VIOLET

“Pass me the biscuits, will you?” Draven pointed to the basket of buttered biscuits just out of his reach.

Treyton scooped up the basket and passed it to Eddie, who handed it to Draven. He picked up two biscuits and piled them on top of his plate. Jayce was seated right next to me, crumbling up a few slices of bacon over his bowl of cream of wheat. Even the lawyer stayed for the meal. The driver and the shifters who rode in the monster truck that followed us to the jail were invited to stay and eat as well. I was one of three women at the table. I still couldn’t tell if the lawyer was a human-like Eddie and me, but I realized that it didn’t really matter.

I stole glances at all of them, amused as they forgot about their pack troubles for just a moment to enjoy time together. I couldn’t remember the last time I had sat down at a table with family and been this happy. And for whatever odd reason, I felt like family here.

“Breakfast for dinner. Gosh, this is delicious,” Eddie exclaimed, rubbing his belly. “I need to speak to your cook pronto. Think she’d come fix a meal or two for a poor old guy like me.”

Draven chuckled. “You’d have to ask her, but first you’re gonna have to get through me. I’m not letting her go easily. I like to eat.”

“Where’s the Crystal Lake beta? Treyton, I thought you said he was coming,” one of the women asked.

“Nina’s had a crush on him since high school,” a male shifter blurted.

“Shut up, Avery! You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she shrieked, throwing her napkin at him.

“They said they were on their way,” Treyton replied.

“They better hurry up. By the time we get done here, all that’ll be left are scraps,” another exclaimed, piling some sausage links on his plate.

“On second thought, those guys probably won’t arrive until our meeting later tonight,” Treyton added.

“So will the Iron Ridge shifters. They should all be here soon,” Draven said.

“Wait. You were actually able to get in touch with the Iron Ridge pack?” Jayce asked, leaning forward in his chair to glance at Draven who was a few chairs down.

“They’re hard to convince, but yes, I managed,” Draven replied.

“Where’d you find them? I thought those guys were on their way out of Minnesota,” Treyton asked.

“In the mountains. East of Arrow Lake. Far east.”

“Dangerous terrains out there,” Treyton exclaimed. “Still, we need all the help we can get.”

“Indeed. That damn law has been lifted. The best thing for us to do is protect our borders, which includes our homes and shelters. The Black Ridge rogues are on the loose. Just because their alpha is dead doesn’t mean we’re completely off the hook here,” Draven stated.

“So, the current mayor agreed to all this?” a shifter sitting at the far end of the table asked.

“In this matter, he had no choice. Once councilman Stewart was named as the key person in aiding the Black Ridge rogues into sneaking back into town, he knew there would have to be another clean up in some of those offices. It seems that all the councilmen do is bicker over the direction they want the town to go in. Councilman Stewart was planning a takeover and was secretly transpiring to get rid of the mayor.”

“Wow,” Jayce exclaimed. “The Councilmen aren’t really working on the citizens' behalf, then? They’re working for their own gains.”

“Right. I talked to the mayor briefly over the phone and I’m convinced that he was coerced into trusting their little schemes when he signed that law. All he wanted was a safer town and everyone was pointing their fingers at us shifters as the main problem. He agreed to investigate the council and override Lakely’s Law and I offered to help rid the town of rogues. Our pack is small. We can’t do it all and to ensure that we don’t get rogue wolves coming back to cause problems for us in the future, we need to come together. The separate packs need to band together.”

Treyton held up a beer. “Here’s to an effective meeting with the other shifters of Arrow Lake.”

For a brief while after the toast, everything was quiet, as the shifters—and humans—began to chow down on the food again. Jayce and I finished what was left on our plates and excused ourselves from the table.

We found a quiet place to talk. A small den with sliding doors. There was a full bar on the other end of the room.

“Drink?” Jayce gestured toward the assortment of wines and liquor.

“I definitely need it. Draven won’t mind?”

Jayce laughed. “I need it too. He’ll have to fight me.”

Jayce made me a fruity looking cocktail at my request and poured himself some bourbon.

“No one’s run you off yet? That’s a good sign,” he commented.

I took a seat on the stool by the bar. Jayce followed suit, sliding his chair close to us until our legs touched.

“I don’t run away from things I want.”

