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My gaze finally lifted to his. “I’m sorry about last night.”
He gave a gentle smile. “It’s okay. Things like that happen with shifters. Not everyone is as good as some at controlling that side.”
“You’re not afraid of me?”
“Heck no. If you had made me an only child, I would’ve gotten Preston’s room and all the presents on Christmas.”
Preston playfully punched his brother’s leg. “Do I mean so little to you?”
“Yes.” Dylan leaned forward and hugged me so fiercely that I had to catch the plate to keep the brownie from tumbling onto Fane’s bed. “I’d never be afraid of you, Tate. You’re part of the family now.”
Fists knotted in my chest as his words sank in, and he clung to me in a way no one else had since Jayla died. I hadn’t let anyone. But this cute little wolf shifter had bulldozed past my walls before I realized it.
He pulled back and winked. “Try the brownie, so I can tell Mom she should put these in her bakery. You can’t be the only weirdo that likes hot stuff on everything.”
I snorted and then lifted the brownie to my mouth to take a bite. A mixture of sweet chocolate, salty bacon, and spicy peppers popped over my tongue. “Wow! That’s fu—freaking good.” I could eat ten of these. Fane would probably inhale them too.
Dylan pumped his fist in the air. “Success! I knew it.”
Someone knocked on the door, and Nora entered the room, a warm smile spreading over her lips as she watched her youngest son do a little dance. “I guess the brownie was a hit.”
“Of course.” He held his fist in the air for me to tap. “I should totally be one of those people who comes up with new recipes and makes them.”
Preston’s brows knit. “You mean a chef?”
Dylan shrugged. “Maybe.”
Nora’s smile faded, and a flash of worry streaked through her green eyes. At first, I assumed it was because of what happened last night, but then her words hit the air like a bomb.
“Alpha Camus and Head Alpha Barric are here to see Fane.” She rested her hand on the hollow of her throat. “The head alpha would also like to speak to you, Tate.”
The brownie turned to ash in my mouth. Why the hell was the head alpha here for me?
ChapterThirty-One
My legs feltunsteady as I descended the stairs, my hand gripping the railing as Camus and Barric turned in my direction. Their alpha power infiltrated the air, but neither tried to force it on me. I was getting used to Camus, and he seemed nice enough, except for his past behavior with Fane.
Barric was another story.
His tawny eyes lanced through me, trying to pry back my exterior to all my deepest and darkest secrets.
“Hello again, Tate.” Camus gave a casual nod as he sat on one of the white couches. “I was just telling Barric how helpful you’ve been with our situation.”
Ephraim must not have told him about last night, or the alpha wouldn’t be praising me.
I gave a strained smile. “I’m just doing what I can.”
“Once a raven, always a raven, right?” Barric reached his giant, scarred hand out for me to shake, his demeanor friendlier than it had been at Corvin Manor. “Nice to see you, Tate. The Mohan pack seems to be treating you well.”
“It’s nice here.” I surveyed him, attempting to decipher his reason for the unexpected visit. Was Fane right when he said Barric hadn’t lost interest in me?
Nora and Ephraim strolled in from the kitchen, carrying tea, lemonade, and a tray of snacks.
“Tate fits in with us just perfectly.” Ephraim winked at me, and his smile said what he couldn’t put into words in front of Barric or Camus. He wasn’t mad at me for last night.
I blinked back the stinging tears that threatened to spill out. Why would he protect me when I wasn’t even part of his family?
Nora placed the tray of cheese, meats, crackers, grapes, and some other crap I didn’t recognize on the coffee table. A few of Dylan’s spicy brownies were stacked in the corner. “Tate’s been a lovely addition, and it’s nice not being the only woman in a house full of guys.”
