Marina grabbed my arm and tugged me away from the crowd. “It’s this stupid thing,” she explained in a quiet voice. “The pack elders wanted Rob to meet some alpha female in case he wanted to mate her. They don’t know about you because Rob was kind of giving you time to adjust to the whole shifter thing. Plus… they don’t exactly love the idea of us humans mixing in.” She shrugged. “Don’t let it bother you. Rob’s alpha. He can do whatever he wants.”
That wasn’t true. I knew it as soon as I heard the words. A dictator did whatever he wanted. A leader didn’t. He had a responsibility to his pack. And Rob was definitely a leader. The kind who put the good of all in front of his own. So that’s why he looked so strained over the pack knowing we were dating.
Even though I’d known this thing with Rob couldn’t work, some part of me still resisted the obvious answer—telling him we couldn’t be and letting him have at it with the alpha she-wolf.
In fact, the idea of Rob being with her made me want to throat punch the woman.
Crap. Every day this got harder and harder. It was like a train running at top speed toward the car on the tracks. I knew there would be a crash, I just didn’t know how to stop it.
22
ROB
We were nearing the full moon, but this wasn’t a get together to shift and run in the moonlight. Instead, it was an afternoon picnic. By five o’clock, about twenty pack members were in the field behind the house. Usually, we met in the barn, so there was some shade and a roof in case it rained, but the construction project wasn’t finished. Sawhorses with boards across were set up as tables for the hefty quantity of food everyone brought. From Marina’s and Audrey’s potato salad to peach pie, hamburgers and even homemade ice cream had been devoured. The Barn Cats were tuning their instruments and setting chairs beneath a tree where they’d perform. Some laid out blankets, so they could sit and listen. Others had brought fold-up chairs.
Natalie sat beside me in a pretty green sundress that matched her eyes and had me wanting to slip the little straps off her shoulders and devour what was beneath. I’d kept as close as I could to her since she arrived. As close as I could without raising questions from the pack. I now wished I’d cancelled this BBQ before it started because being near Natalie without showing the whole pack she was mine fucking killed me.
People had, just as my brothers and their wives had assumed, regaled her with stories about her great-uncle. He’d been a kind, patient human who always had time for the pack. While no one had told him we were shifters, it was assumed he knew and didn’t care. The tales were all good ones, and hopefully, Natalie could cherish them.
“The Barn Cats are ready for you,” Boyd said, coming up with Audrey tucked under his arm.
“What? Me?” Natalie asked, looking at my brother in confusion.
“Yeah, you brought your fiddle over, didn’t you?”
When she continued to stare at him blankly, he cocked his head, narrowing his eyes slightly. “We talked about it on the phone earlier.”
I thought I detected alarm in her expression before she smoothed it out. “Oh, right. Yes. When we talked on the phone.”
“So, where’s the fiddle?” Boyd glanced around. “Got your case stored somewhere?”
She frowned. “Um, no. Sorry, I forgot it. I guess Rob’s addled my brain.”
“It’s all right if you forgot,” I reassured her. She seemed strangely uncomfortable, which made my wolf extremely protective.
Boyd put his fingers in his mouth and an ear-splitting whistle cut through the air. Everyone turned to look our way. “Kurt, got an extra fiddle? We’ve got an extra fiddle player right here.” Boyd pointed down at the top of Natalie’s head, and everyone started to clap and cheer.
All color bled from her cheeks, and she took a step back.
“What’s the matter?” I asked, leaning in so only she—and every other wolf around—could hear.
“I’m not in the mood to play.”
Boyd took his arm from around Audrey, then slung his other around Natalie, as if taking on a new mate. “Nonsense, they play easy stuff in comparison to what you’re used to. Don’t worry, they won’t be pulling out any Mozart. Come on, darlin’. Show ‘em what you got. Don’t be afraid. From what we talked about last month when you were still at school, you’re a hot shot player.”
Natalie offered him a fake smile, but he gave her no choice, leading her through the small group of pack members to the other musicians. They introduced themselves one at a time, then Kurt handed her a violin and bow. The old guy was as grizzled as they came, but he was a mean fiddle player and had a kind soul.