Chapter 15

[ 1,235 words ]

Social creatures

15: 15.

Social creatures Kade

Dinner goes about how I expect it to.

Which is to say—loud, crowded, and full of wolves pretending they aren’t studying the human sitting at the end of the table.

Our pack house dining room is long and warm, with a heavy wooden table that stretches nearly the length of the room.

Plates clatter, chairs scrape, kids whisper too loudly, and the smell of roasted meat and bread hangs thick in the air.

Aria sits beside me, shoulders a little stiff but chin lifted like she refuses to look intimidated.

I respect that.

“Relax,” I murmur, leaning closer so only she hears.

“They’re curious. Not hostile.”

Her eyes flick to me, then back to the table.

“I noticed.”

Across from us, Barric raises a mug toward her.

“Don’t mind the staring,” he says with a crooked grin.

“You’re the most interesting thing to happen around here in months.”

One of the older wolves, Greta, elbows him hard in the ribs.

“Don’t listen to him, dear. He’s got the manners of a raccoon.”

Aria laughs softly at that, some of the tension leaving her shoulders.

Good.

Ronan made it clear earlier—no pressure.

No overwhelming introductions.

Let people come to her in small groups.

So that’s what happens.

After plates are filled and everyone starts eating, wolves begin drifting over one or two at a time.

Marcus and Eliza come first.

Marcus is one of the younger males, recently mated, with big shoulders and an easy smile.

“Hi,” he says, extending a hand.

“Marcus. This is Eliza.”

Eliza waves with her fork.

“Nice to meet you,” she says.

“Liam talked about you a lot. So the feeling is mutual,” He smiles.

Aria shakes Marcus’s hand.

“Hopefully good things.”

Marcus snorts.

“Mostly about how stubborn you are.”

Aria shoots me a glance.

“Sounds about right.”

“Well, here, stubborn is a good thing. It means you won’t easily be pushed around.”

My wolf huffs inside my head.

She smells good when she’s happy.

I ignore him.

More pack members cycle through.

The older wolves—Greta, Harlan, and Victor—introduce themselves next.

They’re polite but observant, eyes sharp with years of experience.

Then the younger couples.

Then the single males.

Seven of them.

Too many idiots in one place if you ask me.

My wolf growls faintly.

Baring his teeth at his pack mate in a way that feels to territorial.

“Down,” I mutter under my breath.

Aria glances at me.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

Kids wander by, too—two little boys and a girl—staring at Aria like she’s a zoo exhibit until their mom drags them away.

Through it all, the mood stays easy.

Welcoming.

Exactly like I knew it would.

Because Liam is a pack.

And anyone Liam cares about gets our protection.

No questions asked.

After dinner winds down, Aria leans back slightly in her chair, looking around the room as wolves keep talking and laughing.

“You guys really like eating together,” she says.

I chuckle.

“Yeah.

Pretty much every night when everyone’s around.”

“That’s… unusual.”

“For humans, maybe.”

She tilts her head.

“So it’s a shifter thing?”

“Yeah.”

I rest my forearms on the table.

“Shifters are social creatures. We like being around our pack.”

Her gaze moves across the room where Barric is arguing with Marcus about something dumb.

“Just… hanging out?”

“Pretty much. Eating. Talking. Training sometimes. Pack runs.”

She raises an eyebrow.

“What’s that?”

For a second, I forget she’s human.

I rub the back of my neck.

“Right. Uh… that’s when we all shift together.”

Her eyes widen a little.

“All of you?”

“Usually, yeah.”

I nod toward the back windows where the forest stretches out beyond the property.

“We head out into the woods and let our wolves run.”

Her brow furrows.

“Together?”

“Yeah. It strengthens our wolves’ bonds, and it also gives our wolves some time to roam freely.”

My wolf perks up eagerly.

Running.

Hunting.

Pack.

Aria goes quiet.

I watch her expression turn thoughtful.

Like she’s trying to imagine it.

A group of wolves is racing through the trees under the moon.

I wonder what that looks like in her head.

Probably terrifying.

But she doesn’t look scared.

Just… curious.

After a moment, she glances back at me.

“So where am I staying tonight?”

“Tonight?”

She nods.

“I stayed with Barric last night. Am I going back there?”

My wolf bristles often at not being considered an option.

