“They still don’t know about the snake, do they?” I ask, keeping my voice low.
“No.” Shawn shakes his head. “I have told Sarah, but we haven’t passed it on to the other elders. We’re afraid the pack would riot or break apart—or worse.”
“Would they attack us?” Rex asks.
“Maybe,” Shawn answers. “But it’s far more likely they’d just disappear into the woods and abandon their town.”
“Shit,” Brad mutters. “That bad?”
Shawn nods. “You have no idea how ingrained their traditions are. These elders are pretty upset about people wanting to leave at all, let alone form a new pack with a different alpha.”
“Okay,” I reply, straightening my shoulders and raising my head. “I’ll get my shit together and handle this.”
“Uh, Dan,” Rex says, giving me a sideways look. “You’ve got your game face on.”
“Well, of course I do. It’s time to get down to business.”
“Yeah, but you want to marry the girl and have a friendly partnership, not fight her one-on-one.”
“Might end up being the same thing,” I mutter.
“I heard that,” Rex says. “Seriously, man, what’s your problem?”
I close my eyes, taking a deep breath of scorching air that does nothing to soothe me.
She’s a fucking witch. That’s my problem.
“She’s strange,” I say. “I don’t know, I just don’t feel comfortable around her. She’s the last person I’d choose.”
“She’s very sweet,” Brad says. “She’s always at our house with Alisha, so I know her pretty well. She’s really just a genuinely nice person; she can just be very quiet and shy to start with.”
“Yeah,” I mutter. “I guess that’s all it is.”
“Really,” Brad says, gripping my shoulder and looking into my eyes. “She’s had a rough time—that’s why she seems aloof. I promise you, when she warms up, she’s generous, super funny, and really great with kids.”
I chuckle softly. “Yeah, well. That’s good to know. I can see that happening immediately.”
“Really?” Rex asks, giving me a grin and a raised eyebrow.
I can’t help but grin back. “Yes, she’s beautiful, okay? I admit that.”
“I’ve seen you looking,” Shawn says, grinning as well.
“I thought I was being discreet.”
“Oh, you were,” Shawn continues. “I just happened to catch it here and there.”
“Maybe the universe is giving you everything you want but can’t admit to,” Rex says. “Sometimes it works like that, and I sure as hell got lucky.”
“Yeah, you did,” I agree, sighing. “Where are the girls, anyway?”
All of us look around, seeing a decent crowd of people gathered around the central seating area. The elders are starting to look distinctly peeved, with no bride in sight.
“We’ve been standing here a while,” I say, looking around uncertainly. “What should we do?”
A strange feeling builds in my guts, and I don’t know if I’d be relieved if Grace didn’t show up or bitterly disappointed.
“I’ll text Scarlett,” Rex says.
