Ian laughed, and goose bumps ran up my arms. The sound was a total echo of Donovan, and as I studied Ian, I realized his eyes were the same, and so was the shape of his mouth. I’d been so focused on the power display that I hadn’t seen what was in front of me. Except for the hair, they could’ve been brothers. Watching them clasp forearms and greet each other in Irish was eerie.
Who knew there could be two Donovans?
I stood aside as Donovan greeted the rest of his pack. It was interesting seeing the change in Donovan’s posture. His being. The way he spoke grew a little colder and more authoritative. He stood a little taller, with his head held a bit higher. But it wasn’t just his outward appearance that changed. The difference came from within.
He held back his alpha energy all the time, so much so that even an alpha Were could overlook him. But when Donovan wanted to—when it suited his needs—power flowed out of him by the bucketful. Right now, it was pouring over us until I was nearly drowning. My skin grew tight as my wolf started to surface.
He wasn’t my Donovan anymore. He was Donovan Murry, One of the Council of Seven, Alpha of the Irish pack.
The guy who’d first accepted me approached Donovan next and gave him a big hug. They were friendly. “Glad to have you home,” he said.
“And you, Pat. Last time I was back you were off on holiday. It’s been too long.”
“Aye. We’ll have a pint and talk about your lass.”
Donovan glanced at me with a wink. “That sounds grand.”
The other three gave Donovan nods and handshakes, but they were about as welcoming of him as they were of me. Out of the five that had actually shown up, only two were on good terms with their Alpha.
Even in troubled packs, only a h
andful of Weres usually had issues with their Alpha. But judging from this group, it was more like three out of every five had a problem with Donovan. Meaning the majority of his pack. This was a total mess.
After greeting everyone, we moved toward the cars. Donovan, Ian, and I got in a small hatchback. The cars were smaller in Europe, so the other four Weres shoved into a second, slightly larger microscopic car.
“Where’s Vivian?” Donovan asked as soon as we were on the road.
I gritted my teeth as I waited for the answer. There had to be a good excuse—something extremely important to warrant her not being here—if this slight was to be forgiven.
Ian grunted. “She didn’t want to come. Said she had better things to do, although she’s probably doing nothing but staring at herself in the mirror. Typical narcissistic Vivian. Why you ever—” He cut off as his gaze met mine in the rearview mirror.
I gave him my best smile. This so wasn’t good. She should’ve been there. No excuses. If Donovan didn’t reprimand her for skipping out, he was going to look weak. He couldn’t afford that, even for a second. Especially not if what I’d just seen was indicative of how the entire pack felt about him.
“I’m not looking forward to dealing with that,” Donovan murmured.
“Saoirse is threatening to challenge her,” Ian said.
Sitting quietly wasn’t like me, but I was getting quite the education. Whoever this Saoirse was, I wanted to meet her. And I wondered if she was the same Saoirse who Ciara had mentioned. If she didn’t like Vivian, then I had a feeling we’d be fast friends.
“That wouldn’t turn out well. Best to tell your mate to calm it,” Donovan said.
“Calm it?” I mouthed. If anyone said that to me, I’d definitely do the exact opposite. Only a total moron would say that to their mate and expect to live. But, somehow, no matter how old the boy was, he never quite grew out of dumbassland.
“Aye. I’ve done so already. Bet you can guess how well that went over.”
Donovan laughed for the first time since we got on the plane. “I’d never actually think to tell Saoirse such a thing. I can’t see any markings on you, so the damage wasn’t permanent.”
“But gran’s dishes are no longer with us,” Ian said in a reverent tone.
Another laugh from Donovan. I was liking this Ian guy. At least he was able to cheer Donovan up. And this girl was my speed. Breaking dishes? Not bad at all.
“I can tell that the pack is in chaos from our bonds, but how has everyone been fairing lately?” Donovan asked.
“It’s been a rough go. Those bloody Americans—”
I cleared my throat. I was okay sitting back while they caught up, but I wasn’t going to let Ian bash me and my friends.
“Sorry.”