Chapter 6: Awkward, Party of One

Evan and I stood behind the open truck staring at the dismal amount of belongings I owned. Seeing it all in one place sent a pain deep into the darkest, hidden places of my heart. Once, I had everything I wanted or needed.

Now holding onto things was dangerous, so the most precious things I owned were small and portable.

"So. You really are poor then?" Evan asked.

I snorted.

"Something like that."

He clapped a hand on my shoulder in comfort and used the other to pull the truck door down. I climbed back into the truck and waited for him to come back around.

Once we were on the road, Evan spoke again.

"Cane likes everyone to dress for dinner."

"What does that even mean? Like prom dresses and tiaras?"

He barked a surprised laugh.

"Shifters in prom dresses?"

Evan shuddered.

"I'd like to see that horror film."

I grinned. I would too.

"Are jeans okay? That's all I have."

There was never a need to dress up for anything. The only places I frequented were work and the library.

"Dark wash?" He gave me a curious look before turning his attention back to the road.

"I don't think I've ever met a female who didn't have a closet full of clothing."

He rubbed his chin.

"Your clothes are part of that sad pile in the back?"

I nodded.

His eyebrows rose, but all he did was nod.

"Alright," he said after a moment. "I'll ask Cane if he can give you a wage advance. That way you can grab the things you need."

I shook my head.

"No need. I have some dark wash jeans and a decent blouse. Cane already said he'd excuse this one. By the time we have another dinner, I'll have some new things."

"We have dinner every night." Evan carefully kept his eyes on the road.

I gaped at him.

"You do that every night? Like some kind of weird cult thing?"

He barked a laugh.

"Never let Cane hear you say that, but yes. Like a weird cult."

He shrugged and turned down the bumpy dirt road toward the compound.

"Pack is family. We like spending the time together, and Cane takes it as an opportunity to measure the health of the Pack.'"

"Do I have to come?"

To be honest, it sounded horrifying. Didn't wolves ever hunch over a cereal bowl mindlessly flipping through Netflix?

Evan grimaced. "Maybe. You're an employee and not Pack, so this one might swing in your favor."

"You don't sound too sure."

"I can't imagine he wouldn't want you there."

Laughter bubbled from me.

"Sure. I think he'd wring my neck if he could."

Evan made a noncommittal noise and drove through the open iron gates.

***

I didn't spot a single prom dress anywhere in the massive dining hall. The shifter's sense of style felt a little all over the place. Most of the women wore dresses. A few wore jumpsuits, and even fewer wore trousers. Only one other person besides me wore jeans.

"Hey!"

Cassie spotted me and waved as she waded through a sea of shifters. A huge sense of relief flooded my veins at seeing a familiar and friendly face. She wore a pair of cute, boot cut jeans and a lacy white blouse.

"Hi!" I waved and hurried to her. She gave me a brief hug, then tugged me over to her table. Four other shifters were already seated. One female. Blonde and thin with hungry eyes. She wore a bored expression and let her gaze skim over me before it returned to other, more interesting things.

The three male shifters were a little nicer.

Cassie leaned over and pointed to each one.

"Matt."

He was blonde and tan–unusual for the area and the time of year–and had a broad, friendly smile.

"Henry." He was quiet, smaller, and darker, with a sprinkling of freckles across the bridge of his nose. Henry waved and looked away.

"Alec." The last one took my breath away. Dark skin, dark eyes, a strong jaw, and kissable lips, he grinned at me, and my heart did a strange little flip. I bet he was a heartbreaker. He sent a little smile my way that told me he knew it, which killed any warmer feelings I might have had.

"This is Aspen."

Cassie waved a hand at me, and I smiled awkwardly before I sat down. I didn't have much to wear, so I'd chosen my best jeans, a pair of high-rise, dark wash boot-cut jeans and paired it with a pale pink sleeveless cami and a sage green cardigan. I wore a pair of silver hoops and a silver rhodolite pendant.

As I sat down, I realized maybe the silver wasn't such a great idea, but no one batted an eye at me.

All the tables were round, forcing us to stare at each other as we waited for dinner to be served. Cassie leaned over.

"We never know what the tables are going to be. Sometimes he does one long table like Harry Potter. Sometimes they're rectangular and seat eight. Sometimes, he decides to go with square." Cassie sighed.

"And sometimes we get the round ones. We try to stick together so we don't get stuck with any of the older wolves, but it doesn't always work out."

"They don't mind that I'm sitting here?" The third male still had his eyes on me, and not in a checking me out kind of way. More in an I wonder if she tastes like chicken way.

Cassie shrugged.

"One of the group is on a trip. It may be an issue when she gets back, but you're fine for now."

I wondered how long I had before they kicked me out. A week? A day. Stares heated the back of my neck and made me feel itchy all over. I was this week's curiosity, but I couldn't wait for it to die down.

If I worked hard for an entire year and saved almost every penny I had, I could earn enough to keep moving for at least a couple of years. I had no qualms that I'd be here for the long term. Cane looked like he wanted to toss me out every time he looked at me. As soon as he found a suitable shifter replacement, I knew I'd be out on my ear.

