by Yara Gharios
"Would you like to order something?" I suggest.
They exchange glances. "I think we just might," Brooke decides for the both of them.
Once their order is taken, I've gathered my thoughts enough to determine what to say to them to make the situation less awkward.
"So tell me about yourselves," I start. "How long have you been living here?"
"A little over eighteen years," Steven answers. "We used to be part of the Redwood pack before we moved."
I have to contain my surprise so as to keep a businesslike appearance. The Redwood pack is one of our allies. They're renowned for their numbers, which match ours, but they don't own as much land as we do. I'm surprised anyone would want to leave them because the security they offer is impressive. Several travelling packs who pass through their territory are offered immediate shelter. That's mostly how they managed to gather their numbers in the decade that they've been formed. They welcome all.
"Why did you leave?" I'm curious to know.
Steven exchanges an affectionate smile with his wife. "When we found out Brooke was pregnant with twins, again, we kind of wanted to raise our children in a traditional environment."
"It was my idea, really," Brooke adds. "I wanted them to experience school and life the way I did. Don't misunderstand me, though; living in a pack is great. But it was a little overwhelming for me, and our family was becoming too big to include other people in it. So I spoke to Steven about it, and we agreed that it was the best decision."
The mutual respect between them is almost tangible. I'm fascinated by it, because it's not something I got to experience firsthand in my childhood, having grown up mostly without a mother. This relationship is obviously one based on communication, trust and equality. I envy their children.
"We always say that this chapter of our life truly started when Daniel and Michael were born," Steven goes on.
Surprisingly, Sadie perks up when she hears that. "Daniel and Michael?" she repeats excitedly. "As in, Danny and Dylan?"
Steven and Brooke both seem shocked that she's recognized their boys. So are the rest of us, to be honest, and we all stare at her.
"I didn't know they were werewolves," she exclaims. "This is great! I knew Dylan and I were going to be friends."
Cade's expression speaks volumes about his current jealousy, but he doesn't get the chance to literally speak because the ding! sound suddenly signals that someone's entered the diner. Malcolm knows we're conducting pack business and that privacy is necessary, so he wouldn't just let anyone in. These must be the Connolly boys.
Steven stands up and confirms my suspicion. "Ah, there they are," he says.
They stride in together, with an ease to their way of walking that almost hides their wariness at meeting strangers. Two of them look exactly the same, which I find amusing considering Jared and Sam's presence. The third blond one is obviously the oldest, and it looks as though he's a couple of years or so older than me. One of the second set of twins is almost as big as the rest of his brothers.
But it's the last one that I'm looking for; the youngest one, if I'm guessing correctly. He is clearly the ugly duckling in the family, although he's not literally ugly. Being well-built is not a side effect of being a werewolf. We're all strong without the added muscles, but some of us, like my pack, develop them with our training. It's not uncommon to find werewolves who are scrawny, I've just never met really met one because the packs we usually deal with have extensive trainings, like ours.
Until Michael.
When I lock eyes with him, I can feel something connecting us, and I can't look away. It's him, I know it. Their name may not be on their list, but if this family is in any way related to my father's final project, then this guy would be the key to understanding why.
"Alpha Underwood, these are my children," Steven starts introducing them. "Connor, Mason, Nathan, Daniel and Michael. Boys, this is the Silver Moon pack's new alpha, Logan Underwood."
"Pleasure," the oldest, Connor, says politely.
"Welcome," I tell them. "Why don't you each grab a seat and we can start."
Sadie catches Michael's eye when he and I temporarily break contact and gives him a smile. "Hey Dylan!" she greets him cheerfully.
"Hi Sadie," he says back warmly.
The rest of his family are giving him curious stares, even his parents, which is strange because they must have deduced fifteen seconds ago that they already met.
"How do you two know each other?" Cade asks, a possessive edge to his voice.
"We met at school," she finally explains. "Dylan, this is my boyfriend I was telling you about at lunch, Cade. He's the beta."
Cade nods in Michael's direction but doesn't say anything. This is going to be another episode of Cade's jealousy, I can feel it coming. I almost roll my eyes. It's kind of ridiculous, in my opinion, because Sadie is obviously crazy about him.
"Nice to meet you," Michael answers politely. "Sadie said great things about you."
Distracted, Cade smiles at her adoringly. "Did she now?" he asks.
Reena suddenly clears her throat. She doesn't usually say much during official pack meetings, so it's kind of a surprise that she's asking to be acknowledged. We all stare at her.
"Well, aren't you going to introduce us?" she asks me, sounding offended.
I nod, remembering my manners. "Right. This is my mate, Reena," I start, knowing she'll expect to be introduced first, "and these are Cade's brothers, Jared and Sam."
"Pleasure," Connor repeats.
"Now that we've all been acquainted with each other, why don't we get down to business?" Steven suggests in a tone of nothing but respect.
"Of course," I agree.
I waste no time doing just that. The sooner we can get the formalities out of the way, the quicker I'll be able to find out whether or not they're related to my father's project. One little detail I don't feel like sharing just yet is my father's death, so I have to be ambiguous when it comes to my recent rise in title.
