Dodger’s smile turned predatory, and that was answer enough.
They were making their own Pack outside of the rules.
Okay.
Okay, all right.
She liked him. He probably felt about the Elders the way her dad did. The way she did too. “They’ll come after you when they find out.”
“Bring it,” he said easily. “It’s honestly the only reason I came back.”
“For what?”
“A good fight. The most interesting day in this Pack was the day the Elder’s showed up and went after Nory and pulled Delta and Bridger’s big bad wolves from them. We all got some action that day. My wolf was happy for a few hours. I could breathe for a little while.”
“You seem to be breathing fine now,” she pointed out softly.
Dodger leaned forward on the table. “There are thirty-seven people in here at ten tables, four servers, Byron, two hosts, and a manager that looks over at us every five seconds or so. The rude server from yesterday has pointed us out to every table she’s serving. Byron is already making us a second round of beers,” he said without shifting his gaze anywhere. “Blondie is still staring at us, and for the last few minutes, her beau has been getting jealous of her attention on me. He will drink a couple more and then get bold enough to say something to me, and I’ll have to drag his ass outside so these fine humans in here don’t witnessa fraction of what I’m capable of. The table behind me is talking about getting divorced. Seventeen people outside have walked past this window and noticed me sitting inside of here. Three guys have noticed you; one is sitting alone at that table in the back corner. Could be curiosity over why you are sitting here with a werewolf, but more likely it is the figure you are trying and failing to hide under your jacket. Pick a car parked outside.”
“Wh-what?”
He tilted his head toward the line of cars parked on the street outside. “Look out the window and pick one.”
“Umm, the red Buick across the street.”
“8FT 14U”
Holy shit. “How many license plates do you have memorized?”
“All of them that you can see up and down both sides of the street. So, no. I never feel like I can just breathe.”
“Is the hypervigilance from being a werewolf?”
“I guess. It’s just how I am. There is no off-switch.”
“Unless you have a good fight.”
“Unless I have a good fight,” he agreed.
“Monster.”
“Why are you smiling when you say that?”
Destiny shrugged and didn’t hide her growing smile.
“You’re supposed to be running,” he pointed out.
“My stepdad taught me never to give my back to a werewolf. I don’t run.”
A low, gritty growl emanated from him, and Dodger relaxed back into his chair, his arms crossed over his chest. “You’re fun, little human.”
She didn’t know why, but that compliment crawled inside of her and ignited the butterflies that had been long-asleep in her stomach.
“I haven’t been called fun in a long time,” she admitted.
“A crossing guard who wears knee-length winter jackets at bars? I can’t imagine why anyone would think you are no fun.”
She pulled a face. “Rude.”
