Early in the morning, Theo woke me up by tickling my sides. I groaned and swatted him away, but he threw the covers off and jumped back on the bed. The movement jostled me, and my arms quickly shot out to make sure I didn’t fall.
“Wake up,” Theo ordered. I grimaced and looked his way. I was not a morning person; he, however, was glowing with excitement.
“Why are we awake?”
“Because today is the gathering. You’ve never been to one, I’m excited to take you and show you off and see you all nervous and jittery around wolves again.” I heard the humor in his voice but ignored it and frowned. “My mom picked out a dress for you to wear, it’s hanging in the closet in a bag.”
“I have to get dressed up?”
Theo nodded and touched my side again before hopping off the bed.
Theo’s mother had picked out a structured, navy blue dress that ended just above my knees. It was a tight material that hugged my thin frame, and I struggled to get the dress on while sitting on the stool in the closet.
Upon sliding my injured leg in the dress, I toppled over the stool and fell to the ground. Within seconds, Theo was in front of me, frantically looking me over for injuries. I began laughing, loudly; eyes shut, tears leaking out, laughter. Theo froze and leaned back, confused.
I kept laughing, leaning my head back to lay flat on the ground. Theo was fighting a smile, still concerned for my well-being. I slapped his knee closest to me, reaching for him to help me up. He grabbed my arm and put his other around me to prop me up.
“I swear, you give me a heart attack every single day.”
I smiled at the crinkles that appeared between his bright eyes. He shook his head and sat me back up on the bench, waiting until I was fully dressed and standing before walking away.
I followed Theo to the bathroom and brushed through my hair with my fingers. Theo got dressed and helped me downstairs when Caddy and Bodhi were waiting. Caddy was sitting at the dining table, listening to Bodhi teeter on about her pack.
“You both better get ready; we’re going to leave soon.” Bodhi’s face scrunched up hearing Theo’s words.
“You think I’m going to change?” Her eyebrow hitched up along with her pursed lips. Theo glanced at her outfit: a pair of tight black pants, a black, sleeveless top, and a long, green vest. She eyed my dress and choked back a snort. Caddy had on a casual pair of dark pants with a gray, long-sleeved shirt.
“You two have to look the part, we’re just guests,” Caddy reminded us in a teasing tone.
“See, I could totally wear pants.”
Theo shook his head at my suggestion and tucked his arm around my waist.
“It’s time to go,” he said firmly and handed me the crutches that were leaning against him. We piled into the car, surrounded by the usual entourage of five other black vehicles. The time passed quickly, and we soon arrived at Gabriel’s packhouse.
There were many other cars parked outside, intimidating men and women filing out of each and walking to the front door. There were guards stationed at the front of the building that allowed each pack entrance. It reminded me of the ball my old pack had when Dorian became Alpha.
As we entered, the other wolves bowed their heads to Theo, showing their respect. He kept a straight face but, unlike last time, he walked next to me with his hand at the small of my back.
Most of the furniture had been moved out of the main room to allow for extra space. The wolves in the room stayed towards the outer perimeter, leaving a large space in the middle. I kept glancing there, wondering what was going to happen.
Theo led us to the other side of the room where his brother Reese stood. I looked at him, confused.
“Bet you didn’t know I’m the Beta of this pack, did you Gimpy?” Reese teased. Theo growled at him for disrespecting me around other people.
“I can’t believe they’d let you oversee important things,” I teased back. Reese just smiled and looked at Caddy and Bodhi behind us. A scowl painted itself on Reese’s face.
“Why’d you bring her?” he asked Theo in disgust.
“What? You didn’t miss me?” Bodhi sneered with a smile. Reese coughed in outrage but otherwise ignored her.
“Quiet,” Theo ordered with a strong voice, startling the wolves around us. Gabriel entered the room and stood in the center. Theo began to move forward, gently guiding me along with him. I walked with him nervously, wondering why we were meeting Gabriel in the center of the room.
“Quiet.” Gabriel echoed. Each wolf turned their attention towards us with hard eyes. “Thank you all for gathering here today. As many of you already know, a gathering is a time for us to communicate with other packs, share strategies and hardships. It’s time for us to re-collect ourselves and remember what is important. Our noble Enforcer-” A thump surrounded the room as each wolf pounded their right fist over their chest. It was a sign of respect for Theo. “Has asked us here today to bring light to our present danger. An Alpha, Reed Porter, has declared a war against the remaining human population and those packs harboring them.”
As he walked around the circle of wolves, I noticed they were soaking in his every word. The Weston’s certainly had a way with words. They could control a room with one voice.
“Many of you are aware that Enforcer Weston’s mate is human. So, this not only threatens good people and wolves, but it also threatens our rulers, our very way of life. We ask now that you evaluate where your allegiances lie because this battle won’t be
