Forgotten Wolf

17 Revelations

"What do you want?" Chris asks, the annoyance clear in his voice.

"Well, dinner is ready and we are missing our guest of honor," Jace teases, mischief dancing in his grey eyes.

Not wanting to prolong this awkward exchange any longer, I head towards them. "Lead the way," I say to Jude, hoping to move past the questions I see in their eyes.

Jude looks at me a moment, his eyes asking if I'm okay. I just give him a quick smile and nod. Thankfully, he turns to lead us back to the BBQ.

Before we even make it out of the woods, the aroma hits, causing my mouth to water. The walk back is quiet, but I can feel Chris's eyes on me the whole way as I walk with Jude.

Xavier has beers waiting for the guys by the time we get to the table. Claire gives me a suspicious look as she takes my empty cup to refill it. I can't help but blush under her scrutiny, which apparently answers her question as she breaks out in a triumphant smile.

I gladly take the drink, downing half of it right off the bat and earning a hearty laugh from her. Hoping my blush will be gone by the time everyone takes a seat, I beeline for an empty seat in the middle of the table.

A moment later, the guys bring platters piled high with ribs, chicken wings, potato skins, and all sorts of food. The spread's impressive, fit for royalty. Jude and Jace walk up behind me, setting their drinks down on either side. Before they can sit, a barely audible rumble sounds. Jace slides his drink across and sits down on the opposite side of the table as Chris takes the seat next to me while Jude sits on my right.

As Xavier and Claire come with the last dishes, they look from Chris to the empty head of the table, landing back on me in question. "Take a seat, Xav, it's not a formal dinner," Chris says. Xavier takes the head seat with Claire at his side.

"You've outdone yourselves," Chris says approvingly. "We might need to have company more often," he finishes with a chuckle as everyone digs in.

With that, dinner commences, and a lightness settles on the table as easy conversations and laughs sound often. Ethan's in his glory, gnawing on a large rib bone like some feral pup. I can't help but laugh as he snaps at Jude's hand when he tries to grab it.

I look around, seeing everyone in a new light. There's no longer the formal barrier required with secrecy. I hadn't even realized it was there before, but now that it is gone, I don't know how I didn't see it sooner.

"So what made you cook an entire butcher shop tonight, Jace? I mean, it's great, don't get me wrong, but there's so much food!" I say.

He beams at my complement. "There's no such thing as too much food here. Whatever's left over afterwards will go back to the pack house kitchen and won't last long." He winks at me. "My BBQ is always in demand."

I frown, thinking about what he means. "Why don't they just come and grab it while it's hot, then? It's always best right off the grill," I reason.

"They didn't want to overwhelm you with too many people at once," Sara chimes in with a smirk.

"I appreciate that, but I don't mind at all," I reply, earning a skeptical look from Sara. "Really, I'd rather everyone enjoy it while it's hot. I've got nothing to worry about, right?" I shrug, but that last part is more to myself.

My heart nearly leaps out of my chest as I feel Chris's large hand on my thigh, snapping my attention to him instantly.

"You have absolutely nothing to worry about from anyone here," Chris promises me, giving my leg a squeeze for emphasis. "You sure you don't mind more company?"