"I'm sure." Ray pulled my wet hair off my neck and didn't spend time smelling my skin.
I bite my lip, excited by a tangible electrical wire running through me.
"Tell me it's okay with that, Willah. I need to hear it with your words, not just your body."
"I... I..." I literally can't think of it. Is this suitable for me?
Damn, it seemed like it wasn't so long ago, I was so pissed off I was ordering fake knots online and was afraid my wife would touch me. I just got over this.
My mind is spinning, but I find solace in Ray's rigid body behind me.
"Maybe I can help you decide," Jon said with a glint in his eyes, and he knelt before me.
But my brain is stupid sometimes. He convinced me that the reason I couldn't be with Ray was that I didn't deserve to be a real omega, so it's really not that hard.
We did really immoral things in a stranger's guest room. Like a real perverted piece of shit.
Jon and Ray took a shower before me—I lingered for quite some time afterward—and now, as thick, frothy suds wash over my body, I can't help but think about what just happened.
What if we speak loudly enough for others to hear, despite the large space? For example, through ventilation ducts or with vampire super-hearing.
I don't know if vampires have super senses, but I intend to spiral, so logic doesn't quite work.
What if we offend them?
What if they get our scent? I love our blending scents of caramel, coffee, and woody sweetness, but what if they smell our higher pheromones too and detest us as much as I hate their deathly scent?
"Are you okay there, Willh?" Ray asks at the door.
No. "Yes. I'll be out in a second."
"OK. Hurry up though, or we'll be late for dinner."
Yes. Also, I can't get enough of eating vampire food. What did dead things know about cooking?
Basically, I'm not looking forward to any of this.
It's the opposite of how I imagined it. I thought Ray would be the one to bother and Jon and I would have to drag him along.
Looks like this time the drama is mine.
But I dried off, dressed, and put on my "friend of the Pack Alpha" hat again. Being able to step into this role to hide how uneasy I feel is new, but I take full advantage of it.
I took a few deep breaths before the three of us hit the ground.
Rory met us at the bottom of the stairs, and I couldn't help looking at her face for signs that she had heard, seen, or smelled what we were doing. His expression reveals nothing, but it does little to comfort me. What kind of security guard/butler would he be without a good poker face?
"Change of plans, folks. The Vampire Queen wants dinner in the courtyard tonight."
Ray, Jon and I take a quick look.
"I'm sure you'll find the setting change quite pleasant," he says, and points the way.
We've walked the endless corridors for an annoyingly long time, and I'm getting more and more nervous until Rory finally announces our arrival.
"Right that way," he said, pointing to a series of double French doors that led out.
Ray opened both doors and the three of us walked in together, arm in arm.
Wow, Rory wasn't kidding.
This place is great!
As soon as we step outside, the smells of the night greet me and knock me down even though it doesn't look familiar. City scents aren't that great - car exhaust and sweaty human bodies - but I can smell the combined musk of the deciduous forest just beyond the city limits and the wolves that live there.
Even though my trees are mostly coniferous and I always have the pungent ozone scent in my air, they smell a bit like home. These wolves and this land still smell like the home of a distant relative—perhaps a cousin—after a long journey.
I take another big breath of air into my lungs and focus on the courtyard. This is good. Certainly. With beautiful cobblestone floors and beautiful wrought iron furniture. But it also has a unique artificial feel to it. It's as if whoever designed the space was aiming for the mystical and ethereal and hit the theme a little too far. Even the bush seemed to scream, look at me, look how strange I am.
At least it's warmer outside than the icebox they call indoors.
Everything seems to be trying very hard.
Or maybe that's not my problem.
You're not jealous, are you? Ray asks my mind.
Jealous? With difficulty. I guess I'm sick of being so out of my element.
Ray's smile turns into his voice in my head. I'm glad we agreed.
But he is right. Part of me is jealous. Living in a place like this in such a big city, everything is so…
attractive
And life at the top of the Purcell Mountains is not attractive at all.
Not that I wouldn't give up on him for anything in the world. But this life certainly seems…
Easier.
The three of us descend a few steps to the main floor. The candlelight burning on the long table in the middle of the courtyard illuminates our hosts in the most dramatic way. flickering on their faces, but even when the candlelight fades, their faces still seem to glow.
I look up at the sky to see a bright quarter moon overhead.
