Chapter 5 #2
“Stop staring, assholes,” Saint told them as he strode back to the island. “You act like you’ve never seen a changeling before.”
“We’ve never seen Dom with a mate before.” Dressed in a soft pink tank top that complemented her golden brown complexion, the female brushed a dark, corkscrew curl out of her face and extended her middle finger. “Don’t be a dick.”
Dropping onto one of the barstools, Saint stretched his legs out in front of him and crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m not the one staring, am I?” Then he turned back to Sammy and jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “Chapel Bridger. Ignore her. The rest of us do.”
A playful growl vibrated in her throat as she plucked a black olive from her pizza slice and chucked it at him. It hit him right in the middle of the forehead—top scores for aim—and bounced off to land on the floor.
The male behind Chapel grunted with clear indignation, his bushy eyebrows drawn together over deep set eyes the color of a summer sky. The she-wolf winced, mumbled an apology, and hurried around the counter with a paper towel to clean up her mess.
Sammy had a pretty good idea that was Thierry.
While he towered over everyone else in the room, even Dominic, he didn’t have the same bulk. Narrow at the hips and shoulders, his lean frame looked stretched, and he had the palest skin Sammy had ever seen. Not simply fair, but more like it had been washed of color.
“Thierry DuPont,” Saint said, following Sammy’s gaze. “He makes sure we don’t live like wild animals.”
Thierry snorted and rubbed a hand over the top of his shorn head. He didn’t respond, and he seemed to be making it a point not to look at Sammy.
He tried not to take it personally. “This place is beautiful…and spotless,” he complimented. “Did you do the decorating as well?”
The wolf still wouldn’t look at him, and his lips puckered as if he had tasted something bitter. After a few seconds of tense silence, he turned and strode out of the kitchen.
Well, fuck. That had gone well.
“Don’t worry about it,” Saint told him, but he sounded subdued as he stared at the empty space where Thierry had been. Then, like flipping a switch, his smile returned, and he motioned to another male at the end of the island. “Boone did all the decorating.”
All eyes turned to the male on the far barstool. Even sitting, he was an imposing figure with a thick neck and an unruly beard a shade darker than his chestnut hair.
When he noticed everyone watching him, he sighed and inclined his head in greeting. “Boone Calloway.”
At that exact moment, a tiny Yorkshire terrier with a glittery pink bow in its hair popped out of the collar of his sweater jacket. Boone’s expression melted into pure adoration, and his onyx eyes softened as he scratched behind the pup’s ears.
“And this is Mia.”
Sammy bit his bottom lip and nodded, Thierry’s exit fresh in his mind.
“And that’s Kennedy,” Saint said, finishing the introductions.
Petite compared to the rest of the pack, with big brown eyes and pin-straight blonde hair, she looked to be the youngest. Probably close to his age. Dropping her half-eaten pizza onto a paper plate, she wiped her mouth on the back of her hand and beamed.
“Kennedy Rainier.” She gave him a little wave. “Hi!”
She was so warm and bubbly, Sammy couldn’t help but return her smile as he waved back. “Hi.”
This was the infamous Blackrock Pack? The brutal and merciless band of “devil dogs” everyone whispered about? He knew better than anyone that appearances could be—and often were—deceiving, but he didn’t buy it.
They all seemed so…normal.
“What kind of pizza do you like?” Kennedy asked, gesturing to the stack of boxes behind her.
The thought of eating right then made him feel sick, but he forced a smile and asked, “Which one is your favorite?”
“Grilled chicken Hawaiian.”
“I’ll have that,” he said automatically, barely registering her answer.
“Finally! Someone with good taste!”
A collective groan went around the room, and after some good-natured ribbing, Kennedy brought both him and Dominic plates loaded with pizza and breadsticks.
He ate mostly in silence, nibbling the end of his breadstick and speaking only when someone asked him a direct question. Beyond that, he had little to add to the conversation.
Especially when most of his concentration was occupied with trying to maintain control.
Crowds usually helped. With so many emotions at once blending together, the input became diluted until it formed a constant, bearable hum. Uncomfortable, yes, but bearable.
This wasn’t that.
They spoke among themselves, but every gaze in the room remained fixed on him, the attention sharpening into something acute and invasive.
Heat crawled up the back of his neck, settling heavily at the base of his skull.
Pressure built behind his eyes, his temples throbbed in time with his pulse, and his skin prickled as if an army of ants skittered beneath the surface.
It took effort not to flinch or curl inward against the onslaught, but he forced himself to focus on their words instead of their unspoken desires.
They talked about people he didn’t know, events he hadn’t witnessed, and shared inside jokes he didn’t understand. He didn’t begrudge them their camaraderie, and he enjoyed listening to their stories, but it underscored where he stood.
Present, but separate. An outsider.
But that was the nature of joining a new friend group with already established bonds, he told himself. It had been the same when he’d first befriended Braeden—and all the people he’d met through him.
Sammy sighed and shifted his weight, subtly trying to release the nervous energy that flooded him. Thinking about Braeden made him think about his bakery, and he still didn’t know if he’d made the right choice.
Braeden routinely managed Cherry on Top on his own, but in shifts. Typically, he oversaw morning operations, and Sammy had always been nearby if something went sideways.
Leaving the guy in charge for several days made him feel itchy.
Anything could happen. Scheduling mix-ups. Order mishaps. They could run out of ingredients. The espresso machine could break down…again. The oven could catch fire and burn the entire place to the ground.
Okay, so it probably wouldn’t be that dramatic, but there was a lot to keep up with, which meant a lot could go wrong.
He really didn’t have an alternative, though. He didn’t know how long he would be away from Hunters Hollow, and closing his doors indefinitely wouldn’t benefit anyone. Not him, not his customers, and certainly not the people who worked for him.
“Everything okay?” Dominic asked, startling him out of his spiral.
“I think so.” Braeden had an amazing support system, and if something did happen, Sammy was only a text or phone call away. “Just tired.”
Exhausted would be a better word. Ever since that phone call with Kiev, it felt like he had been white-knuckling life. Barely sleeping. Hardly eating. Sometimes, he felt like he couldn’t even breathe properly.
“Come on.” Dominic tilted his head toward the doorway behind them. “I’ll show you to your room.”
He didn’t even try to hide his relief. “Yes, please.”
Dominic took his plate and frowned at the barely touched pizza, but he didn’t comment as he carried it over to the island.
“I’ll take it.” Chapel stepped forward, her hand outstretched. She cast a fleeting look at Sammy, then dropped her voice, adding, “There’s an update on the Georgia situation.”
Dominic nodded and mouthed something Sammy couldn’t make out, but he figured it wasn’t really any of his business anyway.
Then he turned and jerked his head toward the doorway. “Ready?”
After saying goodnight to the others, he followed his mate out of the kitchen, casting glances at him as they retraced their steps down the hallway to retrieve his bag. Neither of them spoke, but tension crackled between them, making every breath and micro movement feel charged.
Sammy didn’t feel anything beyond general attraction and a vague sense of worry about not feeling something more. But he was too damn tired to worry about it right then.
While nothing had been resolved yet, now that he had someone capable and willing to help him, maybe he could finally unclench. As for the rest?
Well, he’d figure that out later.