"I understand our previous alpha gave you permission to live on our land eighteen years ago, right?" I begin with.
"That's correct," Steven replies. "We would just like to renew that agreement so that we may continue living here and coexist peacefully."
"Yes, of course," I repeat, sensing an opportunity. "I have thought it over, and I have a different proposition for you."
Steven frowns in confusion. "What's the proposition?"
"Join our pack," I simply reply.
This takes them by surprise. They all look at Steven, waiting for his lead. In their defense, this is not a common occurrence. Usually, packs are very tightly-knit; rarely are people invited to join. Even the Redwood pack, though welcoming, rarely allows anyone to permanently join them.
I have given this a lot of thought before coming to the meeting. Because they're not on the list, I can't flat-out ask the Connollies if they have a connection to my father. And if they live on our land separately, they might not be forthcoming on their own. I figured the best way to earn their trust was to get close to them, co-exist and build relationships, where this type of questions would not be suspicious.
Besides, even if they weren't somehow connected to the project, they're still a small and isolated pack, and they're living on my land, which means they're under my protection. I can't very well kick them out, and I can offer them better safety from within the compound walls. It's what my father would have done. He was the kind of alpha that would have helped anyone who needed it, because it was within his ability -and therefore his responsibility- to do so.
Though initially shocked into silence, Steven quickly finds a diplomatic answer. "That's very generous of you," he says, his voice taking on an edge that implies a rebuttal. "However, and I sincerely hope I don't offend you, we've been living this way for almost two decades, and we're quite comfortable the way we are."
Like his family did with Steven, my people look to me for a verdict. I try to keep a neutral mask on wh
ile I mull this over. I honestly didn't expect them to refuse. Not to sound narcissistic, but our pack reputation's as one of the strongest in the country precedes us everywhere we go. Other werewolves regularly ask to join us. But when I hand in an open invitation with no strings attached, I'm naturally shocked at being refused.
Why wouldn't they want to join us? I wonder.
Maybe they do know something and they're just hiding it. That's the only explanation I can come up with on the spot, but I can't be sure, and I sure as hell can't ask them about it. I'm going to have to come up with a different way to earn their trust.
Fortunately, I don't think that's going to be very hard. We don't need to be in the same pack to be friends, for one thing. And then there's always activities like Friday's party and Saturday's bonfire camp that we could invite them to.
"I can respect your decision," I finally say. "And in that case, I will agree to renew the agreement you made with our previous alpha. You may continue to live on our land, and you are always welcome into our pack house, so long as you all respect our rules and not cross one of our own. In return, we will treat you like family and none of us will try to cross you either."
Thankfully, Steven nods and says, "Thank you."
"That being said," I add in a much lighter tone, "we're throwing a welcome home party this Friday, and we'd like to invite you all."
"Oh, that's very sweet of you," Brooke fondly replies. "My husband and I unfortunately don't enjoy parties, but I'm sure the boys would love to go."
"Yeah, sure," the one called Daniel says casually.
The five of them agree to attend the party, thus ending the official part of our meeting. We don't immediately part ways though, since those of us who already ordered are still eating, and the Connolly boys are hungry.
Then, in the spirit of unity, we start trying to strike up conversations with each other. Steven and Brooke show interest in our pack's training, and I in turn ask about theirs. They explain to me that aside from the boys going to the gym twice a week, Steven trains them in wolf form every Tuesday night, in a clearing in the nearby forest. However, Steven suspended training until the summer begins because their school years are close to being over, and they will need the extra time to study. Connor is the only one who hasn't interrupted his own training because he graduated from college.
After a while, another conversation catches my attention, and I briefly listen in on Sadie telling Michael how she and Cade got together. Sadie must have just finished telling her about how her parents met. Those two stories usually go together. In spite of myself, I can't help listening in, as do the rest of us.
"I grew up with Logan and Cade since I was three," Sadie is saying. "We've always been close. Originally, Logan's parents were hoping that he and I would get together, because they knew he would be alpha one day, and it was vital that his mate would be someone reliable who would never betray them. Who better than someone he's grown up with?"
"Okay," Michael encourages her, immersed in her story.
Sadie smiles and looks over at Cade, who is of course staring at her with an enraptured look on his face. "But I've always felt like I had a special bond with Cade," she goes on. "I've had a crush on him since I could remember. I came clean and told him straight away when I was sixteen, and lucky for me, he felt the same way." She looks at Michael again, still smiling. "Last year, he asked her to be his mate. Of course I said yes."
They reach for each other under the table, which only I seem to notice, and clasp hands.
"Wow," Michael says, displaying the usual fascination people got from hearing Cade and Sadie's story. That is, unless you've already heard it ten thousand times and have practically memorized it. "This is amazing. I mean, you make finding one's mate sound so easy and effortless."
"Oh believe me, there was plenty of effort," she assures him frantically. "And we each had our personal struggles to go through. But it was all worth it in the end."
