Page 112 of The Hunger
“I don’t mind at all. I like Laurel and Willow.”
“Me too,” Eugene said. “In case anyone was wondering.”
“Three weeks,” Jenna said, shaking her head as she texted.
The pair joined our table a few minutes later. Both looked agitated and ready for a fight.
“I can’t stand Aubrey,” Laurel said. “I think you’re making the right decision, Jenna. I’m going to tell my parents I want to go with you. I know I’ll end up at the bottom of the pack wherever I am, but at least it won’t be the bottom of her pack.”
“Same,” Willow said, sitting beside me while Laurel took the spot on the other side of Eugene. Both girls reached for one of his sandwiches at the same time.
“Don’t worry,” Eugene said, catching my look. “It’s why I made extra.”
“Thanks for that, by the way,” Jenna said, bumping his shoulder with hers.
“No problem. Like I said, your life drama is fun to watch. Oh, there she is.” He immediately looked down at his plate.
I glanced at the door he’d been watching and saw Aubrey pause just inside of the cafeteria. Her gaze swept over the room teeming with people and somehow found mine. The slight narrowing of her eyes didn’t bode well for anyone at our table. Based on the sudden surge of fear and panic from Willow, she knew it, too.
Reaching out, I placed my hand on hers and stole both negative emotions before Aubrey could smell them.
“Well, isn’t this quaint. A picnic with the human again. Your dad is going to appreciate the effort you’re putting in to rebuild the relationship between the humans and the pack,” Aubrey said, sounding sincere.
“The relationship you wrecked by eating a human, you mean?” Eugene asked without lifting his head.
That boy had guts. And if he didn’t watch himself, Aubrey would be feasting on them.
“Is there something you wanted, Aubrey?” I asked, redirecting her growing anger toward me. Willow’s hand twitched under mine, and I continued to steal her fear.
“You know what I want, but to prove I’m not the monster I once was, I’ll leave you to your lunch. Enjoy him while you can, succubus. Once he scents his mate, he’ll be mine.” Her gaze shifted to the girls. “Fenris and I will run the pack a lot differently when Raiden steps down. Be ready to show your subservience come Saturday.”
She turned and walked out of the room. Willow heaved a sigh and whispered her thanks as I released her.
“Why don’t you two mate already and put us out of our misery?” Jenna asked. “The rabid bitch needs to go.”
“I don’t know about Eliana,” Fenris said, “but I’ve had enough of people telling me what to do and when to do it. If we don’t put a stop to it, what are our kids going to face?”
The whole kids thing knocked the wind out of me. There I was trying to grasp all the changes happening in such a short time while Fenris already had us in a house with a white-picket fence and a passel of kids. Of course, he would. Thanks to his nose and his instinct, he had no doubts.
That thought made me pause.
Everyone’s doubts about us would disappear if Fenris and I took that final step. When I’d said I didn’t want to go that far right away, I hadn’t realized how much it would complicate our lives. Things would be so much easier if I just gave in. Waiting was only making everyone, including me and Fenris, miserable.
Yet, Fenris was right, too. Like him, I was tired of being pushed. I wanted our relationship to be on our terms, not someone else's.
“Lately, I’m discovering I have a stubborn streak when it comes to listening to Adira,” I admitted. “I want to be able to make my own choices for a change.”
Jenna’s understanding poured from her.
“I get it. The few weeks Aubrey was gone were really nice.”
The way Willow and Laurel quickly agreed had me recalling my conversation with Jenna. They’d all hated Aubrey, but they had never really been friends with each other. Maybe that could be different now.
“We should do something fun tonight,” I said. “What about the Roost?”
Willow’s expression lit up.
“The Roost could be fun. And with Fenris there, Aubrey won’t be so bad.”
