Page 22

twenty-two

ASPEN

My face was still flushed from all the sex when we finally made it out of our room. Enzo held my hand, and he’d laced his fingers between mine.

I was uncertain about the hand holding, but it did feel nice.

So, I went along with it.

People looked at me differently when we passed them. There was less friendliness. More uncertainty.

I tried not to let it get to me, but failed.

We reached a room down the hall that I’d never been inside before, and when we stepped in, I found a casual conference room with ten chairs in it. I looked around the room, and found our people already inside and waiting.

Sydney and Nova sat next to each other. Silas was at Nova’s side, and she was talking to him. Clay was on the other side of Sydney, chatting easily. Hunter was across the table from Nova, staring down at his phone with a forced neutral expression on his face. His scarred eyebrow was twitching. I was pretty sure he was fighting not to look at Nova, considering what I knew about their connection.

Fletcher sat across from her, studying me like he was looking for injuries.

Everyone turned toward us when we walked in, except Hunter. I assumed that if he lifted his head, his eyes were going to go straight to Nova, and he didn’t want them to.

I couldn’t help but look at Silas.

He was totally healed. Completely fine.

But my stomach clenched anyway.

Enzo led me across the room and sat down in a chair. He tried to pull me onto his lap, but I took my own seat. There were two empty chairs, but that didn’t matter. At least the room fit us.

“What happened?” I asked Silas.

It didn’t take a genius to know that he wouldn’t have been there if he had another option. Him and Fletcher avoided each other like their lives depended on it. Considering how much their wolves hated each other, their lives did kind of depend on it.

“Some people in the city remembered our connection and came after me last night. My pack is large, and took my side, but I wasn’t going to risk their lives in a fight against a mob. Enzo owes me one, so I figured he could offer me sanctuary until you get everything sorted.” He nodded at Enzo.

My Alpha’s neck was tight.

He didn’t like that idea even a little.

But he jerked his head in a nod anyway. Before he rolled my chair closer to his. The arms knocked against each other as he set his hand on my thigh, but he didn’t seem to care.

“Let’s get this over with before someone dies,” Fletcher said, fighting to keep his voice neutral.

Enzo growled, “I wasn’t going to kill anyone.”

“He’s not talking about you. His wolf and Silas’s attack each other almost every time they’re together,” I murmured into his mind, waiting for him to flinch in pain.

He didn’t.

Maybe it really didn’t hurt him when we spoke mentally.

“Enzo’s going to play nice,” I said aloud. “Sydney, I’m sorry about changing you without your permission. You looked young, and I couldn’t let you die when there was something I could do about it.”

She met my gaze with a small smile. “I’m glad you did. Thank you.”

I nodded.

At least she didn’t hate me.

That was good.

“We’re obviously here to talk about turning more humans,” Clay said. “Not sure why Silas needed to be in this meeting, but I guess that’s fine.”

“I invited him,” Nova said.

Hunter clenched his jaw to muffle his wolf’s growl.

“Lovely. Anyway, we’ve got a plan,” Clay said.

“Who’s we?” Silas asked.

“The Savage brothers and Fletcher. He’s basically one of them now. Keep up,” Nova muttered, elbowing him in the ribs.

The friendly interaction made something in my chest hurt.

How many times did we have similar interactions as kids?

And how long had it been since things had been like that for us?

“Right. We have a plan.” Clay gestured to Enzo, himself, and Hunter. Then, to me and Fletcher.

I lifted an eyebrow at him.

He shrugged. “You’re part of the family now, too.”

We could never go back to the way things had been before my first heat screwed up everything, but maybe things could be okay again.

If not now, then eventually.

Clay cleared his throat. “Well, here are the basics. We’re closing our borders for now. No new groupies. No new humans at all. Our people can still go in and out, but no one without a Crimson River ID can rent property, get a job, or anything else. They won’t be participating in the mess. Any woman with an ID who wants to be changed will fill out an application. Mates will get first priority, of course.”

