A woman entered through another doorway, carrying a plate of eggs. “Good morning, you two. Glad to see you’re both up.” She put the tray down and then walked over to them. “Come and sit down, Lucas, Sofia.”
Sofia remembered the younger of the two women she met last night. Jordan. According to Astrid, she was the “Lupa” or head female of this group of wolves. “Thank you, Jordan,” she said as they were led to the two empty chairs near the head of the table. Her head snapped toward the man sitting at the end, his intense green eyes boring straight into her.
“You didn’t meet everyone else,” Jordan began. “You already know Lily, and Zac, and Astrid of course. But that man scowling at you is my husband, Jackson Forrest, Alpha of the Shenandoah clan.”
“Jordan,” Jackson warned. “You—”
“Don’t worry, he doesn’t bite.” A corner of her mouth quirked up. “Much.”
Sofia smothered a nervous laugh.
“That’s Austin, my son,” she nodded at the man sitting on Jackson’s right. He was the spitting image of his father, except for the platinum blond hair. He grinned at her then shot a knowing smile to Lucas.
Jordan continued. “That’s Jack, my youngest daughter,” she gestured to the young woman at the end of the table, who smiled and waved at her. “We have a middle daughter, Katie, but she lives in California. She won’t mind you borrowing her clothes.”
Lucas placed a hand on the shoulder of the older white-haired man next to the two empty chairs Jordan led them to. “And this is my grandfather. Noah.”
“Nice to meet you, sir.”
“Call me Noah,” he said in a gruff voice. He didn’t look like what a grandfather would look like, certainly not like her Pappoús. He was probably Giorgios’s age, but he was much bulkier, with wide shoulders and thickly-muscled arms that was covered in tattoos. He looked nothing like Lucas, though he had the same confident air.
“Noah.” She repeated, then sat down next to him. The older man gave her a nod, but didn’t say anything.
“Well, dig in,” Lily said, breaking the silence. “Before the food goes cold.”
Breakfast was a surprisingly lively affair. Everyone praised Lily’s cooking, and Sofia devoured an embarrassing amount of food, at least for her. But, apparently, Lycans ate their body weight in food, and they demolished the meal in no time.
“Lucas,” Jackson began as the plates were being cleared. “Your father and I have been talking about the mages. And the preparations we need to do to stop them.”
“Daric’s already strengthened the protection wards and spells around the property,” Lily said.
“And you know we will be ready, wherever the fight happens.”
Sofia frowned. What were they talking about?
As if sensing her confusion, Lucas took her hand and squeezed it. “Remember what I said about enemies? Mages are like witches and warlocks.”
“But evil,” Astrid added. “Very, very evil. They can do all sorts of things, like control people and make spells that can harm us.”
She gasped. “Harm you? Why?”
“Because they want us dead and they want to rule the world,” Zac said. “We, and the witches and warlocks, are the only ones in their way.”
“Do you remember that first night in Blood Moon?”
“You mean, your stag party?” she asked in a teasing voice.
He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Right. They attacked that night and tried to kidnap me and Adrianna.”
She sucked in a breath. “That’s what you were hiding in the other room? Not some bachelor party debauchery?”
Zac shook his head. “Yeah, sorry. That was the best I could come up with.”
Jackson cleared his throat, then turned to Lucas. “Did you decide on what you want to do yet? Like I said, you’re welcome to stay until you … feel better.”
“I’d like to go back to New York,” he said. “As soon as possible.”
The other man’s eyes narrowed. “Like I said, you’re a grown man, and I can’t stop you.”
“Can’t you stay one more day?” Lily asked.
“I have to check with the security office,” Astrid piped up. “And make the arrangements.”
“One more day won’t make a difference.”
Lucas’s head whipped to the man beside Sofia. He seemed surprised at his grandfather’s words.
Noah grunted. “It’s been a while, Lucas. And I could use some help. Fences are almost done, and hopefully we’re done with the snow and they’ll stay up until the next winter storm knocks them down.”
Sofia looked up at Lucas. He seemed conflicted, so she squeezed his hand. “Noah’s right. One more day won’t make a difference.”
“Okay. One more day,” he said. “We really do need to mend that fence.”
After breakfast, she and Lucas followed Jackson, Austin, Jordan, Jack, and Noah outside. They walked far out to the edges of the property, where the half-constructed fencing was. Sofia wanted to help too, and Jordan came along because she said she was tired of being cooped up in her home office in the attic. Apparently, the Lupa of Shenandoah was also a respected scientist in the field of biochemistry and worked as a consultant for a number of companies, including Fenrir. As the others set out to finish the work, she and Jordan sat on the sidelines.
“I wanted to help,” Sofia huffed.
“I know it seems easy,” Jordan said. “But it’s not. There’s much more to it than just pounding sticks in the ground. Believe me, you’re helping by keeping out of the way.”
“And what are we supposed to do?”
“I don’t know. Admire the view?” Jordan’s hazel eyes immediately went to her husband. Jackson had taken off his shirt, showing off his lean, muscled frame.
With the exception of Jack, all of them had shucked off their shirts. Her mouth went dry as she watched Lucas, his arms raised as he brought the mallet down on a post. She wanted to lick every inch of Lucas’s exposed, sweaty
