9

A R Y A

➳

The large dining room was oversized. The Moonwater Pack was big, but now that there were so many people in one room, I really realized how big it was. And that wasn't all pack members by a long shot.

As soon as I set foot in the hall, a familiar face appeared in front of me. “Georgie.”

“I heard you were there and I thought I'd say hello.” Her straight black hair surrounded her fine, pretty face, in whose gray eyes seemed extraordinarily large. She was silent for a moment and it looked like she was waiting for me to reply, but I didn't really know what to say. Then she smiled and motioned for me to follow her. “Come on, you must be hungry. I'll show you where everything is.”

She led me to the huge buffet that stretched down the center of the room while the tables were located around it. Everyone could get as much as they wanted and sit where they wanted.

I looked at the unusual dishes and loaded just a tiny bit of each onto my plate.

“How long will you be here?” Georgie asked me as she walked next to me and also filled a plate.

I shrugged my shoulders. “Do not know yet. As long as it takes me to find the pack.”

Georgie nodded and bit her lip. Still kept silent.

I frowned. “What?”

“Well, I thought so...” she hesitated, trying to find the right words. 'You are an excellent warrior. So I thought maybe you could teach me a little?”

“You want me to teach you the art of gi warfare?” my brows shot up. Never thought I'd ever hear that come out of a wolf's mouth. But there's a first time for everything, right?

Georgie nodded again and gave me a determined look. “Absolutely. Tomorrow would be perfect.”

“Morning?” I shook my head. “Georgie, you can't do that. We'll be busy finding the pack for the next few days.”

'Okay, it doesn't matter when. Just promise me you'll give me an hour after your assignment. At least an hour.”

I sighed. I'd love to give in and make those promises to her. But I couldn't. For now, I couldn't prioritize anything other than finding those monsters and getting my tribe to safety. Everything else was not included. “I'm sorry. But I really don't have time.”

Georgie's face was tightened for a moment and her shoulders sagged, but she quickly recovered. She sat bolt upright and lifted her chin. “No problem. Then I'll just find someone else.” With that she strutted away.

i grinned In any case, she already had the basic equipment of a venerable warrior.

When I noticed Joy waving to me from her seat, I left the buffet stand and went over to her. Devon, Arrow, Beau and of course Xenos were all sitting at the same table as well. I had expected things to be similar to those at home. But it was not like that. Xenos wasn't sitting on a throne like my father was sitting on his royal pillow and he wasn't being waited on either. It was almost as if he were like any other soldier were it not for the palpable source of power and strength that he possessed. His dominance surrounded him like a silent shadow. Like sleeping quietly, ready to fight if need be.

“Here, sit down.” Joy offered me the seat next to her, who was suddenly next to Xenos. His gaze was already burning my body, but I ignored him as I sat down.

The short time I was alone in my guest room, showering and changing, had straightened my mind. I wasn't here for Xenos. And certainly not to turn me into a touchy-feely thing on two legs.

“Are you coming to the ball too?”

When no one answered, I looked up from my plate. Joy looked at me expectantly. “Who I?”

“Don't tell me you haven't heard about our annual ball?” when I shook my head, her mouth dropped open in horror. She leaned forward and faced Xenos at the top of the table. “Xenus! How can you not tell her about it?”

Xenos shrugged, but his burning eyes were irrevocably on me. I couldn't help but meet his gaze. He immediately tied me up and pierced me deep inside. There was a silent question in it. I averted my gaze.

“The annual ball is the biggest ball of the whole year. All the packs come to us and there is a huge celebration.” Joy told me conspiratorially and smiled.

“The best party there is.” Devon interjected and winked at me, I didn't miss the roguishness in his eyes. “Lots of new acquaintances.”

“Who knows, maybe you'll only stay with one woman this year.” Joy goaded him.

“I hope so.” his face took on a wistful expression for a second before he dismissed it with a grin and laughed. “And if you don't, well, you always have a spot with me, dolly.”

Joy snorted and dismissed his attempt at flirting with a dismissive gesture. 'You wish that. I'm sure I'll meet my mate this year.”

It was like dropping a penny. Suddenly I felt incredibly stupid. How could I have forgotten that Xenos had a mate too? I jumped when a hand came down on my leg.

“Hey, what's up? Why aren't you looking at me?” his voice was just a whisper, but it tingled my skin and I shuddered. I resolutely pushed his hand off my thigh and joined in the conversation around the table: “Will Reah, Zaira, and Aramis come too?”

Xenos growled softly. “Yes.”

I nodded, still not looking at him but feeling his gaze burn deeper into my skin.

'Speaking of Zaira, when is she coming? I still have some things to discuss with her about the safety of the healer werewolves.” protested Beau, whose wolf was almost always in his eyes, slumbering so close to the surface I feared he was about to spring out.

Xenos had told me that the healer werewolves had taken shelter of their pack for about a year and were now an integral part of their pack.

“Actually, tomorrow would have been planned, but it will be a few days late, she told me. She's probably pretty busy with the little rascal.” said Joy and smiled.

Although I had only seen her little son very shortly after the birth when I wished her congratulations, I was sure that he was sweet as candy. And the way the two had looked at the boy as he snuggled into his mother's arms, he received tons of unconditional love.

“How's Georgie's training going?” asked Devon, grinning at Beau.

This one growled. “Shut up man, she's driving me crazy.” He ran a hand through his hair irritably while his gaze rushed across the room and fell on the petite, black-haired woman. “She just doesn't understand that she's not ready for combat training. Her body can't even make her run the distance between the camp and the warehouse.”

That's why Georgie asked me for a workout. So he wanted to ban her from fighting, interesting. I wasn't part of the pack, so I wasn't under Beau's command. So I was the perfect solution.

Beau was right, Georgie was skinny and didn't have strong muscles. Still, I knew she was in captivity for years. Who could forbid a girl to take the fear out of herself and put at least a piece of broken pride back together?

Then a shrill voice tore through my thoughts.

“Xenos, I've been looking for you everywhere!” a lively, heavily made-up woman appeared out of nowhere, threw her arms around Xenos' neck and kissed him smoothly on the mouth.

My body turned to ice.