Emma stood at the stove in the small kitchen area at the back, flipping pancakes onto a platter. Belatedly, I realized I could smell butter and maple syrup in the air.
She looked up when the door closed behind me and smiled. “Harris! Come sit. You must be starving.”
Every head in the room turned toward me and the conversations all stopped.
But then Simone raised her mug in a small salute, and Poppy smiled at me. And when Lee called out, “Morning, hero!” the sudden tension broke.
Ducking my head, heat in my cheeks, I crossed the room to the nearest empty seat, next to Oliver, who nodded at me politely, and sat down.
Emma appeared a few moments later with a plate piled high: pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, toast. She set it in front of me with a firm look. “Eat. All of it. Goodness knows you need to get your strength back after last night.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I said, picking up my fork.
She patted my shoulder and returned to the stove.
Almost immediately, Hunter got up and moved to my table, sliding his plate in front of him and then dropping onto the bench across from me without a word. Lee sat down beside him a moment later. Daniel followed behind them, hovering nearby—not sitting down but not leaving the twins, either. His gaze kept flicking to Hunter, as if to reassure himself that the wolf was still okay.
Lacey and Sarah moved over from their table as well, bringing their plates with them. Even Lindsey got up and joined us, claiming the seat on my other side.
It should’ve felt strange, being surrounded by the pack. But it didn’t.
“There’s still a spot,” Lacey said firmly, looking at Daniel. She pointed to the seat next to Oliver.
“I’ll stand,” he said immediately.
She scowled at that, then went back to her food.
“How’s the back?” Lee asked, peering at me with genuine interest.
“Almost as good as new,” I admitted, not sure what to make of them all suddenly sitting at my table. “The injuries are healed.”
“Vampire blood is incredible stuff,” Lee said. “It fixes just about anything short of death.”
“Sometimes even that,” Simone murmured from her table.
Then Daniel said quietly, “Thank you. For last night.” When I looked up at him—still standing behind Hunter—his eyes were serious, but his expression was more open than I’d seen before. He added, “We all love Sally. Everyone does.”
“She feeds half the town,” Hunter agreed, poking his brother. “If not for her and Emma, most of us would starve to death.”
“I’m serious,” Daniel said. “You didn’t have to go in there after her. But you did. You saved her life.”
“Anyone would’ve done the same,” I replied, feeling suddenly uncomfortable.
“No,” Lindsey said, arching a brow at me. “They wouldn’t have. Most people would’ve been scared shitless to go through a portal into another dimension.”
Lee nodded in agreement. “You’re braver than you look, Harris.”
“Hey now,” I said, grateful to have a way to defuse all the seriousness. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Hunter chuckled. “He means you don’t look like you hop into other dimensions and face terrifying monsters for funsies.”
I grinned back at him. “You don’t know me very well, then.”
“And you came here in the first place to track down your mate,” Sarah added. “And from what we can tell, you haven’t let the alpha thing scare you off.”
“And you stayed,” Oliver chimed in, watching me with a thoughtful expression. “Even after you understood what was going on. You could’ve left. Most sane people would’ve. But you’re still here.”
“Yeah.”
