“Okay,” Ezra said when Aaron and Ember offered a final welcome and then joined the Freemans and their kids at the dessert table. “You’ve met everybody but Malachi.”
“Your alpha,” she said.
“Yeah.”
She’d figured out Malachi was the tallest, burliest wolf, the one with red-gold hair. She had watched him mingle with the pack, never finding his way over to Ezra and Willow, not even for a brief welcome. “I’ve been a lot of trouble to his pack. I’m not sure he wants to meet me.”
“He’s been giving you space to acclimate to everybody else first.”
“But why?”
Ezra wrapped an arm around her and drew her to his side. “He’s got an extra intimidation factor compared to the rest of us. He’s also everything I told you before—a good leader and one of my best friends.”
“You don’t have to convince me, Ezra. I want to meet him.”
“Come on then.”
Malachi stood alone under the shade trees. As she and Ezra approached him, Ezra kept his arm tucked around her. Surely this meeting couldn’t be more petrifying than the others, not after slowly immersing herself into the pack all day long. Just look how she walked right up to—
RUN.
The word shrieked through her brain, lit up her nervous system in neon. She latched onto Ezra, arms clasped around his waist as though she were a child. She whimpered.
RUN. OR DIE. NOW.
“Ezra.”
“It’s okay. You’re safe.”
“I’m n-not safe.”
“I’m right here, and you are safe. I promise, Willow.”
She shuffled forward, pressing her body to Ezra’s, her arms tight around him. She couldn’t blink. Couldn’t swallow. Couldn’t breathe. But she kept going, one step at a time, until she was only ten feet from the alpha of the pack. She stared up at him, unable to do anything else. Her heart pounded so hard it hurt. Her teeth chattered.
The alpha held her gaze, and his eyes…his eyes. Gold. Molten. Predator’s eyes. She needed to hide from his eyes. But she must not do that. A small trembling voice inside reminded her she had to let his focus fall on her, had to meet it with her own gaze. She wanted to acclimate to this wolf as she had to everyone else. To Malachi, Ezra’s good friend.
Run.It was a quieter voice now, no longer a scream.
“No,” she said aloud.
Ezra shifted beside her, tucked her closer. “You’re safe.”
“No, I mean—I’m not going to run away,” she said, and she forced her arms to loosen, to lower to her sides. She forced herself to step away from Ezra and face his friend, his alpha, on her own.
As she did so, her lungs began to open. Her heartbeat regained its normal steady rhythm.
A low rumble like thunder filled the air. It was Malachi, growling his approval. She blinked a few times. She breathed. His glinting amber eyes continued to watch her, but his gaze wasn’t terrible anymore.
“Hi,” she whispered.
“Welcome, Willow.” The alpha’s voice was gritty, like tires on gravel.
“Thank you.” Then her knees began to shake, adrenaline fading, and she grabbed hold of Ezra as her legs buckled.
“Whoa, easy,” Ezra said, leaning in to keep her upright with an arm around her waist. “Let’s sit.”
“That would be helpful,” she said.
