His eyes glowed faintly as he watched her, ice-blue.
“Didn’t know you were still awake,” Theodore said, blind to the silent appraisal his friend was giving her, opening the fridge and grabbing a beer. “We were just at the river. Wanted to warm up.”
Layla nodded, eyes dropping from Dominic’s unreadable expression. “You shouldn’t be here. Mom doesn’t—”
“She’s not here,” Theodore said lightly. “Will you relax for once?”
Rhett, with his weasel face and crooked teeth, laughed. “Always so nervous, this one.”
Dominic stepped forward, the sudden movement lithe and assured, a panther stalking its prey. He leaned against the counter beside her, close enough that she could smell the smoke on his jacket. “What were you doing, Layla?” His voice was smooth, quiet, threaded with something sharp. “All by yourself?”
She said nothing. She was aware of her every breath, her every movement.
Leonid raised an eyebrow, honey-blond curls falling into his sharp green eyes. “More like whatwasn’tshe doing. Spending time with the pack. With other wolves. But…oh yeah…she’d have tobea wolf for that.”
Layla’s eyes snapped up to Leonid’s, indolent. He was two years older than the others, the Alpha’s nephew, and comfortable in his position at the top of the heap. He might have been the cruelest of them. That was, if she hadn’t felt the way she did about—
“Even if she was a wolf,” Dominic said, his eyes glittering as he leant in closer, “why should we welcome her into the fold? I mean, look at this place. Look at her. It’s pathetic.”
The boys all laughed, including Theodore, though Layla didn’t miss the tightness in his grin at Dominic’s easy insults. After all, why would he bother defending their family when males like Dominic and Leonid were only too happy to forget his bloodline when it was convenient to them? Theodore wasn’t like her. He was outgoing, popular, and powerful even. He was a much stronger ally than an enemy.
“So go on then,” Dominic said softly. “What have you been up to this evening, Layla?”
She looked down at her feet, cheeks burning. “I was just…reading.”
“Romances, eh?” Leonid asked, grinning lecherously at her. “Have you got a boyfriend, Layla?”
She grit her teeth together, hard enough to hurt. “No.”
Leonid cupped a hand to his ear, playing the perfect jester as he leaned forward. “What was that? I didn’t quite catch it.”
“I said no,” Layla replied, chest flushing. “You know I don’t.”
Rhett laughed in delight, “Look how red she’s going! Aww, don’t worry, Layla! We can find you a boyfriend!”
She glanced up, breaths coming faster now. She didn’t know what to say. She never knew what to say when they didthis. They’d tie her up in words and jeers and leave her reeling. Even staying silent kept her on the backfoot.
“What?” she asked lamely, cringing at herself. God, why couldn’t she be witty and quick like her brother? Her brother, who,yet again, was standing silently by.
So much for family.
“Would you like that?” Rhett asked brightly. “I know the perfect guy for you! Tall, handsome, strong, all that shit. Would you like to meet him, Layla?”
“Rhett, you asshole,” Leonid said with a lazy grin, eyes sparking in vicious glee.
She was sure her face was on fire now. She didn’t dare turn. Didn’t dare evenglanceat him.
“Don’t be so ridiculous, Rhett,” Dominic sneered. “As if anyone would go within an inch of her. Ignoring the fact that she’s not even one of us—”
“I am one of you,” she said, surprising herself with the conviction in her voice.
The room fell silent. Layla could practically hear her heart hammering away in her chest. The temperature dropped several degrees. The scent of tea leaves burned her nose.
“What did you say?” asked Dominic, his voice dangerously soft.
She swallowed reflexively. “I…”
He rounded on her in a sudden burst of speed, arms shooting out to trap her against the countertop, thick arms filling her peripheral vision. A small, pathetic sound escaped her, and she curled into herself, eyes fixed on his shoes. He wasclose enough that she could smell the trees on him, the loamy earth.
