Page 19 of Craved By the Werewolf
Liam closed his folder with official finality. "I think we have everything we need for the council report. The rest is just execution."
"Famous last words," Kai muttered, coiling up the backup cables. "But hey, at least this year we're prepared."
"Well," Lana said, gathering her papers with obvious satisfaction, "I think this is going to be a very successful event. Haven House is lucky to have such dedicated support."
The meeting was winding down, people starting to pack up their materials and push back from the table. I watched Vala gatherher things, noting how she avoided eye contact as she slung her bag over her shoulder and headed for the door.
This was going to be interesting.
7
VALA
Iwas halfway to the exit when Thorne's voice stopped me cold.
"You don't have to rush off."
I turned to find him a few steps behind me in the hallway, hands in his pockets, looking unfairly good in the afternoon light streaming through the compound's windows. The rest of the meeting attendees had scattered. Mika probably racing back to terrorize some poor intern. Lana off to wrangle teenagers, and Malrik vanishing in whatever mysterious way demons vanished.
"Don't you have pack things to do?" I asked, shifting my bag to my other shoulder. "You know, mysteriously issuing life-or-death commands, practicing that whole 'I could eat you for breakfast' stare?"
His mouth curved into what was not quite a smile. "Is that what you think I do all day?"
"Among other terrifying Alpha activities, I'm sure." I adjusted my bag strap, annoyed that my hands wanted to fidget. "Look, Ireally don't want to keep you from whatever world-saving is on your afternoon agenda."
"Actually," he said, stepping closer, and suddenly the hallway felt smaller, "I was thinking I could show you around. Get to know each other. You know, for all that intensive collaboration we'll be doing."
The way he said 'intensive' made my pulse stutter. There was something in his voice that had nothing to do with House Party logistics and everything to do with the way he was looking at me—like I was a puzzle he was finally getting the pieces to.
The smart thing would be to make excuses and head for my car. The smart thing would be to remember that LA was waiting and getting tangled up with the local Alpha was about as wise as poking a sleeping dragon.
But when had I ever been accused of being smart?
"You know what, Thorne?" I heard myself say, tipping my chin up to meet his gaze. "Show me what you've got."
The compound was larger than I'd expected, a maze of modern functionality mixed with touches that spoke to its fierce inhabitants. Training rooms with reinforced walls, a kitchen designed to feed a pack, common areas that managed to feel both communal and comfortable. Thorne moved through it all with easy familiarity, pointing out features and explaining logistics with genuine pride.
"Most of the pack doesn't live here," he said as we walked past what looked like a small apartment complex. "But we maintain quarters for anyone who needs them. Newly turned wolves, pack members going through difficult transitions, emergency housing."
"That's... actually really thoughtful," I said, surprised by the care evident in the setup.
"We look after our own." He paused at a window overlooking a garden courtyard where I could see a few people sitting in the afternoon sun. "It's not all commands and intimidation."
There was something almost vulnerable in the way he said it, like my opinion mattered more than it should.
"I never thought it was," I said softly. "Not really."
He looked at me then, really looked, and I felt that familiar electric tension snap between us. The same awareness that had been crackling through the meeting, the same pull that had made my pulse spike during our radio interview.
"There's one more place," he said, his voice rougher than before. "If you're not in a hurry."
I should have been in a hurry. Should have remembered all the reasons why getting closer to Thorne Kaine was a terrible idea. Instead, I heard myself say, "Lead the way."
We walked through the compound and then outside, following a trail that led into the pine forest behind the buildings. The path was well-maintained but clearly not meant for casual hikers—it climbed steadily upward through Douglas fir and cedar, winding between moss-covered rocks and fallen logs.
"Where exactly are we going?" I asked after about ten minutes of hiking. Grateful I'd worn decent shoes.
"You'll see," Thorne said, and there was something almost boyish in his anticipation that made my chest tight.