A dreamy look crosses her face and she can't help taking a glance at her mate. Cade's expression instantly mirrors hers.
Unlike the uncomfortable feeling I'm getting, Michael grins. "Yeah, I'll bet it was."
"What about you Michael?" Reena suddenly pipes up. "Any potential mate on the horizon?"
I stare at him expectantly, kind of curious to hear the answer myself.
"No," he simply says, which for some reason makes me even more curious. He just said it in a way that made it final, that not only does he not have a mate or even a potential one, he doesn't believe he ever will.
"Don't worry, Dylan," Sadie reassures him. "Everybody's got a mate."
"Oh, I don't think that applies for me," he say evasively, confirming my suspicion.
"That's ridiculous!" she objects. "I'm positive you're going to find her someday."
Michael averts his gaze, looking embarrassed. And that's when he makes eye contact with me again. I try to crack the puzzle that is in his eyes, only to come up empty handed. Uncomfortable with my prying, he looks down at his plate, in turn making me feel bad about staring.
"Maybe," he allows. "Someday."
It sounds like he's saying it only for Sadie's benefit, and not like he actually believes it. For some reason, I am very interested in figuring out what makes him so sure that he's never going to find a mate. I've never met a werewolf who seemed so put off by the very thought. I've met plenty who were nonchalant about it, but none that refused the idea altogether. I'm very curious to find out what makes Michael Connolly tick.
Chapter 7
Michael
When we get home, I practically run up the stairs into the guest room while the rest of my family settles in the living room or the kitchen. I'm surprised Mason doesn't go straight up there with me, but it makes sense when I see him raiding the fridge. Marianna's suitcase is thrown open on the bed, and I'm relieved to find that there's nothing inside it yet.
She's not in the room, but I hear her in the bathroom. The door is open and I take that as I sign that I can go in. She's collecting her beauty products and toiletries from the cabinets. She hears me coming and smiles at me, looking sideways.
"How was it?" she asks, and the ever present hint of her French accent shows.
"Tense," I tell her. "As expected."
"What's the new alpha like?"
I take a moment to think about how to answer that. The guys in the pack were different from what I imagined; they're all younger than I expected, maybe even younger than Connor. The first one I recognized was Sadie's boyfriend Cade, because he was standing closest to her. He's pretty cute in an injured-puppy kind of way, but his features are almost baby-ish, which I personally don't find attractive, even though he is pretty well-built.
Two others were identical, which led me to guess they're the younger brothers Sadie mentioned. Plus, Jared and Sam had features in common with their older brother, although they were not as muscular. When introductions were made, I knew I was right about who they are.
So that meant that the last one was the alpha. He was tall, and his physique was much more defined than all the others'. Vein tracks stuck out on the parts of his arms that were not covered by clothing. He had blond hair and eyes so smoldering that I couldn't even tell what color they were. He looked so perfectly sculpted, like some piece of art instead of a real person, that it was almost impossible to look away.
Because we were sitting across from each other during the whole meeting, I had plenty of time to analyze how he looked, but it was the initial contact that gave me the creeps.
Something happened when we made eye contact. A petrifying heat rose from my stomach, and extended outward like an invisible chord. It was the instinctual fear of the alpha our wolf side usually feels, especially in the presence of one that intimidating.
If the process of elimination was not enough to confirm that he was alpha, it was obvious by how the other three seemed to subconsciously follow his lead, and by the fact that he was the only one who kept eye contact with me u
ntil his mate asked him to introduce everyone.
Now, her, I didn't really like. She gave me a weird smile when we were introduced. I also don't appreciate the rude way she snapped at her mate -the alpha, of all people- when she told him to introduce us. My family was barely saying a few words, and we usually never shut up. I couldn't understand why an alpha as strong as Logan seemed to be would be with someone like that.
Every time we locked eyes throughout the evening, the chord thickened again, no matter how brief the moment was. His presence was just that enormous and daunting; even Connor was backing down.
"Too young to be so grave and intimidating," I finally say.
"He intimidated you?" Marianna wonders with a frown.
"Not on purpose, but yeah," I find myself confessing. I would never admit to this in front of anyone other than her, especially not my brothers; I would never hear the end of it.
"How old is he?" Marianna asks curiously.
"I don't know, but he can't be older than Connor," I reply.
She pauses and stares at me in shock. "That young? And he's alpha? Why the sudden change?"
I'm just as clueless as she is, so I simply shrug. A moment later, she resumes emptying the cabinets.
"You know, if you put these at the bottom, they'll squirt all over your suitcase," I jokingly say.
She grins but doesn't stop. "I'm just checking that everything's here."
"Where else would they be?"
"Mason and Nathan's room."
I grimace in disgust. "I didn't need to know that."
She giggles. "Then why ask?"
I take a moment to memorize her laugh. After she leaves today, who knows when I'll see her again? And how long will she stay next time? This time, it was a week, but we got lucky because her university had a longer Spring Break. There's no seeing her again until the summer starts. Who else am I going to be myself with?
