Austin pushed his glass away and turned his attention to Prince. “Packmasters should put aside our personal differences for the greater good of our Breed. If you could spread the word among the other Packmasters—let them know that if the wolf belongs to any of them, we’re ready to take necessary measures to defend our land. If we catch him again, I’m authorizing my pack to take him out. Let your message be a warning, not a threat.”
Prince remained impassive, his hands in his lap. “I understand your full meaning. I’ll send out a bulletin for all the packs in our area to increase their security and alert me if there’s any suspicious activity going on. Your warning will be subtle, but it will be conveyed in a manner that won’t put you in a bad light. You have my gratitude for inviting me here this evening. I appreciate your candor and only wish more Packmasters were communicative.” He glanced up at a painting on the wall depicting an Italian vineyard. “So much has changed in my lifetime, and we still have such a long way to go.”
Austin patted the table with his hands. “Now that we have business out of the way, let’s eat.”
“Amen,” Denver grumbled, sitting up in his chair but barely hanging on to consciousness by a thread.
Prince gave a shadow of a smile. “I would be honored to feast with you. What did you order?”
“Here we go again,” Reno murmured.
***
Shortly after the meal, my stomach muscles began to clench and churn. The chicken-fried steak had been a terrible idea, but the need to show support for my Packmaster outweighed my discomfort.
Izzy had wandered over to Jericho’s side of the table and sat on his lap while he sang in a low voice, caressing her belly. Maizy wanted to sit beside Lexi, but Austin was engaged in conversations with Prince and Lorenzo, so Lexi thought she might become a distraction. That didn’t go over too well.
“I want to go home,” Maizy grumbled.
Denver was more awake now that he had steak in his belly. “And miss the chocolate pie?”
“I’m not hungry,” Maizy murmured, her sullen eyes cast downward.
Since no one could successfully switch her mood, we ignored her behavior.
April sent another text message and then set her phone down. “Trevor’s going to be in wolf form the entire time?” she asked Reno.
“That’s the deal,” he said, his sonorous voice carrying across the table. Reno usually wore long sleeves and this occasion was no different. Except this one was a nice blue button-up, which he undoubtedly chose because it was baggier and concealed his handgun better than a cotton shirt would. “If Lynn makes it home early, she’ll be alone. Trevor’s wolf is a better guard than he would be in human form.”
“I don’t know about that,” she said. “He’s a pretty tough guy.”
Reno touched his chin and a smile hovered on his lips. “Not so tough in the cereal aisle, as I recall.”
April kicked him under the table and he chuckled.
Ben kept looking at his watch and finally sprang to his feet. “Well, it’s been real. I’ve got somewhere I need to be, so I’ll catch you all on the flip side.”
“Ben, we haven’t even had dessert,” Izzy complained, looking over her shoulder at him.
Wheeler kept a dark expression on his face when he held up his hand and gave Ben the finger.
“Love you too, bro.” Ben scooted his chair in and hurried off.
Maybe Wheeler looked like he was in the wrong, but he was actually right. Ben shouldn’t have left during a family gathering, especially with two Packmasters present. He was always skipping out early and had somewhere else to be. I presumed it had to do with how he earned his money in card tournaments, and no one questioned how a man brought money into the house. Sometimes the twins could finish each other’s sentences, but animosity lurked beneath the surface.
“Ivy, are you feeling okay? You look green.” April tucked a strand of blond hair behind her ear, concern brimming in her eyes.
A flush of heat swept over my body and I nodded. If I left early, someone would have to drive me, and that would look even worse than Ben trotting off. Shifters could heal injuries, but sometimes stomachaches just had to run their course. I normally preferred light foods or vegetables, so the heavy gravy and meat were sitting inside me like a brick. Waves of pain had me wringing my napkin in my lap.
“I have to say, Cole, this was a good year,” Lorenzo said admiringly, holding the half-empty bottle of wine in front of his face. Austin and Prince had shared the bottle with him or else Lorenzo would have looked like a lush. The ropes of muscle on his arms tightened, and my goodness, they were sculpted and firm. Lorenzo was built like a man should be, and I hated my traitorous eyes for lingering on him longer than they should have.
“Ooo, I want cheesecake!” Lexi said excitedly. “Let’s order every flavor they have and pass them around the table instead of doing individual slices.”
Austin grinned and shook his head. “Whatever you want, Lexi.”
Ladybug was his nickname for her, but I noticed he wasn’t using it in front of the Packmasters.