Chapter Fifteen
“What is it about boys and standing around the back of a truck?” Delta asked softly.
Destiny snuggled deeper into the heated outdoor chair Nory had brought her and looked over the fire the boys had built where the firepit used to be. Indeed, most of the male werewolves here were standing around the back of Dodger’s truck, drinking beer and talking about different types of exhaust.
“At least they aren’t fighting,” Nory said, from the matching heated chair beside Destiny. “It’s a miracle.”
Destiny laughed around a bite of a desert called pink lemonade pie. “Dodger said that happens a lot. He said it so nonchalantly too. He told me he and Nathan got into a fight.”
“Truth,” Delta said around a bite. “Nathan came back last night beat to hell, but he said it was a good fight. Whatever that means. The fights can get brutal here,” Delta muttered, gesturing to the cooler next to Destiny. “Can you pass me one of those canned margaritas?”
“Mmm, mango or strawberry?” she asked, digging through the cold ice.
“Is there a peach one left?”
Destiny dug around the blue cooler and found one at the bottom. “Ah ha!” She tossed it to Delta.
“Can I try one of those?” Mom asked from where she sat in a heated chair on the other side of the cooler.
“Be a shame if you didn’t,” Nory assured her.
Mom had been quiet most of the night, but she smiled a lot. This was probably just overwhelming. That or she was worried dad would snap on one of Dodger’s Pack members.
Even now, Dad was standing off to the side, talking low to Liam, Dodger’s Alpha.
Dodger’s attention drifted from his Alpha to Destiny, and in the halo of glowing firelight, he smiled as he met her eyes. God, he was so handsome in his element. That man was made for the outdoors.
She’d been having trouble taking her eyes off him tonight with the snowy-pine-tree-back-drop of the forest behind him.
Mom grabbed the strawberry margarita out of the cooler and popped the top. “I figure if my husband is going to fight, he would’ve done it already. I can relax, right ladies?”
“Absolutely,” Delta assured her. “Even if they did end up fighting, I don’t think they would kill each other. I don’t feel any bad vibes here.”
“Phew,” Mom said with a nervous laugh. “I’ll be honest, I haven’t been around werewolves other than my husband in over twenty-five years.
Other than an occasional visit by the Elders, but Behren doesn’t let me talk to them.
I was a little nervous coming up here tonight, but this is good,” she said, looking around.
“You all are building something solid here.”
“I know who your husband is,” Delta said. “Probably every one of those boys has heard of him too, even if they haven’t put it together yet.”
Mom gave a shy smile. “To me, he’s just Behren.”
“And to me, he’s Dad,” Destiny said.
“How are you not a werewolf?” Delta asked. “If either parent is a werewolf, the offspring will be too.”
“Oh, he’s my stepdad, but he’s the dad I’ve known. It’s just easier to say he’s my dad. It’s what he feels like to me.”
“You should’ve seen him when he figured out Destiny was going after a werewolf,” Mom said. “I thought he would tear up our entire garage.”
“Oh gosh,” Nory said. “I couldn’t even imagine Liam raising a little girl. Those protective instincts are overwhelming.”
“What’s up, sluts?” Vic said, returning from his walk across the clearing. He had a six pack of beer in his hand.
“That’s rude!” Nory griped. “We have guests.”
Vic walked backward, holding his hands out in surrender. “It’s a term of endearment.”
“I’m sorry,” Delta said, shaking her head. “He was raised in a barn.”
“Barn-dominium,” Vic corrected her over his shoulder.
“Hey, can I have one of those?” Nory asked.
“One of what?” Vic asked, standing splay legged with the cardboard beer box dangling from his hand.
“A beer?”
“Oh, this isn’t beer.” He reached into the top of the box and pulled out what looked suspiciously like a hamster. “This is earl’s travel cage.”
“Oh my gosh,” Nory exclaimed. “Why do you have your hamster out here? He is going to freeze.”
“That’s why I made him a sweater,” Vic said, looking at Nory like she was dumb.
Indeed, the little hamster had a tiny knitted green sweater on its body as it scurried around in Vic’s hand.
“Dude, you better not have brought my hamster out here,” Tabian called from where he stood near the back of the truck.
“I made him a sweater too!” Vic barked. He put Earl the hamster back into the box and pulled out a darker one with a blue sweater.
“Vic!” Tabian barked. “Put him back!”
“No! They’re best friends and they party together!”
Destiny couldn’t stop laughing, and beside her, the other women were in different states of giggling as well.
Tabian looked pissed, but he rolled his eyes and shook his head and returned to his conversation with Bridger at the truck.
The boys popped the hood of a white truck parked next to Dodger’s now and were talking about some cold air intake or something. Destiny didn’t really know much about cars, but it was so nice listening to the low rumble of their relaxed voices while the fire flickered on.
Dodger caught her eyes and smiled, then sauntered over her way and she sat up straighter as he came to stand behind her chair. He massaged her shoulders gently and leaned down to her ear to whisper, “You look pretty tonight.”
Her cheeks heated with a blush, and she brought his warm hand to her cheek and nuzzled it. “Thank you.”
“I’ll probably start moving your dad toward the truck,” Mom said. “It’s getting late. Are you staying here tonight?” she asked Destiny.
“Yeah. I want to hang out here for a while longer if that’s okay?”
“I figured,” Mom said through a smile.
“I’ll keep her safe,” Dodger promised. “I don’t want you worrying about her when she’s here. It’s not like the government run territories where humans aren’t allowed.”
“Oh, I know you’ll protect her. I see the way you positioned yourself between her and each male she met tonight until you were satisfied that their wolves were calm.
I saw the way you constantly checked on her if you were more than five feet away.
I’m not worried. Behren?” she called. “Are you about ready?”
Dad was in deep conversation with Liam still, but it didn’t look tense anymore. They were both standing with their arms crossed over their chests, stance relaxed, and if Destiny was seeing this correctly, Dad looked like he smiled over at mom. “Getting tired?”
“Sure am.”
“I’ll warm up the truck.”
Destiny said her goodbyes to her parents, and a warm and fuzzy sensation consumed her as her dad lingered in the hug and said, “I like your people just fine.”
Mom gave her a squeeze and then made her way toward their truck, parked on the outer edge of the firelight.
As she watched them drive away, she realized she really liked these people as well.
Delta and Nory had been kind and inviting tonight.
They were both chill and funny, and self-deprecating.
Nory seemed very aware of being human, but Destiny appreciated how she could throw jabs right back at the boys, and she noticed how they gentled when they were close to her.
Nory really had paved a way for Destiny to be more accepted here, and she appreciated not being the only human.
Tonight had been eye opening but also had settled something inside of her soul.
Despite what this Pack had been through, with being stripped of their homes, and the challenge of rebuilding on the edge of the human world…despite the destruction to their new homes, and the unsettled business with the new Pack…happy moments did exist here.
Destiny could appreciate that.
They weren’t acting like victims or crying over the things that had occurred. They were out here laughing, teasing, and talking, and making sweaters for little hamsters, and being kind to the humans here.
No doubt she would learn that this Pack had many layers and could be complicated, but at the heart of it, these people, Dodger included, were resilient.