“Calla.” My mother’s coaxing voice stopped me. “It is of course perfectly acceptable for Renier to call on you, but remember that you are a lady. Don’t bring shame on yourself by making poor choices.”
“No, of course not.” I kept my eyes on the hardwood floor, thinking about Shay’s kiss and how much more I’d wanted from him.
A sly smile hovered on Ren’s lips when I returned to the kitchen table.
If he heard what Mom said, I’m going to kill her.
“Let’s go, then.” I waved for him to follow me upstairs. “So you talked to Ansel?”
“Mason called me while I was driving your brother home. He wanted to make sure Ansel didn’t get any ideas about vigilante justice.”
I paused in front of my bedroom door.
“Why did he call you?” The news stung; Mason really didn’t trust me.
“You don’t have to be territorial, Lily,” Ren said with a quiet laugh. “He suggested that because you’re Ansel’s sister, the cub might not take your warnings to heart. Besides, I’m the alpha wolf of the pack now. It’s protocol that they come to me first. Even before you.”
“I guess.” I felt a spike of resentment. With Ren as my partner, I could no longer claim final authority for my packmates. Alpha males had more clout than females. Ren ruled the pack. It was my job to support him and keep the others in line.
“It’s not about you, Cal,” he said. “It’s just the rules.”
I nodded, opening the bedroom door. “Oh no.” It was much worse than I’d imagined.
He whistled. “If you hate clothes so much, why do you have so many? I can’t see the floor.”
“Give me a sec.” I gathered clothes in my arms, throwing them at my closet.
“Don’t trouble yourself on my account.” When I’d cleared the bed, Ren stretched out on it, pulling over a couple of pillows so he was propped up.
He crooked his finger at me. “Come here.”
My heart stuck in my throat.
“I won’t bite, Lily.” He flashed his teeth. No sharp canines in sight.
I walked slowly to the bed, pausing at its side. “Ren, did you know about Mason and Nev?”
He nodded.
“How long?”
“About six months, I guess.” He shrugged.
“Is the rest of your pack okay with it?”
“More or less.” He sounded uneasy.
“What does that mean?”
He sighed. “Sabine has no problem with it. She loves Nev, always has. And Cosette pretty much lets Sabine think for her, so she’s fine too.”
“So it’s Dax,” I said.
Ren didn’t reply, but he rolled onto his side, reaching out to grab my wrists.
“Dax isn’t okay,” I pressed, even as he pulled me onto the bed next to him. My pulse went wild.
“Dax thinks it’s too much of a risk to let Nev and Mason be together,” he said as he tucked my body next to his. “He sees it as a weakness. A threat to the pack.”
“That’s too bad,” I said, marveling at the steadiness of Ren’s voice. How can he be so calm?
My stomach twisted. That’s right, he does this all the time.
“It doesn’t matter.” I felt the muscles of his chest tighten. “Dax knows I’m the alpha, and I gave Nev the okay. He and Mason should be together if it’s what they want.”
“You and I are on the same page, then,” I said, hiding my doubts. I had the feeling that Dax hadn’t swallowed Ren’s order happily.
“We are.” His face hardened into sharp angles. “It won’t be a problem.”
“Good.” I was pressed so tightly against him, I wondered if I’d ever be able to relax. “So what did you want to talk to me about?”
“I need to know that you’re okay.” His eyes softened and his voice became incredibly quiet. “So much has happened lately, it’s been hard on all of us.”
He paused, lowering his voice even further. “But it’s different for alphas.”
“It is.” I held my breath when his fingers traced the shape of my collarbone.
Ren pushed his fingers through the waves of hair that spilled over my shoulder. “I can be here for you, if you let me.”
He bent his face toward mine.
“What are you doing?” I tried to pull away, but his hand slipped from my hair to cup the nape of my neck.
When he whispered, his warm breath brushed over my lips. “Just let me kiss you, Calla. You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to. No one has to know.”
My lips parted as I drew a sudden, startled breath and in that instant his mouth was on mine, soft as velvet. I closed my eyes against the rush of a hundred wings that suddenly beat in my chest and soared through my body. His scent was all around me. Leather, sandalwood, bonfires in autumn. He pulled back, but only for the sake of moving his lips to trail over my neck.
My blood was on fire and I was shaking. Is this really happening?
I couldn’t stop thinking about Shay in the clearing. About asking him to kiss me. The electric touch of his lips on mine.
But this is where I belong. I tried to push the memories back.
Ren stroked my knee, his fingers wandering up my thigh, sliding beneath the hem of my dress.
I grabbed his wrist. “Wait.”