The sound of a fork on crystal quieted the building down, Cane stepped up to a small mic stand to utter silence.

"I know you're all starving for dinner, but I have one announcement before we begin."

His gaze skimmed the crowd until it fell on me. Cane jerked his head, and I froze in my seat.

"Go," Cassie hissed.

I blinked. She elbowed me hard enough to hurt, and I stood, smoothing my damp palms against the thighs of my jeans. Cane jerked his head again, and my feet finally moved until I stood beside him.

Evan came up on the other side. "Relax," he whispered. "You look like you're about to be stoned."

"Am I?"

His lips twitched. "Not by me," at least.

"Great. Super comforting."

Cane sent us both a dark look. "Aspen is here for the Pack children. I witnessed firsthand her ability to handle them and feel confident she can handle anything they throw at her."

A rumble of dissension rolled through the crowd. He held a hand up.

"But if she cannot, you will be the first to know."

I swallowed hard, my heart thumping against my chest like a drum.

"She begins tomorrow, first thing in the morning, though she will be required to train with the other juvenile wolves in the ring. Just like everyone else. In the training ring, she is not like us. Remember this when you see her in there."

His eyes swept over every wolf in attendance.

"I will not be pleased if I have to hire this position out again."

A few nervous chuckles came from the crowd before Cane nodded. "Eat, drink, and have heart. The best is yet to come."

The dining hall roared with applause. I started to slip away, but Cane caught my arm in a steel grip.

"You'll dine with me this evening, Aspen."

His touch sent sparks down my skin, and I steeled my heart to stop racing every time he was within proximity. Wolves knew when your emotions were high, and I didn't want him to know anything about me. The less he knew, the safer everyone was.

***

Every brush of Cane's arm against mine made me grit my teeth. He sat too close. So close, his thigh pressed against mine. When I tried to move away, Cane gripped one large hand on my thigh and squeezed hard enough to be uncomfortable.

Finally, I got tired enough of it and leaned close.

"What is wrong with you?" I hissed. "There's like five feet between me and Evan!"

"You are my employee."

He blew on his soup, and the sight of it scrambled all the thoughts in my head. How was that s*xy? Cane should look stupid doing that. Everyone looked stupid blowing on soup, and yet…he didn't.

"I'm well aware," I said dryly. "But I fail to see how one relates to the other."

"Sitting here with you this close implies you are under my protection. You're new to the Pack, and everyone here sees you as a threat. If I'm sitting this close to you, it shows I am not afraid, and they shouldn't be either."

I opened my mouth to speak, then snapped it closed. How was I supposed to respond to that?

"Fine."

I looked away from him and ate my soup, marveling at the complexity in a simple chicken noodle broth. Whoever their cook was earned his keep. Feeding werewolves must mean they were in the kitchen 95% of their lives.

The back of my neck prickled. Suddenly alert, I set my spoon down and slowly turned. Redheaded girl and her posse sat two tables behind us, glaring daggers at me. I was normally a peacekeeper, but this girl was getting on my nerves.

I'd rather be anywhere else than sitting at this table getting lectured by an arrogant wolf, and here she was getting jealous over nothing.

"Are you married?" I asked Cane.

The wolf's eyes widened, and he choked, spraying soup all over his bowl. The entire table stilled. Evan chuckled under his breath, but I reached over and discreetly pinched his arm. "Ouch," he hissed.

"Shut up," I hissed back.

Waiting for Cane to gather his composure, I passed my clean napkin over to him and kept eating my soup. When he finished wiping up, he sat back and looked at me.

"Aspen," he said when I didn't acknowledge him.

"Forget I asked," I muttered.

A silence fell, tense and awkward.

"I'm only asking because I'm getting some dirty glares for sitting here with you. If you aren't married, maybe you should think about getting a girlfriend."

Evan picked up his napkin, covered his mouth, then turned away.

One of Cane's dark eyebrows went up. "Oh? Who do you think this girlfriend should be?"

I shrugged. "No idea. One you like, I guess. Someone who's nice. You have some mean girls here."

His eyes flashed gold. "Who?"

I set my soup spoon down. "Who what?"

"Was someone mean to you?" His lips pulled back in a snarl.

I held a hand up. "No. Not at all."

Cane's eyes narrowed. "Stop lying to me."

Well. Sh*t.

"It's nothing I can't handle."

His nostrils flared. "I didn't ask if you could handle it. I'm asking who it is."

"No one."

Evan laid his napkin down and laid both hands on top of the table. His every muscle looked tightly sprung. I needed to diffuse this. Now.

"I'd like the opportunity to handle it. Please."

Cane's jaw tightened. "You ask much of me."

My brows rose.

"Seriously? I'm randomly living in a shifter compound after their Alpha got me fired."

Cane's lip twitched. He held my gaze for a long moment.

"Fine. I'll allow you to handle it, as you say. For now."

I released a long breath.

"You are a kind and benevolent ruler."

Evan burst out laughing.

Cane sighed and picked his soup spoon back up, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like…

"You are going to be the death of me."