He continued, “Before we get to the applications, we give priority to a few women who are part of a trustworthy mated pair that is willing to offer their services to help transform more women for at least a year. There will be contracts involved. Whether or not we can enforce them will be legally debatable, but we’re hoping the fine for breaking it will convince people to take it seriously. We’re going to need a lot of women who are willing to transform others.”

Nods went around the room.

“What does this have to do with us?” Nova checked, gesturing between herself and Sydney.

“I’m getting there.” Clay gave her a deadpanned stare.

She lifted her hands.

“The sooner we can get a few women mated and willing to do this for us, the sooner we can settle the city and clear out the threat in the forest. As long as that exists, we can’t hunt rogue wolves. If someone goes rabid, people are going to die. Potentially a lot of them.”

Sydney paled a little.

Nova glared at Clay and put a hand on Sydney’s shoulder.

“It’s okay,” Sydney said quietly. “You want me to try to turn someone?”

Clay nodded. “If you’re willing. We only have five days until the eclipse, so it would be best to do it now. So we can get those couples fully mated, beneath the next full moon. If you do, it will likely take longer to recover, because you don’t have a mate. Or an almost mate.”

That comment was geared toward me and Enzo.

She let out a breath. “Does it have to be someone you’re romantic with? Could another man help?”

“No one else tried to touch Aspen,” Clay said. “So I guess we don’t know. I would be willing to hold your hand or something to try it out, if you wanted.”

“I’m definitely willing to try,” Sydney agreed. “If just so we can get your people back into the forest to prevent the rabid problem from getting worse. The doctor gave me a clean bill of health. The transformation healed me completely, and fast. I should be okay to do it whenever you’re ready.”

“Thank you,” Enzo said.

A few people looked surprised.

I wasn’t one of them. I barely caught myself in time, but I did catch myself.

Nova chewed her lip. “I’m supposed to go into heat next week. I’d need a ride up to my apartment in Greenview pretty soon afterward. Or some really strong drugs.”

Hunter snarled.

Everyone looked pointedly away, except Nova and Silas. They both glared at him.

“I’ll take care of it,” Hunter bit out.

“I am not spending heat with you. I know how that story goes.” She gestured between me and Enzo. “I’d rather suffer it out alone. Wouldn’t be the first time.”

Ouch.

Enzo squeezed my thigh. I put my hand on top of his. Considering our conversation earlier, I figured he was probably feeling bad. Or worried. Or something similar.

“Then I’ll get you safely to a place where you can suffer without a risk of getting attacked,” Hunter gritted out.

“Fine.” She scowled at him again, but there was less heat behind it. “I guess I’m in.”

“You don’t have to do it,” I said. “No one will be upset if you choose not to. It’s hard on your body.”

“If I’ve got to struggle a bit to buy my safety, I’ll struggle,” she said firmly.

“We have a handful of old pack members who only left because they took mates,” Clay said. “They’re as trustworthy as they come. We’ll get in contact with them and line up the first three women from that group. To make sure everyone’s recovered, we should probably go through with it tonight.”

Enzo tensed, but didn’t argue.

Everyone else murmured agreements.

“Say your goodbyes to your best artist, just in case,” Nova told Silas, smacking him on the chest.

Hunter snarled again.

Everyone ignored him.

Silas decided he shouldn’t say anything, which seemed for the best.

“I’m going to talk to the ladies,” I said, squeezing his hand before I pulled it off my thigh and stood up.

He jerked his head in a small nod, and reluctantly stood. “I need to talk to my brothers in the hallway.” Enzo’s gaze went to Hunter, and the Gamma stood stiffly.

“You’re coming too, Silas-boy,” Clay said, clapping him on the shoulder. “You good to stay, Fletcher?”

Fletch grunted. “I’ve got it.”

The Savage brothers and Silas stepped out of the room.

“How bad is it out there?” I asked Nova and Sydney.

Nova tipped her head toward the door. “I don’t know. Jackass out there won’t let me outside. He programmed all the doors in the Lodge to lock as soon as I get near them.”

I lifted my eyebrows.

“It’s bad,” Fletcher said. “The forest is packed with wolves on every side. If you did go out there, we would never see you again. Any of you.”

