Page 60 of The Night Prince

Callum takes a mouthful. “Mm. Delicious.” He can barely contain his stupid grin, and the corner of Blake’s mouth lifts when he struggles to swallow. “You can really taste the earth.”

It’s Blake’s turn to conceal his laugh by pretending he’s clearing his throat, while I slap Callum’s arm. “I didn’t see any of you gentlemen offering to cook,” I say.

“I’m serious,” says Callum, looking anything but. “I like it. It’s got the gritty crunch I always enjoy with my tatties.”

“Oh, piss off!” snorts Elsie. “One of you can cook next time.”

“I do a good barbecued lobster,” says Jack, a faraway look in his eyes. “Smoky sweet meat, cooked on open flames. Delicious.”

“But then we would have been robbed of this treat,” says Callum, and Jack grins.

“Lobsters mate for life, you know?” Ryan mumbles suddenly, hunched over his bowl.

All the humor drains from the hall. Elsie stiffens, while Arran looks down at the table. Callum frowns. Jack clears his throat. Blake stills, and I feel that shred of him inside me hardening, as if to stop me from feeling his emotion.

“Like Wolves,” chirps Alfie.

It takes me a moment to figure out the strange tension, but then I recall what Callum told me once, about Wolves having mates that were chosen by the Moon Goddess. He said it was a connection more powerful than love. Didn’t Elsie sayGhealachhad other plans for Arran, that he had feelings for another? Was she talking about him having a mate?

“Aye,” says Arran softly. “That’s right, lad.”

The air is too awkward. I want to say something to put people at ease, but words evade me.

“You’re a ray of sunshine tonight, Ryan,” says Blake, and everyone seems to release a breath.

“Becky finished with him,” says Callum.

“Oi! That’s private!” snarls Ryan, cheeks reddening.

Callum arches an eyebrow. “Would it hurt you to offer me, your alpha, a bit of respect every once in a while?”

“I would if you wouldn’t go around proclaiming my private business!”

I touch Callum’s wrist and squeeze, hoping he won’t torture the boy any further.He rolls his eyes at me—the boyish gesture at odds with his big physique.

“Ah, young love.” Jack grins as he slings his arm over the back of his chair, provoking another snarl from Ryan. “Come out with me tomorrow. We’ll do some training to keep your mind off things.”

“I’m better than you, anyway,” says Ryan.

“Fighting talk, indeed,” says Jack. “I suppose we’ll see about that. Youaregood with a sword, though.” Ryan sits a little straighter, chest puffing out ever so slightly. “Callum teach you?”

“Aye,” says Ryan.

Callum grins and shakes his head as he goes back to his soup. Jack was trying to get Callum to fight him a few weeks ago, to learn how Callum fought. I suppose his implication is that if he can beat Ryan, he can beat Callum. Callum doesn’t seem threatened by the blatant challenge.

“Aren’t lobsters saltwater creatures?” says Arran suddenly, spoon paused halfway to his mouth.

“What? No! No, they’re not!” says Elsie, looking at me, alarmed. “Those were freshwater lobsters. They’ll be fine.”

“I’m sure they’ll live long and happy lives.” Blake takes a sip of wine. “And soon, Lowfell will be overrun with lobsters. There will be shellfish all over the island, and I’ll be known as the oddball alpha who lives in a castle among his crustaceans.”

Alfie squeals with delight, clapping his hands together, and Jack pretends he has lobster claws on the other side of the table. A smile spreads across my face as Callum laughs beside me. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was starting to enjoy his time at Lowfell, and the company within its walls.

Strangely, I am, too. I think about what Lochlan said, about Blake collecting broken birds. There’s Elsie, abused by her father, and little Alfie, who barely escaped his. Arran sits with a beaker of water, when everyone else has wine. And Jack, whose history I don’t know, but whom I catch with a dark look in his eyes every so often.

There’s a peace here that I didn’t find at Madadh-allaidh, and that I certainly never knew back home. Blake may be an alpha, but he doesn’t seem to take the role particularly seriously when the other alphas are not watching.

Yet as laughter spreads around the table, and Elsie pinches Alfie’s side with fake lobster claws, I can’t help but feel like this is the calm before the storm. Tomorrow night is the full moon. After that, if we manage to knock James off his throne, we will all be enemies once more.

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