Trevor was one of the younger pack members and had joined the house with April. He had charisma. I liked how he always dressed in button-up shirts and nice shoes, and also the way he stylishly combed his hair over his forehead. He played with Jericho’s band off and on, but had spent the last month looking for something else.
Lexi ran a brush through her glossy brown hair, watching Austin from the bottom of the stairs.
“Slight change of plans,” he began, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “I know we have a family thing planned, but I’ve invited a couple of local Packmasters. I have business to discuss with them, and it involves everyone in this pack.”
“What’s this about?” April asked worriedly, grasping Reno’s arm as if he might know.
Austin’s brows drew together. “We’ll discuss it at the restaurant. There’ll be too many questions if I give you the highlights right now, and I need to finish chopping some wood before I get my shower.”
“Can I watch?” Lexi asked flirtatiously.
He glanced over his shoulder at her with a heated gaze. “No, Ladybug, but you can help me shower when I’m done.”
She rolled her eyes. “I just blow-dried my hair; that’s not happening.”
He chuckled softly. “I want everyone to look presentable, so that’s why I called you in.”
“Sorry. My Sunday dress is at the cleaners,” Denver grumbled, his face smashed between two posts on the banister.
“You can borrow mine, sweetheart,” Wheeler said darkly. He strolled by the front door and anchored against it, a wicked smile hiding beneath a short beard.
Denver stretched back on the stairs and leaned on his elbows. “I would, but you dress like a slut.”
Austin cleared his throat. “Anyhow, just a heads-up. Next time when we do a family thing, I want everyone there. Just think of this as more of an outing with some business mixed in.”
“Good, then I can stay home and sleep.” Denver yawned, his eyes closed.
“You’re not off the hook,” Austin said gruffly. “The business thing shouldn’t take long, so I want everyone attending. That’s an order.”
“Aye-aye, captain!” Ben said, clicking his heels together like an obedient soldier.
A few of the men chuckled. Ben was a bit of a clown. He earned his money in poker tournaments, but wasn’t a serious guy. Not like his twin, Wheeler, who was always brooding. For two men who were identical, they couldn’t have looked and behaved more dissimilar.
“We’re all heading out together, so do what you need to do and make sure you’re ready by eleven. Carry on.” Austin headed toward the back door, raking his fingers through his tangles of dark hair.
April examined her nails. “I need to redo my polish if we’re dressing up. This doesn’t match my nice outfits.”
Reno kissed the top of her head. “No one’s going to be looking at your fingernails, princess.”
She wriggled out of his arms and he laughed as he tried to keep his grip on her.
“All right,” I said, breaking it up. “Let the women get ready so we’re not late. Wheeler, make sure the windows are locked up, and you’ll be in charge of shutting up the house and setting the alarms. Reno, you’re in charge of organizing who’s riding together. Let’s not have any last-minute bickering.”
The men smiled and looked amongst each other before going back to what they were doing before.
Izzy clutched my arm as we headed toward the kitchen to clean up the leftover plates from breakfast. “You’ll make a great mom someday. You have a way of keeping this pack in line. They sure don’t listen to me.”
The men didn’t see me as one of the guys. They were more inclined to obey a serious-minded woman, whether she was headstrong or quiet. I enjoyed spending time with the pack, but I limited my participation in the late-night parties. Therefore, even though Lexi was the alpha female of the house, they took me a little more seriously. I treated them as brothers and kept my distance so they didn’t get any mixed feelings about me.
If only I had learned that trait long ago.
Chapter 2
Ten minutes after twelve, the Weston pack arrived at the Breed restaurant. The Breed formed communities separate from humans. It wasn’t uncommon to run into a Mage or a Chitah, but Austin was more populous with Shifters than any other immortal. Our animals preferred rural areas where they could run, so we gravitated to the South or to mountainous regions.
I was bubbling with excitement because this was my favorite place to eat. My old pack in Oklahoma had limited my social life and never allowed me to go out to restaurants. My reactions to simple things seemed to amuse the men in my pack.