All of us grimaced at that.

“Hopefully the announcement of our plan will help,” Sydney said. “Or the Savages’ plan, I guess.”

“You’re participating in the plan,” Fletcher pointed out. “So it’s yours too.”

“That makes us tools,” Nova corrected. “You can’t create a tattoo without ink, but without an artist, the ink can’t tattoo on its own. We’re ink.”

“Irreplaceable ink with the power to resist being used and the choice to walk away at any time,” I said.

“Fancy ink is still just ink, Aspen.” Nova sounded tired.

I didn’t blame her for it. I knew what it felt like to have recently been stolen from your home, though Enzo had never truly trapped me inside the Lodge.

“What does it feel like to have a wolf?” Fletcher asked Sydney, changing the subject to keep the peace.

Her lips curved slightly. “Loud. It’s like I have a whole new person inside me. A hairy, curious one. She wants to run everywhere.”

I smiled. “After the forest is cleared, we’ll all go out.”

“It’s a plan,” she agreed.

We all chatted while we waited. Nova was reluctant, but she did join in.

We learned that Sydney had been trapped in the forest for nearly a year after her dad lost his mind. She had been about to start her first semester of college before he went rogue and his wolf herded her out to a pack in the woods. They’d moved around constantly, and slept out in nature. The wolves shared the meat they hunted with her, but it wasn’t enough, so she’d learned how to grow vegetables and tend existing berry bushes. During the winter, the pack had kept her warmish in a cave.

Throughout her story, Nova and I exchanged looks a few times that said something along the lines of, we need to take care of this girl .

That’s what mine meant, at least.

Nova and I were friends, but I didn’t know her well enough to be sure what our shared looks meant.

Enzo came back in a few minutes later, without any of the other guys.

“There’s no blood on his hands this time, right?” Nova joked, though she really did eye his hands.

“Not this time.” He lifted them, showing her that they were clean. “Clay’s finding Silas a room. He invited the bastard to come back for cake, but he didn’t look convinced.”

Birthday cake?

I looked at Fletcher.

He grunted.

If it was for our birthday, Silas definitely wouldn’t come.

“I’m not understanding the dynamic between you two,” Nova said, gesturing to Fletcher. “Silas gets along with everyone.”

Without another word, Fletcher stood up and left the room.

“We’re meeting up for card games and cake. Some of the enforcers planned it,” Enzo said, though he was grimacing.

“Let me talk to Fletch and make sure he’s feeling up for it.” I flashed him a small smile. “We don’t usually do much for our birthday. We just make cakes for each other and trade small presents.”

Enzo nodded.

I looked at Nova and Sydney. Both of them seemed curious. “It’s a sad family thing. I’ll tell you about it some other time. Why don’t you meet me for cake and cards with the enforcers?”

The women agreed.

Enzo recaptured my hand, and we headed out together.

We followed Fletcher’s scent for a few minutes, and found him already trapped in a group of guys we both knew. They greeted me with their normal grins welcoming Enzo too, as if playing cards with him was a normal occurrence.

He lowered his lips to my ear when everyone else sat down for a game of poker, and murmured, “My brothers need me for the plan. Let me know when you’re done. I’ll send Nova and Sydney your way.”

I nodded.

He brushed a kiss to my cheek, then my shoulder, before he strode away.

I wasn’t sure what he needed to do for the plan, but I didn’t ask. We weren’t quite there yet.

The volume increased tremendously when he was gone. The girls showed up quickly, and were welcomed as if they were part of the pack just like I had been. No one tried to hit on them or anything, which was nice.

We played for half an hour or so before Fletcher slipped away. I think everyone could tell something was up with him, but no one commented on it.

I thanked all of them as I followed Fletcher to the doors leading out of the Lodge. He stopped when they didn’t slide open automatically, and tried to push one.

It didn’t budge.

“Fucking Hunter,” Fletcher grunted.

“I’m sure he’s locking me in, not you.” I put a hand on his arm. “Do you want to talk?”

“No,” he growled, pulling away from me. “I can’t be in this pack while he’s here. He looks too much like Simon. I can’t fucking do it.” His voice cracked.

