Chapter 6
Angie
Rhett wasn’t kidding about the interrogation. Cindy shot rapid-fire questions at me, her eyes never leaving her slice of bread as she buttered it.
The first few questions were easy.
“Where are you from?”
“Do you have any family?”
“What do you do for a living?”
We got hung up on that question when I explained I’m a tattoo artist and Dustin immediately asked for a free tattoo.
That turned into an argument between him and Rhett that lasted over ten minutes, while Cindy repeatedly rolled her eyes and jerked her thumb in their direction, muttering, “Alphas. Can’t go five minutes without starting a fight. ”
I frowned. “I thought wolf packs only had one alpha.”
“We only have one alpha in charge,” Cindy explained. “He’s the baddest of the bad. There can be plenty of alphas in a pack, as long as they’re willing to co-exist. Not all packs are like this one.”
She pursed her lips, lowering her voice as she asked, “Has Rhett told you about his first pack?”
His first pack?
I remembered the faraway look in his eyes when he told me about the packhouse earlier. The food sat heavy in my stomach, and I instinctively brushed my fingers with his as he stood beside the table. Rhett squeezed my hand without turning away from his brothers.
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to hear this story, based on the way Cindy said it.
“No, he hasn’t told me. He was too busy teaching Shifter 101. I didn’t even know mates were a thing.”
Her eyes were suddenly fixed on my neck, and they narrowed slightly. “I’m surprised you made it here without a mark. I can’t imagine it’s easy for Rhett to have you around his brothers like this. Wolves are extremely possessive of their new mates. It can be dangerous.”
I cocked my head at Rhett, noticing he was completely relaxed as he listened to Dustin describe his desired tattoo and explain why he desperately needed it. Of course, he was relaxed.
We weren’t really mates.
Anyway, I still didn’t understand what all these warnings meant. How could he possibly be dangerous to his own brothers? Rhett threw the word possessive around when he was describing this whole situation, but surely that excluded family?
Then again, I had to be possessive of every boyfriend when Sloane was around. I couldn’t blame my little sister for stealing all the hot genes in our family, but my jealousy was justified.
Justified, not dangerous.
I took a bite of bread, chewing excessively so I didn’t immediately have to respond to Cindy.
Rhett shifted on his feet, angling his body toward us, and I could tell he was trying to listen to both conversations.
“I’m not ready for that,” I said finally. “My life—it’s been complicated lately.”
“Is that why you’re in Alaska? Trying to escape your complicated life?”
I broke a piece of cheese in two. Might as well be honest. “Trying to uncomplicate it, actually. I’m here to give my ex-fiancé his ring back.”
I tried to sound unattached and unruffled, knowing that I probably just sounded lame.
The kitchen fell silent, and the hair on my arms lifted.
“Were you planning to do that before or after you met Rhett?” Ross asked, coming around the table to place cutlery and plates.
“Before. I was supposed to mail the ring, but that was too easy for him.”
Cindy smirked. “You’ve got an upgrade in the meantime.”
Dinner happened seamlessly. The brothers worked as a well-oiled machine, layering dishes of steaming food onto the table. Cindy sat at the head of it all like a queen, regal and proud despite the bags under her eyes.
I liked her more with each passing minute.
The guys served her first, giving her a plump slice of meat, spoonfuls of golden, buttery potatoes, and all kinds of roasted vegetables.
Rhett fixed my plate next. Each of them watched too intently, in a silence that felt reverent. My smile was wobbly as I thanked him, laying my napkin on my lap and picking at the seam.
When Rhett asked me to do this, I didn’t understand how important mates were. Guilt stole my appetite as I stared at the gravy pooling around my potatoes.
This was wrong to lie about. It seemed sacrilegious somehow.
Ross was the first to offer his mother a birthday gift. She unwrapped the navy blue tissue paper and smiled wickedly. Holding up the gift, she revealed a worn-out paperback with a shirtless man on the cover:
“I’ve been trying to get my hands on this edition for years. Where did you find it?”
Ross smiled. “Afraid that’s a trade secret.”
“There’s a bonus chapter at the end where Mister Lorenzo takes Francesca—"
“Not interested,” Ross said, covering his face. “Please enjoy the book. In private.”
“Now mine!” Dustin handed her a small paper bag stuffed with tissue paper.
Cindy clapped her hands together, showing everyone a salt and pepper shaker set. They were shaped like two happy, plump people, a man and a woman, and they could be set side by side so that they were kissing each other.
