He snorted.“Not more than anything else is unfair.”
“True, I guess.”
“Anyway.When I had my Triad, the old leader challenged me.I think he wanted me gone.Out of the picture.But he underestimated me.I was young when he challenged me.I think he believed that experience would see him through.”
“But it didn’t.”
“No.”
“So what happened to his Triad brothers?”
Ryan shrugged.“Nothing.”
“Nothing?”
“They mourned his passing and moved on.”
“Will they meet another guy to fulfil their Triad?”
“No, that’s not how it works.”
“Did they have a mate?”
“Yeah.But they’re not here anymore, so you don’t have to worry about bumping into them.”He shrugged.“It’s not common for the family of challengers to stay in the same Pride after a loss.”
“No, that makes sense.Viewing your leader as a murderer isn’t the best way to gather respect, is it?”
He snorted.“Say it how it is, El.”
“Don’t worry, babe.I won’t.”She winked at him, then deciding it was prudent to change the subject, asked, “When do the festivities start?”
He peered up at the sky.“Soon.”
“What are you looking at?”
“The moon.”
“You’re kidding me.This ceremony relies on the moon?”
A chuckle escaped him.“This surprises you, why?”
She shrugged.“I don’t know.I don’t know what I thought.This is all new to me, isn’t it?”
Patting her hand, he murmured, “You’ll come to learn all the intricacies.You’ve got a long time to worry about this inconsequential shit.”
Amused at his take on an important ceremony being ‘inconsequential shit’, she just reached for the hand that had patted hers and bridged their fingers.“How did you, Marc, and Trip meet?”
His eyes scanned the crowd.She wasn’t sure what he was looking for.Maybe his Triad brothers, but she doubted it.He was too vigilant.Too high alert.Like he was watching out for danger more than anything else.She wasn’t sure if he was going to answer, so when he did, she stayed quiet, let him talk about the memories because she was curious.Infinitely so where he, Marc, and Trip were concerned.
Shawn, though she wasn’t talking to him yet, was an open book to her.They’d known each other for so long, and so well, that this next phase in their relationship truly was an extension of that ease they shared between one another.
She knew his favorite food and sports.He knew how she took her coffee and the brand of tampons she used—God help her.
There were very few intimacies they hadn’t shared, even if they hadn’t had an intimate relationship.
But with Marc, Trip, and Ryan, that wasn’t the case.There was so much to learn.So much to remember.
It wasn’t overwhelming.Maybe it should have been.Learning about one partner was a rollercoaster ride.But three more?
