When we get back, the party is still going strong. Some of the people with babies have gone home, but there are now more people dancing than before, and the laughter is louder.
I spot Daniel quickly. He’s sitting at a table alone, watching the couples on the dance floor. I motion in his direction, and Rook nods subtly. We head for the buffet, and Maya stops us halfway there. “There you are!” she says. “I’ve been looking all over for you!”
“I took her out to rest someplace quiet,” Rook says, thankfully not making it sound like innuendo. “You wore her out with all the dancing. I, however…” He grabs Maya’s hand when she reaches for my arm to drag me away again. “…have not danced enough. Would you give me the honor, lovely Maya?”
Maya looks at me, torn, but then smiles at Rook. “Absolutely. Let’s go cut a rug, handyman.”
I laugh. Maya is fun. My chuckle catches her attention, and she points at me with a warning glare. “Don’t go anywhere.”
“I’m just going to grab something to eat.”
As soon as she and Rook turn their backs on me, I hightail it over to the buffet table. This is a bonus, because I’m starving. I quickly fill a plate with food—a double bacon cheeseburger and homemade mac ‘n’ cheese, with a couple of cookies on the side—and then sit down right next to Daniel. “Hey! Mind if I sit here?”
He looks startled to have company. Then again, maybe he’s just surprised I sat so close to him. I’m practically touching him. I’m hoping for the opportunity to rub elbows—literally—with the guy while I eat. I laugh at the way he eyes the mound of food on my plate and shrug sheepishly. “You wolves sure know how to cook. This is delicious.”
He loosens up at my friendliness and chuckles a little. “You eat like a wolf.”
“I do when it tastes good.”
He grins. “It always tastes good at a werewolf party. We like our food.”
I shove another bite in my mouth and chew a bit while nodding. “I can tell. I may have to come to more of these things. As long as I can chill a little more next time. I’m exhausted.”
Daniel’s eyes move back to the dance floor. His gaze locks on Maya and Rook. I wait for the question about Rook and me, but it doesn’t come. He says, “I’ve seen you dancing. What’s it been, an hour straight?”
I groan. “At least. I swear I’ve been through all the single males in the pack by now.” I eye him with a raised brow. “Except you, it seems.” I hold my hand out to him. “Hi. I’m Nora.”
“Daniel. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He smiles and shakes my hand. Why is she talking to me?
The thought isn’t rude. His mental voice is laced with confusion and a hint of worry. I find the concern very interesting. Why would he be scared that I’m talking to him? He can’t know what I’m up to. No one in the pack besides Rook and Alpha Toth knows what I can do.
“So, Daniel, what is it that you do for the pack?”
“Technically, my degree is in computer programming. I’d like to be a software developer, but there aren’t any jobs like that available within our pack’s territory—we’re pretty rural out here. I’ve ended up being sort of an IT guy for the pack. I fix their computers, help them with new software, or viruses, or just whatever problems they’re having. It’s not glorious, but it’s better than working at a fast food place or something.”
Pack life never stops surprising me. “You can’t commute out of pack territory for a job?”
Daniel cringes. “It’s dangerous for someone as submissive as me. My wolf is pretty weak. If I came across a rogue, he’d attack just because he could. I couldn’t really hold my own against a vampire, either, and they own the cities where the good paying programmer jobs would be.”
He shrugs, as if it doesn’t matter, but he sounds disappointed. It’s written on his face, too. I feel bad for the guy. I know how it feels to be a target, and to be the weak link in the world. “That’s rough. What if you went to work for the FUA? They’re always asking me to come work for them, and I’m basically useless. I’m sure they’d have need for a guy like you, and they’d be able to keep you safe there.”
He perks up and falls deep into thought. I want to know what he’s thinking, so I lean toward him enough to brush arms with him. The action is so subtle, and he’s so lost in his own mind that he doesn’t notice.
…great idea. As soon as we leave, I could apply at the Agency. If she doesn’t kill me for talking to Nora, anyway. But I’m not flirting. We’re just talking. And it’s for our benefit. Nora sounds like she knows people at the FUA. Maybe she could get me an interview, or at least put in a good word for me.
