawing out her vowel. She waved her hand as Prince took his seat.
I’d never met this man before, although I’d heard his name in conversation. He had dark hair pulled back into a tight band, and his eyes were two different colors. From my end of the table, I couldn’t see what they were, but he was striking to look at. I guessed him to be one of the ancients—a nickname we sometimes gave to the older Shifters who had been around for hundreds of years. Some powerful Packmasters had a longer lifespan than the other Shifters. He nodded at everyone and winked at Maizy.
“Let me see what you drew, Peanut.” Denver distracted Maizy by reaching across the table, curling his fingers and asking for her picture. “Well, these are the prettiest Xs and Os I’ve ever seen.”
“It’s tic-tac-toe, silly.” She gave him an exasperated “duh” expression.
Austin’s voice lowered, but his tone became sharp so that everyone at the table heard him. “The reason I’ve invited our guests is that we’ve had some trouble on the property. Reno first reported a week ago that a wolf has been trespassing on our land.”
Everyone looked amongst one another.
Austin put his right arm on the table and turned toward Prince and Lorenzo, eyeballing Lorenzo directly. “Church, you’re the only neighbor I have a beef with, so I need to know if you’re sending someone to scout my territory.”
A strand of hair fell in front of Lorenzo’s eyes, and I had a strange urge to brush it away. Maybe it was because he did not. “Tread carefully, Cole. An accusation disguised as a question will not earn you any respect.”
“It’s a question so I can move on to the next half of this conversation. Care to answer?”
Lorenzo took a long sip of his tea and set the glass on the wood table. All eyes were on him, and he gave Austin a satisfied look. “Is your new title of Packmaster too much for you to manage, Cole? Perhaps you’re in over your head.”
Austin heaved a sigh. “Yes or no.”
“I have better things to do than send my men to sniff out that shed you live in.”
“Now you listen here,” Lexi snapped.
Prince sat up tall in his chair, and he was a man of towering height. “Let’s keep this conversation amicable. I can put your mind at ease that none of my men are—”
“No,” Austin quickly interjected. “Your pack is not in question. I’ve asked you here for the second half of this conversation. Lorenzo is the only one I have a personal grudge with, and if he’s given his word in front of two Packmasters that he’s not responsible for this wolf, then he’ll be held accountable if his words are lies. At first we thought it was a rogue on the property and dismissed it. Our territorial lines are marked regularly, so no one should have crossed them. But twice more when doing a perimeter check, the same scent came up.” Austin moved his eyes around the table. “We have a wolf who’s not only crossing onto our property but marking it.”
Wheeler rapped his knuckles on the table. “Fucking kidding me? Put me on guard tonight and I’ll catch the little bastard.”
The Breed world had laws to some extent, but we had a savage history and were hanging on to civility by a thread. I’d heard stories about entire packs slaughtered for their land. And the Weston pack didn’t have the numbers to defend against a major attack. A fluttering sensation in my belly made me hug my arms.
Austin scraped h
is bottom lip with his teeth. “Prince, you have the highest rank in the area, so I wanted to keep you in the loop in case this is something bigger. You might want to alert your pack and have them on guard. It could be a lone wolf, and it might damn well be someone who has his eye on our territory. If that’s the case, we’ll deal with it. But if it’s something bigger, like one of the northern packs sending down their scouts, then we could be looking at a war.”
“That’s just an urban legend,” Ben said, setting his glass down. “We’ve been hearing about a land war for years. Some of the ancients like to run their mouths after a few beers to rile up some of the new blood. Then it’s forgotten.”
Prince’s eyes looked as if he were memorizing every groove on the wooden table.
“You knew about this?” I whispered to Reno. “I took Maizy for a walk this morning up the private road. Why didn’t anyone say anything?”
He rubbed the skin below his bottom lip. “We weren’t sure until last night. Even still, it’s too soon to tell what’s going on. It’s probably just a rogue looking for a pack, or maybe a Shifter who’s gone mad.”
