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Chapter

Forty-Nine

K NOX

“Why are you so nervous?” Danny asked as we walked down the street toward his parents’ house the following Sunday. “We’ve done this before. You already know my family. There’s nothing to worry about.”

He could say that all he wanted, but it didn’t stop the ball of anxiety from tangling tighter in my gut. Sure, I’d been around his family before, but always as a prospective mate. We were actually mated now. It was done. Would that change things?

“Is it because you were exiled from your pack?” Danny slipped his hand into mine. “No one cares. I doubt they even know. I promise, it won’t be like that here. You’ll always be welcome.”

Gods, I hoped he was right. This was the closest I’d come to feeling like I belonged in a long, long time.

Danny didn’t bother to knock. He opened the door and bowled straight inside. My mouth watered as the scents of cooked meat and roasted vegetables greeted us.

“In here,” Melinda called from the formal dining room.

We followed her voice and she met us in the doorway. She hugged Danny, and then me. As soon as her arms closed around me, I froze. My heart hammered, and I didn’t know what to do. How long had it been since someone had held me in a warm, motherly embrace?

I loved being close to my mate, but it was very different from the comfort of hugging a parent.

She patted my back. “Come and sit down, my boys. The food is already on the table.” She gave us a knowing look. “I’m not surprised you’re the last ones to get here. The newly mated are often like that.”

My cheeks heated and I looked down at my hands. Danny snorted. Melinda tittered. I pretended I hadn’t had Danny on my knot just half an hour ago.

The dining room was toasty, and the overhead lights were partially dimmed but bright enough to see what we needed to. Aaron was seated at the far end of the table with an empty chair beside him. The half-drunk wine glass told me that it was Melinda’s seat. The men in the family seemed to prefer beer. Or whiskey.

Garrick sat opposite Melinda, with Zander beside him. The sheriff looked worn out, with dark shadows beneath his eyes, suggesting he hadn’t slept well since the raid on the Red Moon Pack.

I didn’t blame him. From what I’d heard, his mate had refused to engage with anyone. The warlock didn’t speak, hardly ate, and just sat in Dr. Black’s warded back room, crying for hours on end. That had to weigh on Zander.

Milo beamed at Danny from the spot beside Melinda, who sat and sipped her wine, and Everett loomed like a protective wall on Milo’s other side. Danny dropped into the chair beside Zander and I claimed the one beside him. No one sat opposite me, but perhaps that was for the best. It meant less pressure .

Less opportunity for them to surround me and interrogate me.

But as the conversation began, it was light. Friendly. I started to relax.

“Help yourselves,” Melinda said, lifting the cover off a pot of stew.

My breath hitched, and I stared, then sniffed. It was venison stew. Perhaps it was a coincidence, but as the family uncovered the rest of the dishes, and I spotted both rare steak and macaroni and cheese among the offerings, I knew it couldn’t be.

Emotion clogged my throat, and I struggled to breathe past it. Tears welled in my eyes and threatened to spill down my cheeks.

“Knox!” Melinda exclaimed, alarmed. “Are you okay?”

I rubbed my chest, unsure of the answer.

Was I okay?

I was part of a new clan. I had a mate, and that mate’s family had gone out of their way to prepare some of my favorite dishes on the first night we shared a meal after the mating.

“I… I…”

“Did we get it wrong?” Worry laced Milo’s tone.

“No.” I sniffed. Get yourself under control. I met Milo’s eyes, and then Melinda’s. No doubt they were responsible for this. “Thank you so much.”

Melinda offered a small smile. “We wanted you to feel welcome.”

“I do.” I coughed to clear my throat. “I’m, uh, touched.”

I had a feeling my cheeks were even redder than before.

“The pack Knox grew up in wasn’t like ours,” Danny said, reaching under the table to lay his hand on my thigh.

One side of my mouth hitched up. “That’s an understatement. They were old school. My mom was great, but other than her, no one showed much affection or went out of their way for anyone else. It’s just… really nice of you to do this.”

“Of course.” Melinda’s hand twitched, as if she wanted to reach for me. “You’re family now.”

“That means a lot to me.” I didn’t bother hiding the emotion in my voice.

Danny grabbed the macaroni and cheese and dragged it over, scooping a large portion onto my plate. That broke the ice, and everyone went for the food, even little Milo, who seemed to have learned how strong a shifter’s appetite could be and how quick he needed to be to get whatever food he wanted.

Not that I thought Everett would ever let him go hungry. Just like I wouldn’t let Danny go hungry. We were mates. And this…

This was a family.

For the first time, I felt like part of it.

I stared at each of them in turn, a grin stretching my face. It wasn’t just a family, but my family.

“What?” Danny asked, nudging me with his shoulder.

“Nothing.” I leaned over to nuzzle him. “Pass the steak.”