I ignored his wishes and threw my arms around him, hugging tightly. He remained stiff for a moment, but finally returned the hug.

“You reek of Enzo.”

I smiled, though it was sad. “He smells good to me.”

“Of course he does.”

I smacked the side of Fletcher’s head lightly, and he hugged me tighter.

“I miss him,” I said quietly. “Do you?”

“Every fucking day.”

My eyes flooded with tears.

Fletch and Simon had been much closer than Simon and I had. “When this all blows over, he’ll go back to his pack. They still like him.”

“Unless he decides to stay for Nova. I’d have to take his pack over, and run the fucking post office. I can’t?—”

“That’s not going to happen,” I said firmly. “It wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t anyone’s fault. Silas isn’t going to stay. Simon wouldn’t blame you if he was still alive, so stop blaming yourself. If he was the one related to me, you would be the one who died.”

“But he wasn’t, and I’m still here.” Fletcher’s voice was low.

Bitter.

Sad.

He needed something to focus on other than me. The Creek Pack had been good for him. If Enzo wasn’t going hunting again soon, Fletch would need another job. Something to keep him busy.

“I’m making you a cake. We’re going through with our usual birthday thing,” I announced, releasing him. “Your present isn’t here yet, but I’ll figure something out.”

“Don’t pretend you ordered me something. You always shop last-minute.”

“For once in my life, I’m prepared,” I protested.

He snorted.

He didn’t need to sniff out lies to know that was bullshit.

“I’m sure your king is already making you a cake. We don’t need to swap,” he said.

“If Enzo is making a cake, it’s for you, because we’re trading just like we always do. Deal with it.”

He scowled, but it was half-hearted. He loved cake too much. And given how good of a cook Enzo was, Fletch would love the Alpha’s cake even more.

But I still didn’t think Enzo was making one.

“I’ll walk you back to our room while I try to come up with a way to get ingredients for your chocolate behemoth,” he said, slipping his hands in his pockets.

“Better a chocolate behemoth than the dainty little fruit puff you like.”

He chuckled.

It was good to see a tiny bit of humor weaving its way in, even if I knew it would fade quickly.

Maybe I’d ask Jake to bug him in a little while. Jake wouldn’t ask questions. Not too many, at least.

I gave Fletcher one last hug before he left me in my room. Something told me he’d wait in the hall until he knew I was safe. And that he would text Enzo.

I reached out mentally to my Alpha anyway, to make sure Fletch wouldn’t have to wait long. “Hey, I’m back in our room. I think Fletcher is waiting outside.”

“On my way.”

“I can meet you wherever you are, if you want.”

“My brothers and I were just talking about possibilities. I’m headed to you now.”

The door opened. Enzo said something to Fletcher, and it closed again. He stepped up to me and wrapped his arms around my waist. “Clay wants to do a birthday thing for you and Fletcher in a few hours. He says it’s because you’re a part of the family now, but he just loves cake.”

“Who doesn’t?”

Enzo’s lips curved upward, and he kissed me. Lightly. Gently. It was the first time he had really, truly kissed me for a reason that wasn’t just sexual.

It ended too soon, though.

“I need to make you a cake,” Enzo said, kissing my nose.

I wrinkled it. “You don’t need to do anything for me.”

“I want to make you a cake, and I’m going to,” he corrected.

“I have to make Fletcher’s cake, actually. He always makes mine. We do a cake swap.”

His forehead creased. “Why not just agree on one you’ll both like?”

It seemed safe to assume he did that with his brothers. Or maybe they usually bought cake.

Actually, scratch that. Enzo rarely ate things other people made. Something told me cake wasn’t an exception.

I shrugged. “It’s a thing we do. He likes fluffy, strawberry cake. I like rich, chocolate cake. We make them for each other, then trade and eat them together.”

“That’s… sweet,” he finally said.

“It’s cake, so yes. It’s always sweet.”

He snorted, and I couldn’t bite back a grin. Making the angry Alpha laugh, or anything close to that, always felt like a victory.