I shook my head, horror filling me to the marrow. “Still. You should have warned us. I would have kept Maizy closer to the house.”
While my wolf had never fought, I knew I could depend on her if she had to defend herself. But I couldn’t keep a human child safe. Most Shifters wouldn’t attack women and children, but they had no qualms about humans. Maizy and her mother added an extra element of danger to our family.
Austin pushed his glass away and turned his attention to Prince. “Packmasters should put aside our personal differences for the greater good of our Breed. If you could spread the word among the other Packmasters—let them know that if the wolf belongs to any of them, we’re ready to take necessary measures to defend our land. If we catch him again, I’m authorizing my pack to take him out. Let your message be a warning, not a threat.”
Prince remained impassive, his hands in his lap. “I understand your full meaning. I’ll send out a bulletin for all the packs in our area to increase their security and alert me if there’s any suspicious activity going on. Your warning will be subtle, but it will be conveyed in a manner that won’t put you in a bad light. You have my gratitude for inviting me here this evening. I appreciate your candor and only wish more Packmasters were communicative.” He glanced up at a painting on the wall depicting an Italian vineyard. “So much has changed in my lifetime, and we still have such a long way to go.”
Austin patted the table with his hands. “Now that we have business out of the way, let’s eat.”
“Amen,” Denver grumbled, sitting up in his chair but barely hanging on to consciousness by a thread.
Prince gave a shadow of a smile. “I would be honored to feast with you. What did you order?”
“Here we go again,” Reno murmured.
***
Shortly after the meal, my stomach muscles began to clench and churn. The chicken-fried steak had been a terrible idea, but the need to show support for my Packmaster outweighed my discomfort.
Izzy had wandered over to Jericho’s side of the table and sat on his lap while he sang in a low voice, caressing her belly. Maizy wanted to sit beside Lexi, but Austin was engaged in conversations with Prince and Lorenzo, so Lexi thought she might become a distraction. That didn’t go over too well.
“I want to go home,” Maizy grumbled.
Denver was more awake now that he had steak in his belly. “And miss the chocolate pie?”
“I’m not hungry,” Maizy murmured, her sullen eyes cast downward.
Since no one could successfully switch her mood, we ignored her behavior.
April sent another text message and then set her phone down. “Trevor’s going to be in wolf form the entire time?” she asked Reno.
“That’s the deal,” he said, his sonorous voice carrying across the table. Reno usually wore long sleeves and this occasion was no different. Except this one was a nice blue button-up, which he undoubtedly chose because it was baggier and concealed his handgun better than a cotton shirt would. “If Lynn makes it home early, she’ll be alone. Trevor’s wolf is a better guard than he would be in human form.”
“I don’t know about that,” she said. “He’s a pretty tough guy.”
Reno touched his chin and a smile hovered on his lips. “Not so tough in the cereal aisle, as I recall.”
April kicked him under the table and he chuckled.
Ben kept looking at his watch and finally sprang to his feet. “Well, it’s been real. I’ve got somewhere I need to be, so I’ll catch you all on the flip side.”
“Ben, we haven’t even had dessert,” Izzy complained, looking over her shoulder at him.
Wheeler kept a dark expression on his face when he held up his hand and gave Ben the finger.
“Love you too, bro.” Ben scooted his chair in and hurried off.
Maybe Wheeler looked like he was in the wrong, but he was actually right. Ben shouldn’t have left during a family gathering, especially with two Packmasters present. He was always skipping out early and had somewhere else to be. I presumed it had to do with how he earned his money in card tournaments, and no one questioned how a man brought money into the house. Sometimes the twins could finish each other’s sentences, but animosity lurked beneath the surface.
“Ivy, are you feeling okay? You look green.” April tucked a strand of blond hair behind her ear, concern brimming in her eyes.
