“Not if you’ll be miserable there,” she replied.
“I won’t be miserable, I’ll be bored. But if you really want to go, we will. You can make it worth my while when we get home.” In other words, he wanted drunk sex.
The little smile she flashed him said she not only received that message, she was good with his plan. So he didn’t complain when, later that night, the group of them headed to the Tavern.
Given Grant’s recent accusations, Camden hadn’t been sure just how civil or welcoming the pride would be toward him. But as he and Aspen walked through the large space to find a table, people waved or nodded or said a brief hello to him. One or two appeared a little stiff and awkward … almost as if experiencing torn loyalties. But the majority were fine.
Those who noticed the claiming bites passed on their congratulations—all of which seemed heartfelt and genuine. Most of those people also took the opportunity to ask how Aspen was doing after the “incident” at her apartment last night. So by the time she, Camden, Tate, and the girls were gathering around a long empty table, his mate—who’d obviously harbored the same uncertainties about the pride’s reaction—seemed to be feeling a lot less anxious.
Camden leaned into Aspen. “What are you drinking?”
“I promised Bailey I’d start with shots,” she replied. “And since you want me drunk, I figure you’ll be down with that.”
“You figure right.”
Aspen watched as Camden strolled to the bar with Tate. More, she watched the behavior of those around her mate. They’d seemed civil enough so far, but that might be because the Alpha male was close by.
Aspen had chosen a night at the Tavern over an evening at the steakhouse for two reasons. One, more of the pride would be at the Tavern than the restaurant, so more people would see that Camden was in fact her mate. Two, there was zero chance that Grant would be there, which meant there hopefully wouldn’t be any trouble.
Just then, a bunch of people came over, said their congratulations, and then joined another table to theirs. Four of said people weren’t part of the pride. Mila, Alex’s twin sister, had mated into the Phoenix Pack years ago.
“It’s date night,” said Mila as she and her mate, Dominic, took a seat. “Otherwise known as break-from-our-kids night. Don’t get me wrong, I love my children. I’d lay down my life for them. But they’re the ultimate cockblockers.”
The other two outsiders were also a mated pair. Roni and Marcus both belonged to the Phoenix Pack and the Mercury Pack. A lollipop in her mouth, Roni exchanged muffled hellos with people while Marcus charmed them with compliments. Honestly, they couldn’t be more different. He was all smooth and outgoing whereas Roni was quiet and awkward. Although Roni wasn’t “nice” in the typical sense of the word, Aspen nevertheless found her easy to get along with.
Valentina elbowed her mate. “Did I not tell you that Aspen and Camden were true mates? Hmm? You disagreed. Said Aspen would not match well with sadist. Bah.”
“I didn’t say he was a sadist,” James claimed. “I do think the guy who trained him was a sadist. Kind of like your mother.”
Valentina blasted him with a horrified look. “Must you be so cruel?”
“She tried shooting me in the ass, and I’m the cruel one?”
The wolverine flicked her hand. “You are too sensitive.”
“Too sensitive?” James echoed.
“She missed on purpose. It was joke. Prank.”
“It was yet another attempt to kill me. She swore she wouldn’t stop until I was dead. That she was going to wear my severed head like a hat.”
“She did not mean it. Always such drama with you.”
Beside her, her brother Isaak cut in, “You have only yourself to blame, Valentina. You could have had any man. Dumb cat was your choice. My offer still stands.”
James frowned. “What offer?”
“To bury you in woods,” Isaac replied. “I would give you chance to run. But you would not escape. I would hear your big cat feet.”
James shook his head with a sigh.
Aspen did her best to stifle a smile. Valentina’s three Russian brothers visited often. Unmated wolverines were serious roamers. And these particular wolverines did not like their sister’s mate at all. Well, their kind never much liked other breeds of shifter anyway. They were civil enough toward Dominic, though. That guy … well, he possessed an odd kind of charm that involved spouting dirty lines at his mate to drive her nuts.
Weird though he might be, the wolf was impossible to dislike. Aspen could totally see why Mila had fallen for him. They were so well-suited, no one would ever guess they weren’t true mates.
As the evening went on, Aspen downed cocktails and shots. It wasn’t long before she felt a buzz coming on. Camden went easy on the beers—always did. He preferred to be in full control.