Tyler’s gift was simple and sweet. Two frames of pressed flowers. I didn’t know what kind they were, but they appeared to be special to Cindy because she gave him a watery smile and asked him to hang them in the bedroom for her.
My eyes found several other pressed plants decorating the walls, and I wondered if they were all from him.
Finally, Rhett handed his mom a small box. She opened it gingerly, removing a bundle of bubble wrap and tape to reveal a small snow globe with a miniature version of Seattle inside. The Space Needle shimmered as flakes of glitter floated around it.
They were all such simple gifts, but she acted like they were precious treasures. Each item lying neatly on the table made it clear what really mattered to Cindy.
To this family.
“Now, I only need thirteen states, and my collection is complete,” Cindy chirped. “Any chance Levi is sending you to Rhode Island next?”
Rhett took my hand between his. “Levi isn’t sending me anywhere for a while.”
Cindy eyed our hands for a moment too long before she thumped the table, saying, “I guess we have two reasons to celebrate! Where’s the cake?”
Candles were lit, a very deep and masculine version of “Happy Birthday” was sung, and dense pieces of chocolate cake were passed around the table.
It was all so normal. Other than the touching—Rhett had a hand on some part of me at all times—I didn’t see any difference between this shifter family and an ordinary human family.
In fact, they were doing it better than my family ever did.
“So, Angie, what do you think?” Dustin asked, scraping the last smear of chocolate frosting off his plate with his fork. “Have we scared you off for good?”
“This is actually the calmest, wholesome family dinner I’ve ever experienced.” My smile was too big, and the humor didn’t quite coat my words like I meant it to.
Maybe I was being too honest. I had a problem with that.
“This was wholesome to you?” Rhett looked surprised. Cindy looked suspicious.
“My mom was—well, is—an alcoholic.” I met his eyes, suddenly feeling ashamed of admitting this in front of his family. “You never knew if you were going to get my mother the angel or my mother the dragon. Special occasions were the worst.”
I shrugged, as if it didn’t hurt to see just what I was missing out on. “Anyway, birthday dinners are a lot different in my family.”
When we used to have them at all. There were a handful where my mom passed out on the couch with the cake in the oven, leaving the burned remains for us to deal with.
Murmurs of sympathy came from all corners of the table. I smiled and waved them away, looking to Cindy to say, “Sorry for trauma dumping at your birthday dinner. And I’m sorry I didn’t bring you a gift. I didn’t know I was coming to your birthday party until we were already on the plane.”
“You’re the perfect gift,” Cindy rasped. She began to cough, holding her napkin up to her mouth.
The coughing continued, her breaths coming in short bursts in between.
Then she coughed so hard she couldn’t take a breath. For thirty seconds we all held our breath with her, waiting until she gasped for air.
Tyler and Rhett both stood, resting a hand on each of Cindy’s shoulders. She laid her hand over theirs, nodding weakly and assuring them, “I’ve still got some life in me. Don’t worry so much.”
The energy was somber after that, the brothers working together to clear the table. I tried to offer my help, but Rhett wrapped his hand around the nape of my neck and said, “Stay put.”
Goosebumps formed on my arms, my chest jolting at the feel of his warm palm on bare skin. I nodded faintly, unable to speak as I licked my lips.
When I turned my head away from Rhett, it was to see Cindy watching me like a hawk.
“Tyler, please bring the photo album,” she said sweetly, gaze never leaving mine.
She scooted her chair up next to mine, accepting the thick plastic album from Tyler and slapping it on the table.
“I’m sorry about your mom,” she murmured, touching my arm. “Mom’s can be a real bitch.”
I snorted. “Something like that.”
“I know mine was. That woman would have slept with my fated mate if it got her the attention she wanted.”
I bugged my eyes out. Cindy was even blunter than my sister. “My mom never went after my boyfriends. Not unless it was to verbally harass them.”
I wish I could blame her for why they never stuck around.
“It’s not always fair, is it? Some people get to have it all, and they take it for granted. My mother had four children of her own, and she never wanted us.”
At least I wasn’t the only one trauma dumping at family dinner.
Cindy opened the photo album, flipping through a few pages of a young couple looking absolutely smitten.
On the fourth page she stopped, pointing to a little boy positioned between the couple and saying, “That was when Rhett first came to us. I couldn’t get that boy to smile for a picture for almost a year.
Couldn’t get him to talk for a long time either. ”