"Moonlight is our best light," Eden says, rising from her seat at the end of the table. On his right is his red-haired bro, Sunny, and on his left is Jax, his wolf bro. To Sunny's right is a woman I've never seen before, but judging by her distinctive scent, I know she's not a wolf, vampire, or human.
At the other end of the table sits the vampire king and looks very pleased with the cream he is applying. To his left and right are empty chairs, possibly for Ray and Jon. There is an extra empty chair on the left side of the table. Possible for me.
Setup wants to throw me off. My palms are sweaty and I know I probably went too deep, but it looks like they've set the chairs to separate me from my men. It forces me to choose who to sit with.
I did not like
Not one bit.
"I'm glad you found us. Sorry for the last minute change, but I thought you might like to eat out instead of our ridiculous vampire-themed dining room.
I nodded, my eyes glued to the empty chairs, my heart beating so fast in my chest that I'm sure vampires can hear it, super-hearing or not.
Ray squeezes my arm a little, but not a word comes out of my mouth. I'm busy thinking about how uncomfortable I am here.
How they didn't think about our relationship enough to put us together.
How underdressed I am compared to Eden and Sunny. I wasn't expecting a formal dinner. Maybe a group hunt with the Laurel Cove herd…
But I didn't bring anything nice with me. I came to dinner in another pair of Costco jeans.
Luckily, Jon speaks, even though Eden is openly speaking to me. "The courtyard was beautiful and your instinct was right. We like to be in nature as much as possible."
"Good good. Well, whatever it takes, sit down."
I do not move. Which means Ray and Jon didn't either.
I will not choose which friend to sit with. Not when strangers imply something about our relationship.
Finally, I took my eyes off the empty chairs and saw the woman I hadn't met stared straight into my eyes.
There is weight in his dark gaze, like that of a supernatural friend, but I can't quite tell what he's packing.
"Are you okay, Willah?" he asks quietly.
I take a deep lungful of city air and remind myself of Omega Affirmation 1. Stay away from your emotions.
Even if I feel self-conscious and worthless, I can't lose him in front of all these people.
The worthlessness belongs to Old Willah. Willah, who convinces himself that he deserves to be unhappy as a healer because he's not good enough to be a true omega.
And despite this minor relapse, I am no longer that person. Considering what my men just did to me, it's highly unlikely.
I clear my throat and pull my spine straighter up. "Yes, thank you. I'm just amazed at the spread Julian has spread. It looks good enough to have come from our own betas," I lied.
It looks good without being overly fancy, but no one can beat the cooking of our betas.
"Okay, sit down and let's go inside." Sunny says a little too sharply.
"Okay, I'd like to," I began, making direct eye contact with her and adding an equal amount of bite to my tone, before turning my gaze to Eden. "But I'm afraid the chairs are not arranged to receive a triple match."
Everyone at the table hesitates, trying to make sense of what I just said.
I fill in the blanks for them. "I'd rather have the three of us sit on the same side of the table," I said arrogantly, surprising myself.
"O. O! Of course. Here, let me." Jax jumped out of his seat, snatched his wine, and moved to the other side of the table, next to the unknown woman, which creates three empty seats on the opposite side.
"Better?" he asks cheerfully.
I smile at him as he plays along and acts like it's just ordinary wolf stuff when it probably isn't, and I'm just being overly sensitive. "Thank you very much," I said, and winked at him.
I'm sorry Willah. I didn't realize—" Julian began, but I shook my head to stop his apology.
"No need, Julian. You didn't know." Damn, I hardly knew this would be a point of contention for me.
"Well, now that this is settled, I'd like to introduce you to Claudia St. Claire, the council leader of the Laurel Cove witches."
The serious dark bob blonde woman nodded at me, and Rayle Julian waved her hand over the table and politely introduced me.
Witch.
She is a witch.
That explains why I couldn't work out his deal. I've never met a witch.
"Nice to meet you, Claudia," I said with a smile.
"You too. Actually, I am quite familiar with how magic and terrain work together. The connection is quite fascinating. And this information helped a close friend of ours."
I brought my glass of water to my lips as Julian portioned the meat dish he had prepared. "Article?"
"Actually. His situation was quite unique, but wolfThe way your bees and healers dealt with magic helped him a lot."
I nodded, not sure what else to do.