“Are you going to be mad if I say no?”
“You know, I would never be mad for such a reason,” I assure him.
“So many people at once are just not my thing,” Dario says.
“I know. I would love for you to join me, though.” There was a time Dario barely got out at all and only did so if I begged him to join me. He is not as reclusive anymore, but I think it really depends on who comes along.
“Maybe we can do something else next week,” he offers. “I wouldn’t mind going to a bar or a small club.”
“Really?” I perk up. “I’d love that.”
A knock against the door interrupts us. Even before he enters, I’ve already recognized his scent. It’s our brother-in-law. “Come in,” Dario says.
Arden opens the door, blinking when he sees me. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt you.”
“You didn’t,” I reassure him. “Actually, I am the one interrupting.”
“You are not,” Dario says.
Arden is my sister’s mate and will be at her side when she takes over the pack in a year. Since our oldest brother, Liam, became alpha of a different pack and gave up on his birthright, Dad chose Aurelia as his successor. I couldn’t be happier! Aurelia has always had a soft spot for Dario and me, and doted on us. Plus, she is a kickass warrior.
“You asked me for some books,” Arden says, sitting down at the extra chair. “Here you go.”
“Oh, you got them?” Dario immediately perks up.
“Yeah, I had them sent to me from Paris,” he explains.
“Is it really okay if you give them to me?”
At that, Arden smiles. “Of course. I am happy someone else is interested in it.”
When Arden hands him the books, I glance at the titles, noting they are written in French, but I judge by the covers they’re probably science-related stuff. Arden is a genius; the guy literally knows everything, or at least almost everything. He is going to be so great with Aurelia when they take over the pack.
“Do you mind if I stay a moment?” Arden asks. “I just came from a meeting. Aurelia headed right into the next one. I have no idea how she does that.”
“Sure, stay,” Dario says. “I don’t get that, either. Dad and Liam are the same. They never seem to get tired.”
“I bet they do,” I say. “They just have different strategies for dealing with it.”
“True,” Arden agrees. “You two just continue talking; I need a moment of calm.”
“Aren’t we bothering you then?” I ask.
Arden smiles. “No.”
Dario and I do as he said and chat a bit about our weekend plans, while Arden switches off his hearing aid. He told me once that he does that because sometimes he needs the silence to think, and to put some distance between himself and a problem he is dealing with, or when he spends too much time in a huge crowd.
When he switches it on again, he looks much more relaxed. “That was good,” he says.
“Anything you are dealing with?” I ask.
Felix!Dario links me.Too direct!
Oh! Right! I didn’t notice.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry,” I add. “Just thought it might be pack-related stuff.”
“I didn’t take it as prying,” Arden reassures me. “I deal much better with direct questions than beating around the bush. And itispack-related.”
