His gray-blue eyes twinkled beneath brown bangs, which seemed carelessly swept to the side but probably had been styled that way. “I never forget the pretty ones.” Suddenly, his forehead pleated, and his gaze flicked toward the middle of the table, toward Liam.
Was he warning males away from his Beta’s little sister? He better not.
Nolan walked up to the table and set one of the thirty glistening fowls beside my plate, then wiped his hands on the kitchen towel draped over his shoulder while Dad set another turkey in front of Liam.
I leaned in and inhaled the steam lifting from the carved bird. “Smells delicious.”
“Hope it tastes delicious, too. Dad and I have been at the stove since two this morning.”
Freckle-faced Sasha placed another turkey in front of Liam, then strutted over. “I made the fava bean purée.”
Nolan smirked. “You shelled the beans.”
“Fine, fine. Ihelpedmake the fava purée.” Sasha smiled as Nolan and him started back toward the kitchen to bring out the rest of the turkeys. “But I did shell an unholy amount of pods. Someone needs to invent a machine that does that.”
“You could do it. You’re good at tinkering.” My brother’s voice faded as Dad clapped his hands to call the pack to attention.
Standing beside Liam, he started by giving thanks to Lycaon for the bountiful meal we were about to partake in and for the gift of a generous and strong Alpha who ruled with equity and calm.
Dad would never dare criticize Liam, especially in his presence, but I wondered if he was laying it on thick or if he really wasthatenamored. I mean, objectively speaking, Liam was calmer and fairer than Cassandra, but he’d only headed the pack for a little over a year. He hadn’t exactly proven himself yet.
“And lastly, we’d like to thank him and each tracker who worked relentlessly, day and night, to uncover the source of our anguish. I’m happy to announce, on behalf of Liam, that we finally had a break in the case.” Dad relayed with the utmost precision all Nate had already told me.
Cheering rang out around the cavernous space. Knowing the case had been solved was comforting, but it didn’t feel right to cheer, not when one innocent had died and two more had been infected. Once they were healed—either returned to skin or turned completely to fur—I’d truly rejoice.
I looked toward Liam, curious how he dealt with so much praise. His shoulders were stiff and his gaze locked on his son, who was presently bundled in Mom’s arms. Odds were, he wouldn’t get him back until the end of the meal.
Once Dad said amen, and everyone had cheered with wine, water, or beer, I turned toward Nash. “What about the halfwolves?”
It was Dexter who answered. “I heard Lori’s blood is losing its effectiveness. You prefer white or dark meat, Nikki?”
“Dark, please.” I held out my plate, and he plopped a wing on it before snagging a giant drumstick for himself and passing the platter to Nash.
“Can’t believe a Glacier was down here.” Nash served Ads and himself some turkey, then passed the platter to August. “They usually don’t venture out of Alaska.”
“Maybe the girl was his girlfriend?” Matt suggested.
“It would explain why he was on our land, but not why he attacked her here,” Nash said, around a mouthful of turkey. “Everyone knows pack land is sacred.”
Ness leaned forward, planting both elbows on the table. “I was sure it would turn out to be a rogue.” A loose strand of golden hair cascaded around her shoulders, veiling her scarred cheek.
“How do you guys think he made her a halfwolf?” Matt’s fiancée asked.
“By biting her.” Lucas delivered this with such assuredness that it sparked little fires all around the table.
Matt’s girl pushed her thick curly brown hair back. “I thought biting didn’t transfer your magic.”
Lucas draped an arm over the back of Ness’s chair. “Usually doesn’t, but we’re dealing with some extra special Glacier, Amanda.”
One of my bra straps slipped down my shoulder. I hooked it with my thumb and snapped it back in place. “Congrats on the break in the case.”
Lucas sat up a little straighter. “We got real lucky.”
Opinions raged around the table about how Shifter Zero went about transferring our gene. Defective or not, no wolf, to my knowledge, had ever succeeded in passing it along to a human. Nate looked our way before getting roped into a discussion at his end of the table. As conspiracy theories were traded, I grabbed my plate and headed to the buffet. When I returned to the table, I asked Nolan, who’d just dropped into the seat beside Amanda, where he’d stashed the cranberry relish.
“Must’ve forgotten it in the fridge.” He shrugged off his black chef jacket and draped it over the back of his chair. “I’ll go grab it.”
“No, you’ve been on your feet all day. Sit. I’ll go.” I wove through the long, cheery line of shifters waiting their turn to access the buffet, then pressed through the flap door.
