“Shush, don’t insult the gods,” I said with a choked laugh, giving the sky a quick glance likeForsanaorHecatana,the goddesses of shifters and the lunar cycle, were about to smite him where he stood. I didn’t exactly worship in the old ways, but I appreciated the sentiment, and tried never to bring disfavor from the deities. “But thank you. Cora did an amazing job.”
Hunter’s chest rumbled, and his mirth held a hint of derision. “It has nothing to do with Cora or makeup.”
When he lifted his hand and brushed his thumb over my cheeks, I could smell myself on his skin, and fuck, it was a turn on. Kellan’s nostrils flared as he chuckled too. “A very nice scent.”
Hunter ignored him as he continued to rub away the powder over my nose and cheeks, even though I’d told Cora to use a light touch. “Much better.”
“My freckles.” Kellan’s laughter faded into a sigh. “I swear, when I’m not kissing my way along all the delicious connect-the-dots on your body, I dream about them.”
It hadn’t escaped my notice that Kellan enjoyed kissing his way between my freckles. By now, he had my whole body mapped out. Not that I was complaining.
“Come on, lovebirds,” Cora shouted, half hanging out of the last car. “You can obsess over her gorgeous butt when you get home.”
“Oh, that’s a certainty,” Kellan replied, sliding his hand down my body and over my ass. “I’ll be obsessing every day for the rest of eternity.”
I remained flushed and breathless even once we were seated in the middle row, the two massive alphas on either side of me. Cora, Warrick, and Finley were in this car as well, the mated pair squished in the back, and the bear shifter taking the passenger side.
My gaze met Finley’s as he turned, and for once he didn’t scowl at me. He wasn’t smiling either, but his expression remained neutral, and I held on to a small hope that for tonight we could pretend everything was okay in the pack.
The wink.I still had no idea what to make of it, so I shoved it deep inside and locked the lid on that memory. For now.
It was a twenty-minute drive to Luxuria, and in that time the conversation centered around hockey and how fucked up some of the plays had been. When they moved on to the first scheduled winter pack run on Tuesday, Cora leaned forward and said, “You have to be there, Emme. There’ll be hundreds of us out for the first snowfall exploration. It’s my favorite run of the year.”
“I’ll be there,” I assured her, already excited by the prospect. My wolf had been desperate for a run with more of the city’s packs, and this sounded like the perfect opportunity. Add in the snow for us to frolic, and I was bouncing like a pup.
“Wait, do we still need to meet with the council tomorrow?” I asked, angling myself toward Hunter to read his expression.
He had an annoying habit of dropping shit on me at the last minute and giving me little time to mentally prepare. I presumed it was his way of taking the bulk of the worry andpreparation, but I couldn’t always play the helpless female omega letting her alphas deal with life. Occasionally, I needed to be the one who handled my own problems, especially when it pertained to the fucking Rogers pack
Warrick released a low, warm laugh, as if he already knew the answer, but I didn’t remove my focus from Hunter. “The meeting is scheduled, but I’m not sure it’s worth showing up,” he said with a shrug that sent me into Kellan. “I was going to wait and discuss it with you in the morning.”
“What he actually said,” Warrick began, his voice still filled with humor, and I had a feeling we were about to learn why he’d laughed, “was to shove their orders up their asses and not to bother his fucking pack again until they worked out a satisfactory consequence for the Rogers pack.”
“Which is death,” Kellan grumbled, his arm wrapped around my shoulders from where he’d steadied me a second ago. “I’ll accept nothing less.”
Hunter nodded, as if that settled it. “Anyway, let’s not discuss that shit tonight. Tonight is about freeing your beast and having fun. No one will ruin this for Emme.”
Hunter’s way of showing he cared was different to Kellan’s, but both made me feel…everything.It was frankly terrifying. How did shifters just wander around with all of these emotions spilling out them like a leaking faucet? It couldn’t be natural.
The vehicle came to a halt, and I glanced out the darkened window to the familiar entrance of Luxuria, with its red carpet and gold-tinted, cathedral architecture. There were dozens of shifters standing in line, waiting for entry, and I wasn’t surprised by its popularity. The interior was just as stunning, with gold chandeliers, red velvet, runners on the floor, and drinks that were more than a generous pour.
Of course, no one made us wait as we strolled along the red carpet, and it didn’t escape my notice how the shifters in linestared at the alphas, taking photos on their phones like they’d run into celebrities.
When Kellan and Hunter closed in on either side of me, linking my hands in theirs, there were shouts of my name. I didn’t turn to the crowd; Hunter had told me not to engage with them, and I chose to follow his orders. I’d like to sayfor once, but so far he hadn’t demanded anything I wasn’t happy to comply with. I’d never felt the need to rebel for the sake of it—the very thought was exhausting.
“Wait,” Cora called, stopping us in the candelabra-lit entrance, the heavy beat of the music pulsing behind us. “Let’s get a photo.”
She pulled out her phone, and Hunter and Kellan pressed in even closer to either side of me, until I felt heated and breathless at their scent and energy surrounding me so thoroughly. Cora sighed and started to snap away.
“You too, Finley,” she ordered after a few more photos, and I barely managed not to glare at her. It helped no one to keep forcing our proximity, especially if poking the bear brought out the grouch. Chilled-out Finley was my favorite Finley.
To my surprise, he just offered a brief smile and stepped in on the other side of Kellan.
“Perfect,” Cora gushed as she snapped a dozen or more pictures. “You four are far too attractive to be in one pack. It’s criminal, really.”
Warrick smirked as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “Love, you’re one to talk. Your beauty has no comparison.”
She scoffed at him, but I could tell she was pleased, as her pretty face lit up. “Thank you, mate. You’ll be rewarded for that later.”
