Page 19

The museum was bustling with people, a weird but oddly fitting birthday venue for Nayeli, who was turning 2. Glass artifact cases lined the walls, but in the center of the main hall, a small dancefloor was laid down, surrounded by tables and buffets of finger foods. The crowd was a mixed bag—pack members, Nayeli’s nerdy human friends, and a few academics who probably hadn’t expected a shifter gathering in their quiet institution.

I watched as Nayeli flitted from one exhibit to another, talking to her guests, totally in her element. She was dressed like a curvy, gorgeous disco ball, her dress covered in silver sequins, and was the true life of the party. I was happy for her. Exhausted after the week I'd just had, but happy.

I sipped at my flute of punch, adjusted my own much more subtle, deep green sundress, and waited for the party girl to make her way over to me. I'd already congratulated her on the evening, and she was too busy being social to pay me much attention. That was okay. I'd never been as social as Nayeli, and even though we'd become real friends, I was content to watch her and enjoy the atmosphere.

When she finally made it over, I hugged her, handing her the rest of my punch when I saw her fanning herself from all the rushing around she'd been doing. "Having a good time?" I asked, grinning. "It's a pretty awesome party."

"Thanks," she said, beaming at me. "Samson really outdid himself this time."

"Samson?" I repeated. "Samson planned this party?"

"Yep." She fanned herself some more. "He asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday, and I told him to surprise me. It's been a long time since I've gone out, you know, and it was so sweet of him." She leaned in, lowering her voice conspiratorially. "You'll never believe what else he did."

"What?" I asked, even though I had a feeling I already knew what she was going to say.

"He's been helping all the pack members. Bringing together different people, making sure packmates of all ranks interact. He’s been working to unite everyone, no matter their hierarchy. And it’s working.”

"Really?" I asked. Nayeli nodded excitedly. "Wow. That's...wow." I didn't know what to say. My mind was still spinning from the fact that Samson had put all this together for Nayeli. As if it weren't enough that he'd stood up for me in front of his entire pack, now he was doing this?

I needed to talk to him. I'd thought that our night together was just a one-time thing, a way to satisfy my heat and get it over with, but if he was continuing to be sweet to me, and continuing to make real changes with the Saltfangs that just so happened to line up with what I wanted from the pack...maybe there was more going on between Samson and I than I thought.

"Hey, I'll see you later," I said, squeezing Nayeli's shoulder, "I need to go find Samson."

She grinned. "Good luck. I think I saw him going outside."

I weaved through the crowd, waving at some familiar faces, but not stopping for any chit-chat. The door was at the far end of the building, but I couldn't help but stop short when I caught sight of Samson.

He was standing under the towering T-rex skeleton, a much shorter figure standing next to him and reading the informational plaque out loud. I thought Kit was going to explode with excitement when I told him his big cousin Nayeli was having her birthday at the museum, and I'd breathed a huge sigh of relief when he decided it was Samson he wanted to show around, not me.

As I watched them together, I wasn't sure I could blame Kit for being so excited. Samson looked downright dashing in his black suit, with Kit looking like his little clone in his own tiny tuxedo. They made quite the pair, and the sight of them together sent my heart into overdrive.

Was this really the man who had been so cold to me just weeks before? Was this the same wolf who had rejected me seven years ago after our night together?

There was no question about it—my feelings for Samson were anything but platonic. I cared for him, I wanted him, and now I was sure that I didn't want to be anywhere else except by his side. I pushed aside the guilt I felt at the realization. I should have been trying to leave again—for my own safety, and for Kit's. Instead, I'd given in to my weakness and stayed. And now that I was here, I couldn't imagine myself anywhere else.

Samson must have heard my heartbeat or my breathing from across the room, because he turned around, meeting my eyes with a knowing grin. "Kiera," he said, his voice husky. "Come here."

I walked towards him, ignoring the eyes on me as I crossed the dance floor. All I could focus on was the wolf in front of me, looking at me like I was the only person in the world. He tapped Kit on the shoulder, "Go find your big cousin. I need to talk to your mother alone."

Kit grinned and took off without another word, and before I could say anything, Samson took my hand and pulled me onto the dance floor as the music shifted to something slow and sultry, the sound of it curling around the edges of the main hall.

"Samson—" I started, but he cut me off.

"Just dance with me," he murmured, pulling me against his chest. "I know you want to."

He was right, damn him. I sighed, pretending to be more annoyed than I really was, but settled into the dance with him easily. After all, we'd had quite a few opportunities to learn how each other's bodies moved. I knew what Samson wanted, and I knew how he liked it. He'd been demanding, insatiable, and just rough enough when I needed him to be.

As a dancer, he was still domineering and possessive, his hands holding me as close as was appropriate at a party filled with our peers. "Nayeli told me you planned all of this," I started, looking up at him from under my lashes. "She told me about what you've been doing with the pack, too. Helping them.”

I expected him to be smug or dismiss my words like usual, but instead, he nodded, "I guess you could say that."

"Samson—"

"Kiera," he cut me off again, "I don't want to talk about pack business right now. Can't I just enjoy dancing with my wife for one evening?"

It was the first time he'd said it so bluntly, and I swallowed hard against the sudden lump in my throat. "We can dance," I said finally, trying not to let my voice waver. "I'll be quiet."

"That's a first."

