In a few minutes, Jeremy and Lucy emerged from a side door, bringing bowls and platters to the long folding tables at the side of the house.
“Oh, I should help them out.” Aaron got up and headed in their direction. “Be back in a minute. Feel free to mingle.”
Ember took a step toward following him, then froze as a third person exited the house. It was the alpha, his massive arms laden with a tin pan of smoked pork and a crockpot. Most people would’ve had to choose which to carry out first.
Ember reclaimed her chair to observe. Aaron, the hosts, and the alpha made short work of loading down the tables with food, and then Lucy put her fingers to her lips and whistled.
The volleyball dropped to the ground unheeded; the darts target was abandoned without a tallying of scores; conversations broke off midsentence. The pack stampeded toward the food with such abrupt focus, Ember began to laugh. A few heads swiveled toward her, but no one seemed bothered by her mirth. Nathan gave her a smile, and Quinn waved her over.
“Know the best part?” Quinn stage whispered when she joined him in line. “Aaron didn’t cook any of this.”
Around him came a few low chuckles and Lucy Freeman’s high laugh.
From farther back in line, Aaron’s voice reached them clearly. “Watch yourself, pup.”
Quinn grinned, grabbed a plate, and mounded it with brisket, mashed potatoes, and mac ‘n’ cheese. Ember followed with a more moderate helping of each, plus squash casserole and a bowl of green salad. At the end of the table stood a few dressing options including her preference, Italian.
There weren’t nearly enough seats at the two picnic tables, so Ember led Quinn to the tree she’d chosen earlier.
“A guest can claim a spot on a bench,” Aaron said as he joined them.
“This is fine,” she said.
Ignoring the chairs they’d sat in before, as if a true picnic required it, Aaron sank down in the grass and crossed his legs. Ember knelt beside him. The breadth of his shoulders closer to level with her own made her feel tinier than ever, and with that sense of smallness came a deep warmth…toward him. Toward the guy who wasn’t interested. Great.
While he and Quinn scooped up bites as though they hadn’t eaten in a week, Ember people-watched. Unlike an average crowd, these people didn’t fragment demographically. The couples sat with the singles. The young sat with the old. Arlo and Rebecca had been given first place in line, but the eating order appeared random otherwise. Except…interesting. The tallest, brawniest lupine of all stood at the back of the line, taking no advantage of his size and status.
“I guess the alpha was too preoccupied to line jump,” she said.
Aaron glanced up, then refocused on his food. “Tradition.”
“What?”
“The alpha eats last, after his pack is provided for. Wolf custom that goes back for generations.”
“We’re at a cookout, not a ceremonial dinner.”
“It isn’t ceremony for its own sake. He’s living out his position.”
She couldn’t take her eyes off the alpha as he stood talking to Jeremy and Lucy in line ahead of him. There was room at the long table for three plates to be filled, but the alpha stood still until Jeremy and Lucy had begun to eat. Then he finally loaded a plate for himself.
A multitude of waves and calls of his name beckoned him to a saved seat. He folded his legs beneath the table, and as those around him resumed their chatter, he tucked into the backyard feast with obvious hunger and pleasure.
Ember shook her head. “That’s… I guess I don’t know what it is, what to make of it.”
Aaron said, “Love for his pack.”
“Love? An old-fashioned gesture?”
“A symbol that he’ll never abuse his power to prioritize himself. That if our welfare ever requires the sacrifice of his own, he won’t hesitate. And believe me, Malachi won’t.”
“He would literally die for you all?” Hard to believe, custom or no custom.
“For any one of us.” Aaron glanced sidelong. Maybe he could smell skepticism. “I’ve known him fourteen years. I know what I’m talking about.”
“Okay,” she said, at a loss how to argue further.
The minute Quinn shoveled in the last bite on his plate, he sprang up and bounded off again. People were mingling, many heading for the small dessert table and then back to their seats. With a fresh plate mounded high, Quinn took a now open spot near the alpha.