I’m so shocked over the direction of his thoughts that I don’t notice when he turns toward me to say something, and I forget to lean back in my own space. Daniel practically falls out of his chair when he realizes we’re so close to each other. When he scrambles a few inches away, blushing and apologizing, I sigh. There go my chances to read his mind anymore. But I did glean a piece of the puzzle. I just don’t know exactly what it means.
He’s planning to leave the pack, and he’s not going alone. I knew he had to have an accomplice, but what if it’s not Jeffrey? Jeffrey wouldn’t leave the pack. He wants to take it over. Maybe Daniel wants to leave because Jeffrey’s using him. Or maybe it’s unrelated. It sounded like he has a secret girlfriend. What if they’re planning to leave together, and she’s his accomplice? There’s no way to know without asking.
Time to get my flirt on. I lean closer to Daniel, placing my hand on his arm, and say, “So how come such a smart, good-looking man is sitting alone tonight when there are so many single females in your pack?”
I wink at him, and his jaw drops. He looks around the room, as if he wonders who’s playing the practical joke. “I’m serious,” I say, letting my hand fall on top of his. “You seem nice, and you’re friendly, and you look like you’d be quite a catch. Why don’t you have a girlfriend?”
I do have a girlfriend. She’s just too dominant for me, so our relationship has to stay secret. I wish it didn’t. I’m sick of hiding it. When we leave, things will be different. If she doesn’t kill me for this conversation first. I can’t believe Nora is flirting with me. Out of all the guys she’s had throwing themselves at her tonight. What’s she doing here? How do I get her to go away without hurting her feelings?
He forces a smile at me and gently pulls his arm away from me. “It’s because I’m too submissive,” he says. “I’m one of the weakest wolves in the pack, and most of our females are strong. There’s not anyone close to my dominance level.”
I frown, suddenly grateful to his girlfriend for not being shallow even if she is making him keep the relationship secret. “So what?” I say. “My best friend is the shyest, sweetest guy on Earth. He’s totally submissive, and I love the hell out of him. If you ask me, a submissive but considerate man is way better than a guy chock-full of dominance and ego. I’d date you over half the guys I just danced with in a heartbeat.”
Several wolves growl. I look up, startled by the sound, and am shocked to see that a few of the wolves I’ve danced with are hovering nearby and are now glaring at Daniel as if it’s his fault I just insulted them. Daniel ducks his head a little, and his face pales with fear. This pisses me off so much. It’s bad enough that all those cocky wolves don’t respect Daniel just because he’s not as dominant. But to try and scare him away from the one girl who’s spoken to him all night? That’s just rude.
“You know what?” I push my plate away. “I suddenly feel like dancing again.” I glare at all the scowling werewolves as I grab Daniel’s hand. “Come on, hot stuff. Let’s dance.”
My new plan is to flush out the girlfriend. If I’ve learned anything about werewolves, it’s that they’re all possessive and jealous. No female werewolf is going to stand around while I flirt with her man. And maybe if I can get him and the girlfriend together, I can figure out if their plan involves taking the money themselves, or if maybe Jeffrey is blackmailing them.
I grab Daniel’s hand and drag him onto the dance floor. His thoughts are a conflicted mess running a mile a minute. I can’t say no. It’ll offend the pack’s honorary guest for the night. Do I even want to say no? I don’t want to date Nora, but I’ve never been asked to dance at a social before. I don’t have any feasible reason to say no, anyway. Not that anyone knows about. No one knows we’re together. But she’s going to kill me. She’s going to kill Nora first, and then she’s going to kill me.
This is perfect…unless it’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever done. It’ll draw out Daniel’s girlfriend, but it sounds like she’s not a weak wolf, and she’s not going to be happy with me. Strike that. She wants to murder me. I know I’m in danger, because the second I put Daniel’s arms around me and start to sway, those warning tingles shoot up my spine like fire licking up tapestries. My skin explodes with goose bumps, and my gut rolls, until I’m forced to gasp.
