“Good.”
“Your parents will be there.”
“Fantastic,” I say. “That’s what I am hoping for.”
Griffin raises his brows. “Whatever made you change overnight, it must have been quite the experience.”
“More like quite the shock,” I admit. “But I am not backing down on this.”
“And your luna is okay with the drama?”
I grin. “You haven’t met her yet. Just wait. She is going to wipe the floor with them.”
Griffin smirks. “There is no way I am going to miss this. Anything to show up your parents,” he says. “Go ahead, I will take a swift shower and then join you in the dining hall. 7 a.m.?”
“Yep, sounds good. Meanwhile, I will pick up Rose,” I chuckle. “And probably take a shower as well.”
fifteen
The Perfect Show
*ROSEA*
Ihave just finished dressing when Forest returns, right on time, not five minutes later than he promised he would be. He really is reliable. He pauses when he sees me. “Wow!”
His reaction surprises me, but also makes me a little happy. My mom was the one who taught me to dress with intent. The clothes I am wearing today are simple but well put together. I am going for refined, elegant. It’s easy, as that’s what comes naturally to me. What I have learned about Lissa is that she likes to look sweet and approachable, and while there is nothing wrong with it, I need to be a stark contrast to her to make sure the pack realizes how fake she is. Meanwhile, Forest’s mom likes to dress up, and by looking subtler, it will make me look more approachable.
“It’s a very simple outfit,” I say.
“Yes, but it still looks amazing,” he exclaims. “I feel like I need to make an effort, too, now.”
He is in a good mood. Although there are droplets of blood on his shirt, and he looks like he just got into a fight. “Things went well?”
“Yes, they did!” He grabs his clothes and hurries to the bathroom. “I made up with Griffin. The do-gooder actually forgave me.”
“I bet he was just waiting for you to come around eventually,” I say. “He probably knew one day you would.”
Forest sighs. “That makes me feel even more guilty.”
“Sure, but you can be a good friend now,” I point out.
He nods. “Oh, he will join us for breakfast.” He frowns. “Please tell me I didn’t make a mistake by inviting him. But I thought appearing with Griffin—“
“—will be a punch to the gut for your parents,” I conclude. “Perfect move!”
It really is. They hate Griffin, as much is obvious. While Forest was away, I went through the data again and saw how off Griffin’s schedule was. They obviously couldn’t kick him out of the pack, but they certainly shunned him in all the ways they could.
Forest doesn’t linger any longer and hurries to freshen up. We do run on a tight schedule after all. Fifteen minutes later, we are on our way to breakfast. I wanted to catch up with Forest a bit more about what he told Griffin and what I can expect from him, but there is no time for it. I’ll have to wing it.
The packhouse and the dining hall, in particular, are brimming with pack members and their chatter; this is definitely the rush hour. Forest takes my hand and leads me through the room. I can feel his tension through the grip of his hand. If I had to take a wild guess, being surrounded by so many people atonce stresses him out. This is his pack, so he should feel at home instead of feeling anxious.
I slow down a little, forcing him to walk slower, too. I want to give the pack members the time and chance to see us and to greet us.
There is a distance between them and Forest, but it was obvious yesterday when we arrived that they don’t necessarily dislike him. They are curious, but don’t know what to think about him. Just like his parents kept Griffin away, they also made sure to keep Forest away. I’ll need to check his whole schedule. Without knowing it for sure, I am taking a wild guess that there will be a lot of bullshit meetings they constantly send Forest to. They push all the things on him that make him look unreliable and weak in front of his pack members.
I have only tied my scarf loosely around my neck, deciding to take advantage of that now. In a seemingly natural gesture, I brush through my hair, accidentally loosening the scarf further, until it drops to the ground. I pretend I didn’t notice, just tossing Martin a gaze I hope he will understand. The latter looks a bit surprised, curious even, but then just pretends to look at Forest and not at me, walking past my scarf.
“Luna!” a young woman calls out, picking up the scarf. “I apologize, but you lost this.”
