The shifter narrowed his eyes, and Dave realized he was one of the fighters who’d been in the cage earlier, which meant violence was a way of life to him. “You ask a lot of questions.”
Dave shrugged, with a friendly smile. “Just passing the time, waiting for Christian. I’ve got to keep myself busy somehow.”
He turned away, releasing a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Probably best not to ask anyone else tonight.
What hereallyneeded to know was which councilor had been involved in ruling on the dispute, he realized belatedly. In hindsight, it didn’t matter if this pack had known about Jesse’s, because that didn’t change anything.
As the night wore on, Dave drifted back to the quieter part of the factory, nursing his beer and watching the fights through the chain-link fence. The air here felt charged. Every person in the place seemed to have something to prove.
He thought suddenly, painfully, of Elk Ridge. He missed the warmth of a kitchen full of noise—Jason swearing under his breath while Jesse snagged “quality control” samples from the pan. Riley, setting the table and telling Jesse off with a laugh in his voice that meant he was only doing it because Jason was frustrated. Rileywasn’t a shifter, but he belonged. That mattered in ways Dave couldn’t quite explain.
He wondered what a pack like this would make of someone like Riley—non-shifter, and without a single violent instinct in his body. Or of Bryce, with his corny jokes and giant heart. Tristan, vibrating with energy, and Karl, who said little but somehow was alwaysthere,especially for Colby. And at the heart of it all, Matt—steady, quiet, and utterly unshakable in his care for them.
The thought of them all made Dave’s chest ache.
He looked around now at Barton’s pack—so wary, so at ease with violence—and knew, deep in his gut, that this wasn’t a place where people were offered a cup of tea after a hard day.
And despite the fact he’d only been away four days, Dave was homesick.
Chapter Fourteen
DAVE
“You saidwhat?” Dave’s usual calm deserted him, and the words came out sharp and loud.
Christian looked up from where he was leaning over the sink, dabbing alcohol onto a split knuckle. “I told Barton we’d think about joining his pack,” he repeated.
Coldness twisted in Dave’s gut. He remembered how Christian had described Barton—like Matt, only meaner. And Dave had seen it too, felt it in the air like static around him. Barton wasn’t just powerful. He was dangerous.
“Why in the hell would you say that?” Dave demanded.
“Because he’s offered us good terms, and it’s something I’m actually good at.” A small grin tugged at his mouth. “I’ll get a decent cut of the take from every fight, and once they start streaming, which they’re doing tomorrow night, we’re talking serious money.”
Dave’s stomach churned at the way Christian said it, as if it were already decided. “Did you happen to mention we’re already part of a pack?”
“Doesn’t matter,” Christian said. “Matt will let us go.”
Dave’s knees gave out and he sank down on the bed. In those few words, he heard just how much Christian wanted this.
“Why?” he asked, his voice hoarse. “I thought you were happy in Elk Ridge.”
Christian’s gaze flicked up from where he’d been concentrating on cleaning his knuckles. “Yeah, well, that was before everything went to shit.”
Dave stared at him. “What are you talking about?”
“Before Matt started inviting strangers to poke around our home, and taking in enemy pack members,” Christian said, his words ending in a snarl.
“This is about the politicians? And Colby?”
Christian shook his head impatiently. “It’s about Matt not even thinking how the rest of us feel about any of that.”
Except something in Christian’s voice told Dave that wasn’t true. It wasn’t Matt’s actions that were the problem—they knew he’d made the best decisions he could for all of them, in an impossible situation. And Matt was one of the very few people who Christian respected. It was Colby who was the problem, and hell if Dave could understand why.
“Everything’s different there now, Dave,” Christian bit out. “Don’t tell me you don’t feel it.”
“Maybe, but different doesn’t mean bad. And Colby’s a good guy.”
“He was part of the pack that attacked us.” A growl rumbled under Christian’s words. “They hurtyou. But it’s not just him, it’s everything. Everything there’s so damn complicated now.”