“Nora? Are you all right?”
My knees buckle, which is actually good, sort of, because Daniel has to catch me and cradle me against him to keep me upright. But the feeling of foreboding is so strong I can’t run. Not that I could outrun a pissed off werewolf anyway, but, you know, I’d at least like to try. “My hero,” I tease Daniel, sagging my body against his. “Sorry. I guess I’ve done a little too much dancing this evening. Maybe you could take me someplace quiet, instead? We could get to know each other better?”
And that does it. Suddenly Daniel’s arms clamp around me. “No! Wait!” he shouts, as a giant wolf parts the crowd heading straight for us—for me. His girlfriend does not feel like listening. She jumps at us, teeth first, and Daniel whirls us around, blocking me from the snapping jaw and taking the claws. “Maya, stop!”
Maya?
Daniel pushes me away, yelling, “Run, Nora!” as he turns around and tries to grab Maya to keep her from coming at me again.
I don’t have time to run. Rook sweeps me away from the trouble at the same time Alpha Toth shifts and attacks the wolf that attacked me. Alpha Toth quickly subdues his out-of-control third. When he’s got her in an obvious I-could-kill-you-right-now position, he lets go of his grip on her throat and transforms back to human. “Shift!” he orders.
The command is so strong several people whimper, and a couple of the young teens actually turn into wolves. Maya shifts and jumps to her feet, as naked as Alpha Toth and just as unconcerned about it. She ignores her pissed off alpha and glares at me. “You bitch!” she screams. “I can’t believe you! I introduced you to every available alpha male our pack has, and you had to go after the one man I told you to stay away from! I thought you were cooler than that.”
I know it’s ridiculous, because I’d been doing it on purpose to draw her out, but I feel the need to defend myself. “I am cooler than that. It’s not like you told me you were dating him. I specifically said I was interested in him, and all you did was call him weak. What kind of a girlfriend does that?”
“I’m not his girlfriend, I’m his mate!”
I ignore the gasps of the shocked pack members, but Maya doesn’t. She’s at Daniel’s side in a blink, looking for all her worth like she’d kill anyone who came near him. I don’t get it, until the room erupts into growls and several men call out, “I challenge!”
And then I understand why they had to keep their relationship secret. It’s like what Rook was saying might happen to me if I were turned and tried to mate with him. Only this is a hundred times worse, because Maya is third in the pack. She’s the strongest female other than the luna, and she’s mated to one of the weakest males.
Daniel is standing there, shoulders hunched, face pale and looking hopeless. But Maya shouts at all the men now gathering around her and Daniel. “NO!” she growls. “My wolf has accepted that I love him. We are happy. I will not choose another mate!”
“Challenge!”
“I challenge!”
The men in the crowd don’t seem to care that Maya loves Daniel. Wolves may be a friendly lot, but they definitely have their issues.
Jeffrey, the creep, steps forward, glaring at Maya. He waves a hand at Daniel and sneers. “This is why you keep refusing me? Him? You can’t say no once a challenge has been offered, and I was first. He has to fight me, and when I win, you’re finally mine.”
“No,” Daniel says, shocking the entire pack. His voice and hands are shaking, but he squares his shoulders and says to Alpha Toth, “We choose to leave the pack.”
Daniel and Maya share a look that tells me everything. Forget Jeffrey. Daniel and Maya stole the money together. They’re confident that they’ll be fine if they leave. More than that, they’re ready. Daniel had thought they were leaving soon anyway. They couldn’t do that without the proper funding to get them safely away from here.
They link hands, and Maya nods to Alpha Toth. “We choose to leave the pack. We’ll go to the free territory and live as lone wolves.”
“They can’t do that!” Jeffrey roars. “I issued a challenge! He has to fight me!”
He pushes Daniel in the chest, and Maya steps between the two, as if she plans to rip Jeffrey apart.
Alpha Toth finally explodes. “ENOUGH! Maya and Daniel, in my office, now.”