I laughed, but lay my head on his chest nonetheless. For a few songs, we could just be a normal couple before the real world came barging back in.

***

When the music kicked back into high gear, Samson kissed me quickly and went to hunt for Kit. I was burning up—from exertion this time, not my heat, which Samson had worked out of me last night, thank goodness—and I made a beeline for the punch table. It had been refilled while I was dancing, and I downed a glass before pouring myself another one.

"Enjoying yourself?"

I jumped at the sound of Mason's voice, but I immediately decided that was all the reaction he was going to get out of me. I casually sipped my punch, not even looking in his direction.

"Oh, that's how it's going to be, huh? The Alpha lets you play peacekeeper for a bunch of worthless wolves, and now you think you're above all of us, right?"

"Not all," I corrected, still looking out over the dance floor. "Just you."

He snarled, but it was low enough that no one else heard. "You're so damned naive, Kiera. You think sending me to work with a bunch of fucking brats was going to reform me? Do you really think any of the pack respects you as anything else besides Samson's Omega?"

I whirled to face him, fury burning in my chest. "Watch your tongue, Mason."

His eyes flashed, but he didn't look scared. "Or what? You'll go crying to Samson? Because of you, I missed my chance to rise in the fucking ranks. Why in the hell would you defend those three idiots when they hate you just as much as I do?"

"They asked for my help," I spat. "Is that what you want to hear? They came to me hours before the challenge. I helped them, and they apologized. They're making an effort, and you aren't."

He let out a harsh laugh, shaking his head. "Oh, Kiera. You really are stupid. It's pathetic. You're a sad, weak little Omega that the Alpha got saddled with because you were dumb enough to get knocked up—"

"Enough."

The crowd closest to Mason and me had already started to go silent while they watched us, but when Samson spoke, his rumble seemed to echo in the large hall.

He walked between the tables and made his way over to us, his eyes glinting in the low light. His gaze was fixed on Mason, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking. When he finally stopped, he crossed his arms and looked from me to him. "Is there a problem here?"

Mason opened his mouth, but Samson stopped him, "Don't bother lying, Mason. I heard it all."

My face flamed red, and I wanted to crawl under the nearest table. The last thing I needed was the entire pack to know about my problems.

Mason's face was flushed, too, but there was a stubborn set to his jaw. He wasn't going to apologize in front of everyone.

Samson had the entire party crowd in the palm of his hand as he approached Mason, getting close enough that Mason had no choice but to cower under the dominance of his Alpha.

"I warned you, Mason," Samson said, his voice low. "And you disobeyed me. Again."

I could practically feel the tension rolling off of Mason in waves. He was angry, and I knew he was desperate for a fight, but he wasn't going to get one here. He was being humiliated in front of the entire pack, and he knew it. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he clamped his mouth shut instead.

"Mason, as Alpha of this pack, I hereby exile you from these lands. You are banished, and if you set foot in this town again, you will be killed."

My blood ran cold. "Samson," I whispered.

He ignored me. "Go," he growled at Mason, baring his teeth. "Before I change my mind."

I looked at Mason. For a second, I thought I saw something in his eyes—fear maybe, or even regret, but it was gone as soon as it had come. "I'm glad to be leaving," he snapped. "I'd rather be an outcast than be stuck in this shithole with you assholes."

Samson snarled. "Go. Now."

Mason glared at me one more time before storming out. The crowd parted for him, watching in silence until he slammed the doors behind him and left. When he was gone, Samson spoke again, this time speaking to everyone.

"Let Mason's fate be a lesson to you. From here on out, I will be working to purge the poison from the Saltfang pack. We are done with the old ways, where the weakest of us are treated the worst. I don't want to see any of you following in Mason's footsteps. You have the potential to rise in the ranks if you work for it—I believe that. But when we treat our own pack members like they're lesser, the pack becomes weaker as a whole. Understand?"

No one said anything for a long moment, but then a single voice called out, "Yes, Alpha."

The words echoed around the hall, and Samson looked up, his eyes shining. "Good." Samson exhaled sharply, his shoulders tense as he turned toward Nayeli, his gaze regretful. "I’m sorry, Nayeli. I didn’t mean for your birthday party to turn into a scene like that."

Nayeli blinked at him, her expression unreadable at first, then her lips curled into a sly grin. "Did you mean what you said? About not tolerating hatred toward weaker pack members?"

Samson didn’t hesitate, his voice firm and sure. "Yes. I meant every word of it."

I watched Nayeli’s eyes light up, her smile widening to a grin that nearly split her face. There was a certain spark in her that I admired—a fire that had always burned within her, but now it looked like Samson had just fed it a bit more fuel.

"Well, in that case," she said, tears of happiness gathering in the corners of her eyes, "Kicking that asshole Mason out of the pack? That’s the best birthday gift I’ve ever gotten."

A laugh bubbled up from her, and soon enough, the tension in the room seemed to ease. The pack was still processing what had happened, but if Nayeli was happy about it, then the rest of the party knew that they could be happy about it, too.

I didn't blame them. Even I was surprised at Samson's actions. He was ruthless, yes, but I'd never expected him to stand up for me in front of the whole pack. His words from earlier rang in my head: "As Alpha of this pack, I hereby exile you from these lands."

He'd removed one of his own wolves from the pack just to protect me. The idea of it made my heart race and my stomach feel funny, and I wasn't sure I wanted to examine exactly why that was.