Jayce’s arched an eyebrow. “And people?”

“I run away from people, except for one specific guy,” I teased.

Jayce grinned. “By the way, welcome to the pack.”

I smiled. “Everyone’s so close.”

“Don’t let that fool you either. We bicker all the time really, but at the end of the day, we know that we can always count on each other. You’re family now too. You know that, right?” he asked.

“I’m honored actually that I was even welcomed at the table.”

“As you can see, you’re not the only human here. We’re used to it. Some of my brethren are even married to humans.”

“Really? You’re a young shifter pack then.”

“No. Many of the leadership roles have just been passed on to my generation. We have elder shifters who advise us when we need it, but Draven runs a tight ship. They taught us everything we needed to know growing up, so when it was time to hand over key positions within the pack, we were able to hit the ground running from day one. Being chased out of town two years ago threw us all for a loop. I have a feeling many of us aren’t even going to bother with moving back into it.”

“The mountains are so peaceful. Privacy and seclusion right when you want it. I probably wouldn’t bother with it either.”

“Sounds like you’ve warmed up to this place.”

“I think I needed the change of pace and scenery more than I needed to get away from what would have turned into the marriage from hell.” I rolled my eyes.

“Well, I’m glad you didn’t go through with it. But I’m biased.”

I frowned. “I’m sorry about Donovan tracking me here. Obviously invading someone’s privacy is okay to him.”

“As a lawyer, you’d think he’d take the hint and back off. You don’t have to be sorry about that. It was bound to happen sooner or later. I know you have people who love you in Green Bay.”

“Yes. I’ll break the news to my dad as soon as he gets back from his trip. My mom already knows I wanted to be left alone for a bit.”

“And your ex just couldn’t take the hint…?”

I shook my head. “Apparently not. I turned off my cell before we left town. I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t try to track me again.”

“It would be a bad idea on his part if he came here. My pack mates and I were restraining ourselves back at the jail. If he brings himself here uninvited with that attitude, things won’t be pretty.”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m not looking forward to leaving.”

“Then don’t,” he stated, firmly.

I sighed. “You have a life and—”

“You are my life. Don’t you remember what we talked about?”

“Yes,” I whispered.

“What I’m trying to say is, I don’t think I can let you go either.”

“There’s so much to work out…”

“We can work them out one day at a time. There’s no rush.” He smiled. “Don’t worry. There’s time. Look how long it took for us to meet each other. I’m over thirty and you’re pushing it with only a few years left.”

I gasped. “Hey!”

He laughed. “Just teasing.”

“Yeah…it’s not my fault that the love of my life would be hiding out in the mountains.” Before I could catch myself, the words had already been blurted. I blushed and looked away.

Jayce slipped his fingers under my chin and tilted my face gently until we were making eye contact again. “I love you too.”

I leaned in and kissed him and then backed away as the day’s events ran across my mind. “Isn’t my reputation in this town ruined?”

“What do you mean?”

I took a sip of my drink and then used the stirrer to swirl the ice around in the glass. “The journalists were everywhere. I won’t be able to get a job here.”

“Who says you need a job to stay with me?” he asked.

“Oh, come on. I’d have to work somewhere. Certainly, some law office in town needs a runaway paralegal.”

“As a matter of fact, I think I know just the man.”

“Before you call him, let me dust off my resume first.”

“You’re something else, Violet West,” he exclaimed, sliding his palm against my cheek.

“I know,” I whispered, parting my lips just as he pressed his lips to mine in a soul-searing kiss.

One kiss turned into two. Then we just couldn’t get enough of each other. I needed more of him.

“Jayce?” Draven called out from down the hallway. “Everyone’s here.”

“I’ll be back soon,” Jayce said. “Then we can go home.”

“Yes, take me home so we can finish this.”

With that, he rose from his seat, tore off his shirt, and laid it across the bar. I bit into my lips, thinking about how good his body felt against mine. My insides heated and I felt my nipples pebbling against my bra. He must have known what this was doing to me because he gave me the most devilish grin.

He closed the distance between us and kissed the delicate skin right behind my ear. His wet tongue trailed downward until I was writhing against him.

“I want you just as bad as you want me,” he mumbled against my skin.

“Then, hurry back.”

“Yes, mate.”