Page 35 of Secrets and S'mores
He slides my shorts back up my hips and rises up to a kneel between my thighs, looking disoriented. The door handle clicks as Cedar tries again.
“I’ll go, deal with the meeting. You go back to your room after we’re gone,” Onyx says. The look he gives me is pure lust. His navy eyes glow dusty blue, like moonlight. His full lips are slightly parted, and I want them on my body, but we are out of time.
“Wait,” I hiss, words clicking into place in my brain. “They’re having a fucking meeting without me?”
“Maybe it’s something totally unrelated,” he reasons. “But I’ll tell you whatever I learn, okay?
“Fine.” I say.
“Onyx?” Cedar interrupts.
Onyx leaps up, yanking his shirt back on. As he unlocks the door, he blocks me from view, pushing his brother back. But Cedar’s hand goes to the door to keep it from closing. The two males posture for a moment as Onyx tries to make Cedar back down, but the lighter-haired twin peers over his shoulder and it’s too late. He sees me with bare shoulders, Onyx’s quilt pulled over my breasts.
“Not a word,” Onyx snarls at him.
A crease forms between Cedar’s brows. “This is not a good idea. I warned you.”
The door closes and I can barely hear Onyx’s angry words as he leads Cedar away.
Heart racing, I slip my shirt on and peek into the hallway. There’s no noise in the house, so I dart across to Briar’s room and shut the door. Want and need rage through me, and I faceplant into the bed with a frustrated groan.
Onyx
Jasper looks like this is the last place he wants to be. He rests his forehead against the heel of his hand. Marigold leans against him, her cheek to his shoulder. Both look exhausted and decidedly grim.
Slate sits across from him, his mouth a thin line. Hazel runs her fingers over his wrist, drawing swirls with the tips of her fingers. To Hazel’s left sits Hawthorne and then my father.
The pack bond resonates in the room with so many wolves gathered together. I can sense frustration and resignation rolling off my friends.
Cedar takes the chair past Jasper and I take the one beside Marigold. It makes me nervous to have my twin further away, knowing his inclination for sharing information without tact. Of anyone, he was the worst person to have caught up - except perhaps Slate or Jasper. They are going to be furious. Ravishing the Heir of another pack was definitely not in the job description when Hazel asked me to guard Ember.
Marigold sits up and squeezes my forearm. “Are you having an okay time?” she asks quietly.
Swallowing, I bob my head. She turns and smiles at me. I can tell the second she breathes in and catches Ember’s scent on my skin. She goes still, her eyes flickering from my face down my body like she might find the girl tucked in my pocket. Her brows crease. Anyone else, I wouldn’t worry. They’d assume it was because I was on guard duty. But Marigold snuck around with Jasper for weeks before they admitted their relationship to us. I’m screwed.
“Okay, let’s deal with this,” Slate says. His exhale is heavy.
Jasper sighs too, the half-brothers looking more alike in that moment. “So things aren’t looking great in Granite Ridge,” he begins. “Sienna has been ruling alone for the last year, and their pack is largely male.”
“She hasn’t taken a new mate and doesn’t intend to,” Marigold amends. “I think she really loved Ferris.”
Jasper’s jaw clenches. “Well, the talks among the pack members are starting to turn ugly. She’s had to squash a few rebellious discussions already, but it’s only a matter of time until someone challenges her.”
Hawthorne’s hand rubs his jaw thoughtfully. “And do we think she can win a challenge?”
“Against those fuckers they’ve got in that pack?” Slate says, his tone harsh.
“This is the consequence of building up a pack of brutish men, training them like a militia, and then telling them they are the superior pack. For years,” Hazel says, emphasizing her words. “Sienna can’t control them without Ferris.”
“So what if she loses her pack? Who is likely to challenge her?” Hawthorne presses.
Jasper runs hand through his hair, already tousled from his anxious habit. “It’ll probably be Orion or maybe Aries. And they’re bloodthirsty. They won’t hold our alliance. They’d probably attack Raven pack first, especially if they could get Zephyr to turn on Nyx. Then we would be next.”
“We should prepare for a fight, then,” my father says. Beside him, Hawthorne raises a pacifying hand.
“It would be best if Sienna wasn’t ousted,” Hazel says, shaking her head like she can’t believe she is supporting her mate’s mother who hates her.
“Well, what can we do?” Slate asks Jasper.
