“Be right back,” Crystal said in a soft breath, slowly easing around him and letting her hand slide across his chest. “I’ll take real good care of you.”
Meanwhile, two men drifted toward the bar. Reno’s wolf paced within him as Denver positioned himself behind April. She had no clue that letting a Shifter come up from behind was as good as giving him the green light to pursue her for sex. Denver knew, and he was taking advantage of her naivety. Something he was going to be sorry for after this damn party was over.
“I saw her come with a date,” the man in the blue shirt said. “Looks like this bitch needs a leash. Look how she’s slutting around and letting him mount her over the pool table.”
Reno clenched his jaw, grinding his teeth in the process.
His buddy gave him a friendly jab on the arm. “I want a piece of that when he’s done.”
“Not before me,” Blue Shirt said. “I got my eye on her, and I’m going to have my turn later on after this party kicks into gear. She can play with my balls and stroke my pool stick.” He laughed and walked out the door.
Fuck. That. Shit.
Reno pivoted around and stalked into the hall. He cracked his fist into Blue Shirt’s face so hard that the man hit the ground in less than a second. Reno didn’t break stride and went down the stairs.
“Austin,” he yelled out.
“Reno, get your ass out here and join us,” Austin said from the end of the porch. He sat casually on the railing with Lexi standing between his legs, his arms wrapped around her. That was one lucky alpha.
“Need to talk to you,” Reno said, jogging down the steps and cutting across the lawn.
Austin kissed the top of Lexi’s head and hopped down. “Be right back. You boys watch over my girl,” he said in warning, half kidding, half not.
No one ever assumed an alpha was joking when it came to his woman, and with him being a Packmaster, they fenced her in and continued talking over beers.
“What’s up?” Austin put his hands in his pockets and they walked to the side of the house for privacy.
“Why is a human here?”
Austin jingled some coins in his pockets and shrugged. “We don’t have rules about that kind of thing and you know it.”
“It’s an unspoken rule,” Reno argued, folding his arms. “She doesn’t know how to behave and—”
“She… You mean April?”
Reno kicked up a tuft of grass. “She’s leaning over a pool table with Denver right behind her. He’s answering to me later on, but it’s getting some of the men worked up.”
Austin rubbed his bristly chin, pushing the skin around as he glanced up at one of the lanterns. Out in the sticks, the night lit up as if someone had thrown a million diamonds into an obsidian sky. Reno noticed a few people lying on their backs, stargazing.
“Lexi’s been debating on telling April about our world since they work so close together running the business. I think she wants her to hang out with us first to prove we’re normal or some bullshit. You want April to leave? That’s going to be awkward as hell, and you can bet Lexi’s going to make a scene.”
Someone hollered and they both turned their attention toward a group of men out front who were pointing as a wolf ran by. Austin slid his jaw to the side. “They know better than to shift,” he said in a gruff voice. “That’s a big fucking rule of a peace party.”
Shifting created too much opportunity for the wolves to attack one another and instigate conflicts among the packs, so it was against the rules whenever Packmasters were present. Shifters had to stay in human form at all times during a peace party.
Another wolf sprinted by, his paws kicking up tufts of grass.
“What the fuck?” Reno said, stepping out in the open. “Austin, you need to get this shit in check before it gets out of hand.”
A man lying on his back flopped around, laughing hysterically. No one seemed to get the joke, but after a quick scan of the crowd, other people were acting peculiar.
“Let me find out what’s up,” Austin said, briskly stalking away.
“You boys got it under control?” a voice said coolly.
A Native American with long, silky hair and high cheekbones that intensified his dark gaze strolled up. Lorenzo Church. Personal enemy to Austin, but not technically a foe.
Not a friend, either.
But to keep up civilities, all neighboring packs had been extended an invitation. Lorenzo had once had a thing for Lexi, but she’d lost interest after finding out they were related. Not by blood, but through marriage. Plus, he’d made the mistake of trying to cut in on Austin’s action. Lorenzo’s pack was established and wealthy, making him one of the most eligible Packmasters in town. While he had a few women in his pack taking care of his needs, Lorenzo wasn’t mated. Nor did he have children, which was extremely uncommon for someone of his status. No woman could tame that wolf.