Dark Instincts (The Phoenix Pack 4)

It was kind of sweet that Marcus was so protective of Roni that even the thought of a senile old heifer giving her shit bugged him. But it was also amusing that he thought she needed his help, because if there was one thing Roni knew how to deal with, it was an interfering relative.

Greta started to speak, and Roni raised a hand. “I know what you’re going to say. You don’t think I’m good enough for Marcus.” She sighed, being sure to look sad and insecure. “Honestly, I’d have to agree with you. I mean, I’m not pretty like the other females he dated. I’m not warm and caring like he is. I’m not the least bit likeable. God, even my own mother doesn’t like me.”

Greta’s scowl eased the tiniest bit. “I’m sure she does.”

Roni shook her head. “No, she loves me because I’m her daughter, but she doesn’t like me.” Roni let some fake tears surface and then acted as if she were discreetly wiping them away. “She says I need to change. She says I should be more girly and wear makeup and stuff. She wants me to be like Eliza.”

“The attorney?” Greta curled her upper lip in distaste. “I don’t like her. She flirted shamelessly with my boys, tried seducing them all.”

“She flirts like that with everyone, even Marcus.” Which was why the bitch had ended up with salt in her coffee. “I don’t want to be like that.”

“You don’t have to be.”

“My mom says I’ll have to if I want to keep Marcus’s interest. But he’s not shallow. Whatever others may think¸ that male is far from shallow. It makes me mad that they don’t see it. But you see it, don’t you? You know him better than most.”

Greta’s chest almost seemed to puff up slightly. “Yes, I do. That boy is special.”

“I agree. And I appreciate you being so protective of him. He’s like a son to you, so it’s only natural that you would be. It’s clear that you had a hand in raising him, Ms. Tyler.” Roni forced an admiring smile. “You did good with him. Really good.”

Hearing footsteps heading through the tunnels and suspecting it was Roni, Marcus turned his head to greet her. Seconds later, she entered the room . . . with Greta’s arm linked through hers. Equally astonishing, Greta actually led Roni to the seat beside him.

Trey’s grandmother then gave him a stern look. “You look after Roni, Marcus. You hear me?”

He wasn’t sure if he had heard her, because those words sounded a little surreal. “W-what?”

Greta actually pointed her finger at him. “I won’t have her treated by you the way her mother treats her. I like Kathy, I do, but I don’t agree with cold parenting.” She gave Roni an affectionate pat on the hand. “If it ever gets too bad at home, sweetheart, you come stay with us for a while.”

Roni smiled softly. “Thanks, Ms. Tyler.”

“None of that—I told you, call me Greta.” She found a seat farther along the table as Roni sat next to Marcus.

He could only stare open-mouthed at his pretty little wolf. “Good God, Roni, how did you do it?”

Roni gave him a “seriously?” look. “I was raised by Kathy Axton. You don’t survive that without learning how to cope with fierce, interfering, old females.”

Opposite Roni, Taryn shook her head incredulously. “I don’t know what you did, or how you did it, but I’m in total awe of you.”

“What are you whispering, hussy?” snarled Greta.

“If I wanted you to know, I’d have said it loudly.”

The old woman humphed. “It’s rude to whisper. But I wouldn’t expect anything different from you—no manners.”

“Are we back to this again? As you can see, your complaints are very important to us here at ‘Still Not Giving a Fuck World.’”

“You should take a leaf out of Roni’s book. She knows how to speak to her elders.” Greta gave Roni a smile of approval. The entire table looked at Roni in wonder and respect.

At that moment, Dominic entered the room, took the seat on Roni’s other side, and smiled at her. “Well, I’m here. What are your other two wishes?”

Jaime laughed, the others groaned, Marcus slapped Dominic over the back of the head, and Roni hit Dominic with another cheesy line. All in all, a normal morning at Phoenix Pack territory.

After breakfast, Roni insisted on going to check on Shaya, since Roni hadn’t been home for a few days. She had begun to spend more and more time at Phoenix Pack territory—so much so that some of her things had made their way into Marcus’s room. Likewise, some of Marcus’s belongings had found a home in her lodge. They rarely spent a night apart, which she would have expected to find irritating, since Roni liked her space. But she never felt like Marcus was eating up that space. It was more like he was fitting into it.

Considering they had decided to make their relationship permanent, Roni had expected imprinting to start. But it hadn’t. And she didn’t know what that meant. Didn’t understand it. She’d made the decision to stay with him, just as he had her. She cared about him more than she was comfortable with, and she believed that he cared for her. Yet, nothing.

Of course it could mean that she was simply too messed up to really accept another person that fully into her life. Maybe Marcus hadn’t begun imprinting on her for the same reason. In any case, it hurt.

Halfway home, she asked, “Has McGee sent any more messages to Trey through the pack web? I’m pretty sure Nick’s still getting them.” The first apologetic messages had been sent just a few hours after the jackal’s corpse had been dumped on Quinn’s land. Quinn claimed to have been oblivious to Lola’s plan, but no one was convinced of that, and no one had responded to his messages.

Just thinking about Quinn made Marcus growl. “Yes. He keeps apologizing for his mate’s behavior and promising that he’s dealt with the matter himself. Basically, he wants reassurance that our packs won’t retaliate. That’s something we can’t give him.” Marcus had every intention of confronting the bastard.

“We can’t afford to act on it right now. We’ve got more important things to do.” Like track down the wolf hacker.

“I know.” His hands tightened around the steering wheel. “Doesn’t mean I don’t often imagine ripping Quinn’s throat out.”