Tieran nods, his chin touching my shoulder. “Their work is impressive. It makes Alpha Dirk and Alpha Kin invaluable to our efforts here.”
It’s a compliment.
One I watch register in Alpha Dirk’s features, his dark eyes lighting up. “Thank you. We take pride in our work.”
Alpha Kin doesn’t appear as impressed with the praise. He merely nods, his thick neck bulging with the motion.
That scent slithers around me again, making me wonder why I recognize it. Maybe I smelled them when I first arrived? Or were they among the wolves that attacked the other day when I started to go into heat?
I’ll have to ask about it later. Tieran hasn’t given any indication on who those wolves were, and it wasn’t something I thought much about with them surrounding me.
But the way Alpha Kin is eyeing me has me somewhat concerned.
Alpha Dirk, too.
My wolf doesn’t like them. She’s huffing in annoyance and telling me to snuggle back into Tieran more, to demonstrate her mutual claim.
Fortunately, we don’t remain long, the introduction complete, and we’re moving again to another clan. This one has five Alphas in it, something Tieran says is rare but can happen. “The largest clan in Black Mountain Pack has seven Alphas and one Omega,” he adds.
My eyes widen at that concept.
That’s a lot of knots, I nearly say.
But I refrain and meet the final clan of two Alpha males and a Beta female. Their dynamic reminds me a bit of what I saw with Alpha Ebony. There was another Beta female as well, but she appeared to be with a lone Alpha—one Tieran didn’t force to introduce his “incomplete” clan.
We’re just wrapping up when a boat arrives at the docks off the beach. I wince, worried the rusted old wood won’t function properly, but one of the large males exits the boat with ease. He looks at Volt and waggles his auburn brows. “Dinner’s here.”
Volt grins. “Excellent.”
I frown, wondering if they caught a fresh batch of fish.
Then understanding dawns on me when the fresh aroma of greasy cheese hits my senses. I nearly moan, the food one of my favorites—something I told Volt the other evening when he asked if I had any preferences for dinner.
I glance at him and find him grinning triumphantly. “She approves,” he says, the words for Caius.
“I knew she would. That’s why I didn’t take the bet,” Caius replies.
“What bet?” I ask, frowning again.
“Terms weren’t discussed,” Caius replies.
“This time,” Volt murmurs.
That just makes me frown harder. “This time, meaning there’s been another bet?”
“They’re always making bets,” Tieran puts in. “Caius usually wins, which makes Volt try that much harder.”
“I won the last one,” Volt points out.
“You did,” Caius concedes. “I’ll win the next dozen or so.”
Volt snorts, but doesn’t disagree. “My prize last time was worth a million losses.” He looks at me and winks. “Ready to eat, sweetling?”
I really want to ask what he won, but I’m almost afraid to find out. So I just nod instead, the alluring scent of pizza calling my name.
The boat is apparently full of boxes, all of them protected by warming bags.
Groans of approval rent the air, the wolves all appeased with this development.
It’s a bit early for dinner, but the sun is already starting to set since it’s winter here and we’re much further north than the Nantahala Pack region.
Tieran pulls me onto a blanket a little way down the beach, something I didn’t realize was set up until my ass hits the fabric. Several other shifters have blankets as well, some of them choosing to sit closer to the water than others.
It’s cold, yet most of the males are shirtless, their shifter heat keeping them warm despite the wintry temperatures. Tieran, Volt, and Caius are all just in jeans, but they added boots for this afternoon’s event.
So I feel a bit overdressed in my sweater, jeans, and boots.
However, feeling Alpha Dirk’s eyes on me again, I’m glad to have a fabric shield.
Being naked doesn’t usually bother me. I grew up around nudity. But something about his Clan unnerves me.
That scent is irritating my senses again.
Tieran joins me on the blanket, sitting behind me and bracketing me with his legs, momentarily distracting me from the other Alpha.
I shiver, the warmth of his touch calling my animal to the surface and causing her fur to brush beneath my skin.