“But I don’t want that cup,” Melody complained, looking at the plastic sippy cup. “That’s for babies.”
Izzy craned her neck to get a good look. “Honey, I had the tree fairies bring that cup all the way from Neverland. They said it will give you special powers, and you’ll need them for the movie we’re going to later.” Izzy glanced back at Jericho and lowered her voice. “God knows I’ll need ’em.”
“Don’t worry,” he said. “No nachos this time.”
“Well, it was all in her hair,” Izzy went on in their private conversation. “Then it dried and was impossible to get out.”
Jericho shrugged guiltily but didn’t look as upset as Izzy over it. Instead, he smirked and reached for a plate of sausage patties.
“Have a seat,” Austin said to me.
I swallowed thickly and sat on the bench next to Denver.
“At the end—so I can see you.”
I quietly rose from my seat and took the chair at the end of the table, facing Austin and his entire pack of wolves.
Everyone seemed in a rush to eat before the conversation turned serious. Everyone except William, who sat to my right with his arms folded on the table, his attention on Austin. He was an astute man.
“Wheeler, I’m going to let you tell your side of the story first,” Austin said, holding his fist in the palm of his other hand and then cracking a knuckle. “Speak openly. I think it’s pretty damn obvious that confidentiality is out the window at this point.”
Wheeler set down his bacon and licked his fingers. “What do you want me to say?”
Austin threw down his fork and Lexi gripped his arm. “I want you to tell me why you walked a panther into our house,” he said angrily.
Wheeler briefly flicked a glance at Ben, who stuffed a biscuit into his mouth and was eyeing the plate of colorful berries.
“Because when you task me with something, I comply. Did guard her only mean in human form? Someone forced her to shift; the club was in a panic. By the time I came in—”
“Came in?” Austin interrupted. “Came in from where?”
Wheeler looked at Ben again, and that’s when I realized something else was going on. He pushed his plate forward and put his hands in his lap. “I had to take a piss. She was onstage and the last thing I expected was for her to shift in front of an audience.”
“Then?”
Wheeler flicked his eyes up to mine briefly. “Then I loaded her into the car.”
“How the hell did you manage to do that?” Denver asked in awe. “A panther? We all saw how big she is.”
Wheeler slowly lifted his eyes. “Because maybe panthers can sense fear in a man, and that’s all they need to know.”
“I would have been crapping my pants is all I’m saying,” Denver replied.
Austin turned his attention toward me. “What made you shift?”
I held my chin high. “You mean who. Probably the same man as before. He walked right across the stage.”
“And everyone let him?” Reno growled.
“They thought it was part of my act, I guess. He had on a ski mask and approached me theatrically.” I felt myself wringing my hands beneath the table, so I stopped fidgeting. “He used a strobe, and when I shifted, the room exploded with panic. Some people were running out, but a few others looked like they wanted to capture and kill me. Some of the bouncers kept things under control, but my animal was scared and confused with all the movement. By then the man was gone, and then it darkened. I don’t remember anything until I woke up here. I would never have asked Wheeler to bring me here—you have to know that. But what he did was… Well, I respect him for it. He took me to the one place he knew I’d be safe. That’s all that I asked of you, Austin. Someone who would protect my life. And he risked his life to do it. I can’t excuse his behavior, but I’m just as conflicted about it as you must be.”
Austin grabbed a piece of bacon off his plate and devoured it.
“I called to warn you I was coming,” Wheeler said defensively. “It’s not like I walked her inside without a heads-up. I wouldn’t do that to this pack. I wouldn’t intentionally put any of you in danger.”
Austin dropped the bacon on his plate and dusted the crumbs off his fingers. “One of the kids could have opened the door and run out. Would you feel good about your decision if we were sitting here this morning and, God forbid, something had happened to one of them? They can’t shift, Wheeler. We have to protect our children over anything or anyone else.”
Wheeler rubbed his face and I could see the battle raging within. His pack would always come first in his life, but in this instance, he had put me first. I didn’t know how to feel about that.
“What I have to say won’t make you feel better, Austin. It’ll just piss you off. But I had her under absolute control. I don’t expect you to understand it, but I did. We can argue until we’re blue in the face, but that’s just the way it is.”
“Did you feel safe because of your knife?” I asked.