She’s not as friendly with me as she is with Aleksei or Kade. Roshka, on the other hand, is full on. He pushes his mate out of the way, then forces himself as close as he can before he snuffles against my hand, nipping it every now and then as he demands all my attention.
Aleksei snaps at him in Russian, making Roshka look over his shoulder at his master. They have a moment of staring each other down. Aleksei breaks first and snaps a handful of words at Roshka in Russian that sound a lot like a bark.
I tickle his ears, then force his big head towards Aleksei, making him listen to his master instead of getting spoiled rotten.
Aleksei is looking at me, almost the same as he did his dog, not impressed.
“I know he is a weapon, but he’s the cutest, fluffiest, bestest boy too.”
“Don’t be soft with him. You need to be firmer.” Aleksei pours a glass of wine for me before doing the same to everyone.
“That’s your job, Aleksei. He is yours to command.”
“As are you,” he says, grinning wickedly.
“I guess I am,” I admit, and that makes his smile get even bigger. “Now, who’s going to tell me where we’re going?”
Kade holds a dish up, the offer to fill my plate pretty obvious. I nod before I reach around, going to grab another dish to share, but Santiago gives me a look that stops me in my tracks.
“You’re going to have to get used to us looking after you, Quinn. Maybe in time it will lessen, but right now I need to do this as a way of reining in my control.”
“Okay.” I sit back in my seat, giving the three of them the space to do what they need to. My plate gets filled to overflowing, each of them adding a serving to mine before they do their own.
Santiago waits until the food is served before he picks up his wineglass. “A toast to our beautiful mate and the formation of our pack.”
“And what name are we using?”
Both Aleksei and Santiago look at each other, neither of them budging, by the looks.
“Perhaps we use a hyphenated pack name?” Kade suggests, reaching over so his hand rubs over my shoulders.
“I have no issue with that,” I say, leaning my head against his arm.
Like they need to look after me, I’ve found myself continually yearning for their affection since we’ve packed. Touching them feels like a necessity. I suspect it’s because our bond is in the initial stages, our bodies knowing if we’re close as close can be, our bond will get stronger, more solid.
“Although, until we deal with Victor, I suspect it’s going to be Pack Petrov.” I start to eat and they follow suit.
The lack of anything from them confirms they’ve already spoken about this.
“What else did you talk about while I was sleeping the day away?” I ask, taking another bite. “This is delicious, by the way. Thank you.”
I get a similar response from each of them, confirmation they heard my thanks. It’s important to me, sharing thanks and receiving it. I love that they mirror my sentiment.
“Nothing is decided, bebe, and we would never do that. Our pack name is always going to be an issue because of who I am and who Aleksei is.”
I take another bite, and everyone is quiet as we eat until I answer. “Makes sense.”
When I turn, Aleksei is smirking as he chews, looking at Santiago. I put my fork down and wait for Santiago to start talking.
“It’s not the biggest issue we face.”
“Clearly not.”
Kade’s also grinning, which isn’t exactly like him; he’s usually more reserved. All it does it confirm Santiago is the one who’s either tasked with telling me something, or he insisted upon it.
“Don’t stop eating, bebe. Please.”
I pick up my fork and take a bite.
