“Don’t think like that,” I try to reassure her.
Thing is, try is the keyword.
She has been getting very pessimistic about her family for the last couple of days.
At first, I thought of it as a chance for me to act as her protector, but she’s doing it so frequently now that I’m only half-heartedly trying.
Once we all sit down, one of Malcolm’s sons comes over to take our orders.
He’s not surprised when the guys order 3 course meals.
He knows who we are.
Malcolm was expecting us, and the Connollies too, who should be here soon.
“When they get here, you guys have to behave,” I warn the twins.
“You’re only here for backup.” The Connollies have five boys, which means we’re outnumbered by two.
However, we’re not outmatched; no matter what kind of training this family has had, I am certain that they can never match ours.
“Hey, we always behave,” Jared objects.
“We’re the poster children for politeness and propriety, pardon,” Sam goes on in a mock-British accent, emphasizing the ‘p’ too much.
A round of snickers and laughter follows.
Even I can’t contain my amusement.
The twins usually have a knack for getting on people’s nerves, especially mine, but their humor is always a breath of fresh air when I’m tensed.
“Maybe you shouldn’t talk at all,” Cade suggests, only half joking.
“We could pretend to be serious so they’ll think we’re intimidating,” Sam decides.
“If you manage that, you can have the game room for a whole week,” Sadie teases.
I smile fully this time.
This is just the motivation they need.
They’ve been arguing with her over that since we moved, because she spent more time than they did yesterday.
Minutes later, the food is brought to us.
Halfway through, a middle aged couple, who I’m guessing are the head of the Connolly family, enters the diner.
The man is tall and burly, his werewolf scent immediately tipping off who he is.
His blonde wife beside him also has some traces of it on her.
When they spot us, I immediately stand up to greet them, the way an alpha should.
I’m still not used to everything about the position, but being formal is one of the things I’ve mastered since my youth, having been trained by my uncle.
“You must be Mr.
Connolly,” I say.
“Please, call me Steven,” he replies.
“This is my wife, Brooke.” She smiles and shakes my hand first before moving on to the rest of my company.
I take it as a good sign that they’re both friendly to all of us.
“I’m the alpha of the Silver Moon Pack,” I announce myself.
“My name is Logan Underwood.” Steven cuts me off before I could introduce everyone else.
“I don’t mean to interrupt you, Alpha, but I think you might want to save time and leave the introductions for when my children get here, because they’re only moments away.” That’s not the worst idea.
“Of course,” I agree.
“Have a seat then.” They comply.
For a couple of seconds, we just sit there in awkward silence.
Everybody is so uncharacteristically quiet.
I almost miss the twins’ jokes that could’ve diffused the tension.
But I actually prefer this awkwardness over risking a conflict because of their childishness.
Besides, I can handle formalities much better than I could contain two teenagers.
“Would you like to order something?” I suggest.
They exchange glances.
“I think we just might,” Brooke decides for the both of them.
Once their order is taken, I’ve gathered my thoughts enough to determine what to say to them to make the situation less awkward.
“So tell me about yourselves,” I start.
“How long have you been living here?” “A little over eighteen years,” Steven answers.
“We used to be part of the Redwood Pack before we moved.” I have to contain my surprise so as to keep a businesslike appearance.
The Redwood Pack is one of our allies.
They’re renowned for their numbers, which match ours, but they don’t own as much land as we do.
I’m surprised anyone would want to leave them because the security they offer is impressive.
Several travelling packs that pass through their territory are offered immediate shelter.
That’s mostly how they managed to gather their numbers in the decade that they’ve been formed.
They welcome all.
“Why did you leave?” I’m curious to know.
Steven exchanges an affectionate smile with his wife.
“When we found out Brooke was pregnant with twins, again, we kind of wanted to raise our children in a traditional environment.” “It was my idea, really,” Brooke adds.
“I wanted them to experience school and life the way I did.
Don’t misunderstand me though… living in a pack is great.
But it was a little overwhelming for me, and our family was becoming too big to include other people in it.
So I spoke to Steven about it, and we agreed that it was the best decision.” The mutual respect between them is almost tangible.
I’m fascinated by it, because it’s not something I got to experience firsthand in my childhood; having grown up mostly without a mother.
This relationship is obviously one based on communication, trust and equality.
I envy their children.
“We always say that this chapter of our life truly started when Daniel and Michael were born,” Steven goes on.
Surprisingly, Sadie perks up when she hears that.
