Archer rubbed his left shoulder. “I can go too.”
Tak shook his head. “Four is enough. The rest of you need to stay behind and protect the house in case they send someone while we’re planning an attack. We have two pregnant women to think about and, if we’re lucky, two babies.”
Lakota perked up. “You mean you’re having twins?”
Tak gave a sly smile. “I should be so lucky. Hope doesn’t like it when I talk about triplets.”
Leaning back, Lakota snorted. “Oneof your giant babies inside my sister is enough.”
Virgil stood and stretched. “Are we done male bonding? I have unfinished business back at the bar.” He stretched so hard that his joints cracked. “You fellas need to loosen up and save the team meetings for home,” he added before snapping his fingers to the music and strutting back to the bar.
“Taz!” Archer called out, using Virgil’s nickname. Then he slid out of the booth. “I’ll keep an eye on him. He’s been trying to sip other people’s drinks to keep his buzz going.”
The men filtered out of their seats and resumed their activities.
Tak crossed his arms and directed his words to Atticus. “I’ll introduce Krys’s wolf to you and your employees before you leave.”
“I wouldn’t worry about that.”
Tak barked out a laugh. “You’ve never met his wolf, have you? He hates people.Allpeople. If you don’t meet him first, he’ll turn on you. Chew up that pretty little face of yours.”
Atticus held the silence for a moment. “Do I have your permission to court Joy?”
Tak’s eyebrows arched. “Why would you ask me?”
“In my day, you gained the family’s respect and approval. I want to do it right this time. You’re the closest she has to a father.”
Tak’s cheeks flushed so subtly that only Atticus would have noticed. “Joy is a grown woman who makes her own choices. But if you need my permission, you have it.”
“She hasn’t accepted me, and I can’t assume she ever will. But if she does, and if you invite me into the pack, I have a request.”
Tak’s brow furrowed. “And what’s that?”
“Obviously I don’t sleep, but I still need a place of respite—a structure with soundproof walls. Even at night, a house is too noisy with the snoring, whispering, and lovemaking. People get up to use the bathroom and eat. And I think your people would feel more at ease if they didn’t feel like someone was invading their privacy. I can’t turn my ears off all night. Silence is needed for our mental health. The ones who ignore those basic needs eventually go mad.”
“What did you have in mind?”
“You have a lot of land, and it seems reasonable to build a cottage off to the side. With my money, of course. Nothing largeor intrusive, and this would only be used at night for privacy. I can soundproof the entire structure the way I like to block out?—”
“Nature?”
“More like your wolves howling. If Joy would rather sleep in the main house, that’s something we can work out. I can stay with her until she falls asleep, but for sanity’s sake, I need a quiet place every once in a while.”
Tak ran his hand over his bronzed arm. “It’s bad luck to plan a future when the decision lies with someone else.”
“Fair enough.”
After a stretch of silence, Tak sighed. “But… my father’s tribe has multiple communities. I’m not saying you’re in the pack, but for the sake of conversation, let’s just say that I place more value in a family being together when it matters—work, meals, and play. Lucian is an introvert, but he eats with the pack and goes out with us even though he’d rather be at home on his computer. He understands that you can’t live alone with others.”
They simultaneously looked at Lucian, who was staring at his phone while Montana sank another pool ball.
“Even though he’s a Chitah, I’m still his Packmaster. Maybe you should decide how easy it would be for you to follow another man, because no one is above me in this pack. That’s the only way wolves can live. We thrive on hierarchy; otherwise, our group falls apart. Lucian’s customs aren’t dissimilar from ours, so we relate. Disagreements happen, and I respect everyone’s input. But at the end of the day, my pack falls into line.” He shook his head. “Some concessions I can make, but antagonism’s not one of them. If you butt heads with me in front of the pack, you threaten the stability in my house. They’ll either fight you or follow your lead, and neither is acceptable. It won’t work unless you respect our ways.”
Atticus nodded. “Your customs are familiar to me. I appreciate what you value.”
Tak’s eyebrows arched. “So you know that your money will no longer be yours alone?”
Atticus raked his teeth over his bottom lip. That realization had crossed his mind, but he was uncertain how it would work.