A flush of heat swept over my body and I nodded. If I left early, someone would have to drive me, and that would look even worse than Ben trotting off. Shifters could heal injuries, but sometimes stomachaches just had to run their course. I normally preferred light foods or vegetables, so the heavy gravy and meat were sitting inside me like a brick. Waves of pain had me wringing my napkin in my lap.
“I have to say, Cole, this was a good year,” Lorenzo said admiringly, holding the half-empty bottle of wine in front of his face. Austin and Prince had shared the bottle with him or else Lorenzo would have looked like a lush. The ropes of muscle on his arms tightened, and my goodness, they were sculpted and firm. Lorenzo was built like a man should be, and I hated my traitorous eyes for lingering on him longer than they should have.
“Ooo, I want cheesecake!” Lexi said excitedly. “Let’s order every flavor they have and pass them around the table instead of doing individual slices.”
Austin grinned and shook his head. “Whatever you want, Lexi.”
Ladybug was his nickname for her, but I noticed he wasn’t using it in front of the Packmasters.
I touched my hot cheek and suddenly felt light-headed. A short sip of cold water seemed to abate the miserable feeling coming over me. At least temporarily.
Denver had his right elbow on the table with his chin tucked in the palm of his hand. His eyes were heavy-lidded, a man satisfied after a hearty meal.
Maizy stood up from her chair.
“Sweetie, where are you going?” April asked.
“Home!”
She stomped off and bumped into a man briskly walking by. He gripped her arm and leaned down to look at her.
“Whose human is this?” His voice was layered with disgust, and Maizy shrank back with a look of fright on her face. “Humans aren’t allowed in here. Get the manager!”
Heads slowly turned.
Denver had risen from his chair, his knuckles white as they pressed against the table. His entire body was practically vibrating. “My advice is you better take your goddamn hands off her.”
The man lifted her arm even higher, and by that point, Prince had risen from the table along with Austin. “If I let her go, she’ll scurry off like a cockroach and infest the place.”
Without warning, Denver shifted into his wolf in a flash of magic. His wolf was grey and white, like a sled dog but much larger. He was halfway on the table and exploded into action, leaping through the open gap between Jericho and April.
“Oh, shit. It�
��s on now,” Wheeler said, tossing his napkin on the table.
Two glasses crashed to the floor and a ferocious snarl escaped as he lunged at the man. People in the restaurant merely turned around to watch, some laughing and whispering to one another.
The man let go of Maizy and threw his hands out, gripping Denver’s throat before he locked onto his jugular.
Fear gripped my spine, and I hoped this didn’t end with casualties. At the very least, we could be blacklisted and not allowed to return to the restaurant. But if the violence escalated and someone got hurt…
“Denver!” Austin shouted. “Submit.”
Wheeler stirred his finger in his glass, pushing the ice in circles. “Go out to eat with the family, they said. It’ll be fun, they said.”
Denver’s wolf was one of the most violent wolves I’d ever known. While he would normally submit to Austin with reluctance, this was another matter entirely. He was Maizy’s watchdog and would fight to the death to protect her.
Blood streaked the man’s arm as Denver latched on, tugging hard.
“Goddammit, don’t make me shift in here!” the man said, punching Denver’s wolf in the face. “You don’t want to see what the fuck I am.”
“A goat?” Wheeler suggested. “Waiter, I’ve changed my order!”
A few chuckles rose from spectators. The manager approached, fire burning in his eyes at the calamity unfolding in his restaurant.
“Denver…” Austin reached out.
April’s breath caught and Reno stood up. Everyone knew this could end badly. Denver’s wolf had blood in his mouth and if he showed disobedience toward his Packmaster in front of others, Austin would be forced to take action.
“Denny, let him go!” Maizy said, her little brow furrowing as she scolded him. She bravely went up and wrapped her arms around him, clutching his soft neck.
Denver’s wolf began to calm, letting out a few stray growls before releasing his hold.