“Daniel and Michael?” she repeats excitedly.
“As in, Danny and Dylan?” Steven and Brooke both seem shocked that she has recognized their boys.
So are the rest of us, to be honest, and we all stare at her.
“I didn’t know they were werewolves,” she exclaims.
“This is great!
I knew Dylan and I were going to be friends.” Cade’s expression speaks volumes about his current jealousy, but he doesn’t get the chance to literally speak because the ding sound suddenly signals that someone’s entered the diner.
Malcolm knows we’re conducting pack business and that privacy is necessary, so he wouldn’t just let anyone in.
These must be the Connolly boys.
Steven stands up and confirms my suspicion.
“Ah, there they are,” he says.
They stride in together, with an ease to their way of walking that almost hides their wariness at meeting strangers.
Two of them look exactly the same, which I find amusing considering Jared and Sam’s presence.
The third blond one is obviously the oldest, and it looks as though he’s a couple of years or so older than me.
One of the second set of twins is almost as big as the rest of his brothers.
But it’s the last one that I’m looking for; the youngest one, if I’m guessing correctly.
He is clearly the ugly duckling in the family, although he’s not literally ugly.
Being well-built is not a side effect of being a werewolf.
We’re all strong without the added muscles, but some of us, like my pack, develop them with our training.
It’s not uncommon to find werewolves who are scrawny.
I’ve just never met one because the packs we usually deal with have extensive trainings, like ours.
Until Michael.
When I lock eyes with him, I can feel something connecting us, and I can’t look away.
It’s him, I know it.
Their name may not be on the list, but if this family is in any way related to my father’s final project, then this guy would be the key to understanding why.
“Alpha Underwood, these are my children,” Steven starts introducing them.
“Connor, Mason, Nathan, Daniel and Michael.
Boys, this is the Silver Moon Pack’s new alpha, Logan Underwood.” “Pleasure,” the oldest, Connor, says politely.
“Welcome,” I tell them.
“Why don’t you each grab a seat and we can start.” Sadie catches Michael’s eye when he and I temporarily break contact and gives him a smile.
“Hey Dylan!” she greets him cheerfully.
“Hi Sadie,” he says back warmly.
The rest of his family is giving him curious stares, which is strange because they must have deduced fifteen seconds ago that they already met.
“How do you two know each other?” Cade asks with a possessive edge to his voice.
“We met at school,” she finally explains.
“Dylan, this is my boyfriend Cade.
I was telling you about him at lunch.
He’s the beta.” Cade nods in Michael’s direction but doesn’t say anything.
This is going to be another episode of Cade’s jealousy, I can feel it coming.
I almost roll my eyes.
It’s kind of ridiculous, in my opinion, because Sadie is obviously crazy about him.
“Nice to meet you,” Michael answers politely.
“Sadie said great things about you.” Cade smiles at her adoringly.
“Did she now?” he asks.
Reena suddenly clears her throat.
She doesn’t usually say much during official pack meetings, so it’s kind of a surprise that she’s asking to be acknowledged.
We all stare at her.
“Well, aren’t you going to introduce us?” she asks me, sounding offended.
I nod, remembering my manners.
“Right.
This is my mate, Reena,” I start, knowing she’ll expect to be introduced first, “and these are Cade’s brothers, Jared and Sam.” “Pleasure,” Connor repeats.
“Now that we’ve all been acquainted with each other, why don’t we get down to business?” Steven suggests in a tone of nothing but respect.
“Of course,” I agree.
I waste no time doing just that.
The sooner we can get the formalities out of the way, the quicker I’ll be able to find out whether or not they’re related to my father’s project.
However, I don’t feel like sharing my father’s death just yet, so I have to be ambiguous when it comes to my recent rise in title.
“I understand our previous alpha gave you permission to live on our land eighteen years ago, right?” I begin with.
“That’s correct,” Steven replies.
“We would just like to renew that agreement so that we may continue living here and coexist peacefully.” “Yes, of course,” I repeat, sensing an opportunity.
“I have thought it over, and I have a different proposition for you.” Steven frowns in confusion.
“What’s the proposition?” “Join our pack,” I simply reply.
This takes them by surprise.
They all look at Steven, waiting for his lead.
In their defense, this is not a common occurrence.
Usually, packs are very tightly-knit; rarely are people invited to join.
Even the Redwood pack, though welcoming, rarely allows anyone to permanently join them.