A couple more steps and I spotted Conrad.
Damn.
Dude looked like shit. His dark hair had greyed, and his eyes, once vibrant with life, were dim and flat. The man looked as though he’d aged fifty years in the past two months. Good. He deserved every bit of it.
His withered gaze shot to me, and his wrinkled mouth flattened. Ah, so this was going to be an unpleasant chat then. Thank goodness for the previous shots of liquid courage.
It was strange, stumbling up to him like this. When he’d been the alpha, a shiftless like me wouldn’t have ranked on his radar. In his eyes, I was one-hundred-percent human and an insult to his pack. What a guy, hey?
“Get lost,” he growled at me.
I responded to his surly attitude with a cocked brow. Guess he hadn’t changed any. “Now, is that any way to greet a packmate?”
“You’re not pack,” he spat back.
Aw. And here I thought we could be friendly now that we were both on the same level.
I shrugged. “At least tonight, I’m not the one on the outside looking in.”
His eyes turned to slate and his fingers curled into fists. Oh, doggy, I was in trouble with a capital T. Even the lowest peon on the totem pole was stronger than me. Which was why Rumor’s request to be her MoH had stunned me. I think it had something to do with me watching over her after Alasdair bashed in her skull. Broken bones and incoherent dreams were the foundation of a solid friendship. Or so I chose to believe.
“Look, old man,” I slurred. I drew in a deep breath and found myself wishing I hadn’t indulged in so much liquor. “No one wants you here. Especially Rumor and Knox. I think you would agree with me on that.”
“She’s my daughter,” he snarled.
“Hmm. Not the way I hear it.”
He lifted his closed fist. Shit. And yup, I cringed. Wouldn’t have been the first time the bastard struck me. Which meant I knew it was going to hurt like hell.
A feral growl rose, and before I could move, a dark shadow whipped by me and slammed Conrad into the nearest wall. Just like that, the hall fell silent. The music died on a shrill note. Every gaze swung our way, their conversations halted mid-sentence. Heart in my throat, I watched as Mathis lifted Conrad off his feet, his fierce snarl echoing in my ears. I’d never seen him move so fast.
“Who the hell do you think you are?” Mathis slammed Conrad against the wall. “If you ever raise a hand against one of my wolves again, I’ll tear out your throat.”
My breath caught.
“She’s not a wolf,” Conrad rasped. As though that made his actions acceptable.
Seemed Mathis was of the same opinion. His fingers constricted around Conrad’s throat. “She is mine. And you’re nothing but a waste of air.”
Mine? Like his?
It was a good thing I didn’t swoon in public. That would have been embarrassing. The logical half of my brain knew he meant I was one of his pack. But there was always that little smidgen of hope that made me wonder what if.
“When I let go, you’re going to get the hell out of here.”
“I’m not going anywhere till I speak with Rumor,” he wheezed.
Mathis’s shoulders tightened. Even I sensed death in the air. Conrad had gone too far.
“It’s all right, Alpha,” another voice chimed in.
Rumor strode toward us, exquisite in her ivory dress and silver-leafed crown. A long waterfall of jet-black hair tumbled down her back, her sapphire eyes crisp as the wintry air. Next to her stood Knox, Alpha of the Silver Summit Pack. The two truly were perfect for one another, I realized. Side-by-side, they made a remarkable pair. Both possessed an ethereal beauty many would have killed for.
Growing up, I’d never given Rumor’s appearance a second thought. Now, all I saw was the fae within her. There was definitely something otherworldly about her.
Knox wasn’t fae, but he still looked striking in his tuxedo. Two months ago, he’d challenged his brother for leadership of their pack and had won. In that short amount of time, he’d brought his pack together in a way his brother had never managed. Knox had been born to this role, and it showed.
Rumor laid a hand on Mathis’s shoulder. The moment she touched him, he released Conrad and turned away, his eyes aglow with fury. Eyes that landed on me. Jesus. I fought the urge to lower my gaze. I wasn’t a wolf, but I’d long since learned their mannerisms.
Mathis strode toward me, every muscle in his body taut. “Are you all right?”
Other than trembling in my spiked heels, I was fine. “Peachy.”
He lifted his chin and unleashed a stern glare upon the room. A heartbeat later, everyone scrambled back to normal. The music picked up on the last beat, and their conversations resumed. Though now they had a different topic to focus on, but whatever.
With his attention on the room, I took a moment to study him. The power faded from his eyes with every blink, but his mouth remained grim, and his jaw tight. From this angle, I spotted the long, jagged scar that ran down the length of his cheek. A scar that baffled many, since no one knew its origin.
He cocked his head and regarded me, that breathtaking smile pulling at the corner of his lips. “Come on. Let’s dance.”
My heart stopped in my chest. Flatlined. Just like that. “What?”
“You do know how, don’t you?”
I refrained from rolling my eyes. Of course I knew how. But with him? Nope.
“If I stand here, I’m going to rip out his throat,” Mathis growled.
My attention flicked to Conrad, who stood next to the nearest table, rubbing his neck as he spoke with Rumor. Not that she was listening. Much like the fae, she pulled off cold indifference quite well.
Before I could acknowledge Mathis’s request, he took me by the hand and led me out onto the dance floor. My God. This was happening. Right now. In front of everyone. Mathis could have chosen anyone to dance with. But me?
What did it mean?
He dragged me into his chest and started to move, his hand braced against the middle of my back. Oh yeah. Kill me now, and let me die happy. This was one of many moments I’d fantasized about. Never actually dancing, but my hips were always flush against his.
“So, are you enjoying yourself?” he asked as his thumb stroked down the length of my back. I shivered and leaned into him, taking liberties I never would have dared to take sober.
I nodded. Hell yes. I’d never imagined having a moment like this. Not with him. And I intended to savor every moment of it.
All right. So, maybe I was a bit smitten. But growing up, I’d always admired Mathis. Sure, he was eleven years older than me, but at fourteen, a twenty-five-year-old was the dream. My parents had assured me I’d grow out of such an infatuation. I hadn’t. But I had learned to keep my feelings to myself.
When he was twenty-nine, I’d watched him take on the role of beta. And now, at thirty-two, he was the alpha.
Question was, had he watched me as closely?
Doubtful.
No one watched me closely. Least of all the damn alpha of the pack. I hated that I couldn’t shift. That I wasn’t a full wolf like the rest. Who knew the life I would have led if only I’d found that spark of magic.
“You look beautiful tonight.”
I stumbled over his feet, and my cheeks sizzled.
His mouth quirked. “The dress you have on. It’s gorgeous.”