“Sydney!” Nicole shouted over her, and Sydney went quiet, but real loathing remained in her eyes. Nicole said, “Ember, she’s not wrong. They’re not bloodthirsty the way you’ve likely been taught.”
Ember wrapped her arms around herself. They didn’t know. They weren’t there. But she couldn’t speak again.
Nicole put an arm around her, warmth in her embrace and her eyes. “First of all, there’s something a wolf does called bluff-charging. They were trying to scare you off, honey. You violated their territory, and in wolf form they’re even more territorial than usual. Plus the scent of blood and your fear was driving their prey instinct. If the alpha put himself between you and another wolf, it was likely to warn that wolf his prey instinct was getting to be too much.”
Ember shook her head. “How do you know all that?”
“I’ve been a wolf’s mate for almost thirty years. I’ve heard plenty about their time out there, and I promise you, they’re not crazed or feral like you’re describing.”
“Wh-why did they keep howling then, once I ran away?”
“The sense of violation, the smell of fear and blood together…both would be hard on them in that form.”
“They…they weren’t trying to kill me?” She couldn’t process the possibility.
“Absolutely not. They were trying to make you leave their most private territory. You had no right to be there, Ember.”
Oh, what had she done…?
What could she do? She closed her eyes and used every ounce of will not to cry, then to meet Nicole’s forgiving gaze once more. “I’ll do anything to fix this. Anything.”
“That’s up to the wolves,” Nicole said. “We mates don’t have the final say in this one.”
Lucy reached across the table, her palm turned up. After an awkward moment Ember set her hand in Lucy’s, and Lucy gave it a squeeze. “You can work this out with him. You’re his mate.”
Sydney gave a huff.
“I know, I know, Cassius doesn’t sense it yet. But the other wolves are sure.” Again she pressed Ember’s hand. “It’s still up to you, whether you accept him or not. I’m just saying you don’t have to worry about Aaron’s side of this. He’ll want to reconcile.”
Well…good. That was good.
A long quiet settled over the table, and then Sydney said, “Cassius did notice.”
Lucy rolled her eyes. “He could’ve said so.”
“We’re talking about Cassius. He said Jeremy was being too pushy with Aaron.”
“Well, of course he was.” Again the eye roll.
Smiles around the table. Friends who knew each other, knew each other’s husbands…mates. Ember couldn’t sit here with their friendship softening the air around her. A sudden ache filled her to belong, to be not a guest, not an outsider, but one of them. One of the pack. Emotions talking, no doubt.
She stood up from the table. “I should go…back to Aaron’s.”
Sydney gave another huff, but she stood too. “Try trusting a little next time instead of breaking the trust you’ve earned.”
So there’d be a next time for her? If even Sydney was saying so, then maybe… “I’m trying.”
“Oh, is this you trying?”
“Sydney,” Nicole said.
Ember lifted her chin. “Clearly I suck at honoring boundaries when I don’t understand them, and I’m sorry, and that’s all I can say, Sydney.”
Nicole took her back to her car. The howling of the wolves was incessant, agitated, and Nicole flinched at it.
“They’re still…riled?”
“They won’t be able to settle for a while,” Nicole said.