Everyone starts to move, but stops when Luna Marie says, “No. Let them enjoy their disgrace in front of the entire pack. We’ll set an example to those who might consider going behind their alpha’s and luna’s backs in the future.”
Alpha Toth looks annoyed, but he won’t go against his luna in front of everyone. He sighs, as if the weight of the world is on his shoulders. And it is, really, or at least, the weight of his small world. He looks back and forth between Daniel and Maya and finally says, “All of this because you forged a mate pairing without my permission?”
Maya looks around the crowd, hating the public display as much as Alpha Toth, but she squares her shoulders and nods once. “Alpha, I’m sorry, but we had to. You saw what happened. I love him, sir. He’s a good man. I don’t want him hurt, and I have no desire to mate with anyone else, but the pack never would have let us be. I’m too strong.”
“And you didn’t think you could come to us for help?” Luna Marie asks, sounding devastated by the betrayal. “You’re Peter’s third-in-command, my right-hand woman. Do you know what kind of example this sets when our third sneaks around behind our backs? How weak of a leader it makes your alpha seem?”
Jeffrey scoffs, and Rook snarls at him for the disrespect. Alpha Toth silences them both with a glare.
“We’re sorry, sir,” Daniel says quietly, staring at his shoes. “We didn’t know what else to do. You would have encouraged Maya to leave me.”
Alpha Toth nods. “I would have, but only because I care about you both.” When Daniel looks up, Alpha Toth adds, “You have a hard, dangerous road ahead of you.” His eyes flash with anger. “If I let the two of you live, that is.”
Maya and Daniel both stiffen. So do Jeffrey and Luna Marie. So does the whole room of onlookers, for that matter. Only Rook and I are completely at ease. But then, we know the real reason Alpha Toth is so pissed.
Luna Marie steps forward and places a comforting hand on Maya’s shoulder, while I move slightly to stand beside Jeffrey. I get close enough to rub arms with him. He notices the touch and frowns at me. I just shrug and crane my neck, acting like I’m trying to see around him to get a better view. He smirks and, with a smarmy smile, moves me right in front of him where I can see everything and he can keep his hands on my bare shoulders. I want to slug him, but I’ve also accomplished my goal—I can hear his thoughts. He’s seething at Maya and thinks she’s despicable for wasting herself on Daniel. But now he’s done wasting his time on her and has a new target—me. He’s confident he can win my affections. The fact that I’m not pulling away from his touch right now is helping that sudden ego boost.
“Honey,” Luna Marie says to Alpha Toth while I’m trying to listen to Jeffrey’s thoughts, “I understand the slight they’ve caused you, but a secret mate pairing is hardly a capital offense. Perhaps banishment would be more appropriate?”
Maya sags, letting out a giant breath she’s been holding. She gives Luna Marie a grateful smile, and the luna returns it with a sad one full of affection. Alpha Toth allows them their moment before nodding. “Yes, banishment would be appropriate if their only crime was a secret mate pairing.”
Maya and Daniel both stiffen again. It’s easy to see the truth. They’ve both gone pale and probably reek of fear. They know they’ve been caught and believe they’re dead already. Daniel starts to tremble.
It’s clear that Jeffrey isn’t in on it, either. His thoughts are curious, not nervous. He’s not worried they’ll tattle on him; he’s wondering what they’ve done.
Luna Marie frowns at her mate, and Alpha Toth sighs. He’s come to the same conclusion I have about Maya and Daniel, but he looks to me with a question in his eyes. He’s asking about Jeffrey. I shake my head once, and he nods his understanding.
Both Jeffrey and Luna Marie shoot me sharp looks. Jeffrey’s wondering what the hell that look was for and how I’m involved with Alpha Toth. Luna Marie is probably thinking the same. I have a feeling their questions will be answered right now.
“I have evidence,” Alpha Toth says to Daniel, “that you’ve been siphoning money out of pack funds for over a year.” His wolf rises again, and he growls at Luna Marie through a clenched jaw. “What’s the punishment for stealing from the pack?”