Do I want her to stay with me?

I shove him down.

“Ronan will probably set you up somewhere comfortable,” I say.

“We’ve got spare rooms.”

She nods slowly.

“But if I wanted to stay with Barric again,” I shrug.

“I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.”

Across the room, Barric overhears his name and raises his head.

“What about me?”

“Nothing,” I say.

Aria smiles slightly.

“I just… didn’t pack enough clothes to stay here this long.”

That makes sense.

“What did you bring?” I ask, squaring my body towards her so others get the hint that this is a private conversation.

“Two changes. I thought I was visiting for a weekend.”

Yeah.

That plan went out the window.

“And I can’t keep sleeping in Barric’s clothes,” she adds.

I chuckle.

“Why not?”

She looks down at the oversized flannel she’s wearing.

“Because they swallow me whole.”

My eyes drift over her without meaning to.

The shirt does hang on her.

But it also dips between her breasts, outlining them in a way that would pique the interest of any virile male.

The hem is long for a shirt, but short for a dress, which is what she’s currently wearing it as.

It lifts slightly with her movements, revealing bare strips of thigh.

My wolf growls low.

I clear my throat.

“Then we’ll fix that.

I’ll take you shopping tomorrow.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I know.” I stand up, grabbing our plates.

“But I’m going to anyway.”

***

The next afternoon, we’re driving into town.

Aria sits in the passenger seat of my truck, looking out the window as the forest slowly gives way to roads and buildings.

“You guys live pretty far out,” she says.

“I never realized just how much.”

“Safer that way.”

“For the wolf thing?”

“Exactly.”

She nods slowly.

We pull into a small outdoor shopping center about thirty minutes later.

Nothing fancy.

But it has what she needs.

Clothes.

Shoes.

Basic stuff.

Inside the first store, Aria heads straight for the racks.

I lean against a nearby pillar, arms crossed, pretending I’m not watching her.

My wolf is very interested.

She pulls out a few shirts, holding them up to examine them.

The movement lifts her hair off her neck.

Her scent drifts toward me.

Soft.

Warm.

Feminine.

Then suddenly—

It changes.

Just a little.

But enough that my wolf goes completely still.

What was that?

The scent deepens.

Becomes sweeter.

Richer.

More… intoxicating.

My wolf surges forward with a desperate need to get a larger whiff of it.

My pulse spikes.

Aria turns.

Her blue eyes pin me with a soft look.

“I’m going to go try a few things on.”

“Sure,” I try, but I can’t look away from her now.

She walks toward the fitting rooms, arms full of clothes.

Then stops.

Looks back.

“You’re not coming?” she asks.

“I’ll wait out here.”

Probably safer.

She disappears behind the curtain.

My wolf paces restlessly.

Mate.

You don’t know that.

I say quickly.

She smells right.

Lots of women smell good.

I lie.

No one ever smelled like that.

Like they were a personally curated drug.

I drag a hand through my hair.

This is bad.

Very bad.

Because if she’s my mate—

She’s human.

And humans don’t just accept that kind of thing easily.

Neither does the Assembly.

The curtain rustles.

Aria steps out wearing a fitted dark green sweater and jeans.

And my brain completely stops working.

The sweater hugs her curves perfectly.

The jeans—

My wolf nearly loses his mind.

He wants to close the distance, to press her against my body and…

Aria spins once awkwardly.

“Well?”

My mouth is dry.

“You look… good.”

Smooth, Kade.

Real smooth.

She studies my face.

Then something shifts in her scent again.

Warmer.

Almost shy.

“Just good?”

My wolf pushes forward eagerly.

Beautiful.

Dangerous territory.

“You look great,” I correct.

Her lips curve slightly.

“Better than Barric’s flannel?”

“Much.”

She laughs softly.

And damn it—

That scent hits me again.

Sweet.

Tempting.

Pulling me closer like gravity.

My wolf is practically vibrating now.

I shove my hands into my pockets.

“Grab a few more,” I say gruffly.

“Why?”

“Because if we leave right now, I’m going to look like I’m rushing you out of the store.”

She studies me for another second.

Then disappears behind the curtain again.

I exhale slowly.

My wolf growls softly.

Mate.

“Maybe,” I admit quietly.

And that possibility?

It changes everything.

If you find any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc..), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.