“Thanks, Alice, that means a lot.” Sheblinked rapidly. “You’re going to make me cry and I don’t want tosmudge mymascara.”
When she’d finished dabbing at her eyes,Alice manoeuvred Luna by the shoulders. “Right then, young pup,it’s time we got you upstairs. The pack will be arriving soon.”
Grayson waited for her to protest, butLuna gave Jamie one last hug and headed up the wide stairs. “What, no sulking ormaking a fuss?” he called after her.
She turned. “No, because you promised I couldgo next year, remember?”
“I did no such thing.” He rolled his eyes.“Goodnight, you cheeky pup.”
He waited until they wereout of sight and facedJamie, smiling. “Are you sure you’re ready to take on a rebelliousalmost-teenager?”
“Hmm, I don’t know,” she joked. “I might betoo busy taking care of her hot father.” She reached for his bowtie. “Here, let me fix this.”
Jamie bit her bottom lip while she arranged his bow tie. Herbrow crinkled in a frown, but he suspected it wasn’t fromconcentrating on his tie.
When she’d finished, he held both her wristsgently. “Don’t worry about tonight, Jamie.”
“What if they don’t like me?”
He kissed her, splaying his fingers on the small of her back,delighting in the feel of her soft, bare skin. “I’ll be right byyour side all evening, and if there’s any trouble—” her frownappeared again “—which there won’t be, but if there is, I’ll makesure you’re safe.”
* * *
The evening went well, surprisingly so.
Crystal chandeliers sparkled from the highceiling. Dotted around the vast ballroom, tables were laden with abanquet of whole legs of lamb, roasted chickens and game, andenormous hunks of venison, a favourite of wolves. On each table sata stunning floralarrangement, and hog roasts turned slowly on spits, themouth-watering, smoky aroma wafting across the room.
Two hundred pack members attended, dressedin all their finery. The men wore tuxedos with coloured silkcummerbunds and matching bow ties, while the women were dressed in elegant, designercreations, and dripped with diamonds, rubies and gold jewellery,pretending they were civilized when within every one of them lay abeast that could arise with the slightest provocation.
He announced hisengagement to Jamie,inciting a rapturous applause and the hierarchy squabbling to bethe first to talk to his fiancée.
If Jamie was still nervous, she didn’tshow it, and neither did she show her dislike of such extravaganceas he introduced her to various members of his pack. She seemed to know the right thingto say, striking up conversations and laughing at appropriatemoments.
Even his gold-digger ex, Imogen, appeared tobe behaving herself, much to his relief.
“See, you had nothing to worry about. Theylike you,” he toldJamie. “Everyone seems to be enjoying the food too; look at themwolfing it down.” He tilted his head towards the largesttable.
“Ha ha, very funny,” Jamie replied with agrin. “Maybe they’re on their best behaviour because there’s ahuman here. Namelyme.”
“Okay, one thing you should know aboutwerewolves; they won’t behave just because you’re here.”
As though to prove his point, an argumentbroke out between his beta, Xander, and Flynn, a bitter wolf alwayslooking for a fight.
Grayson watched, immediately on edge.
Flynn delivered a blow to Xander, who flewthrough the air and crashed into one of the tables. It collapsedunder his weight and Xander landed on the floor with a clatteringthud. Flowers, crockery, glassware and food scatteredacross the parquetflooring.
“Damnit, I spoke too soon.” He moved infront of Jamie. “It’s probably a disagreement over who wanted thelast leg of lamb,” he said, attempting to make light of thesituation, but a fight between two male wolves rarely endedwell.
His beta grabbed a broken glass and leapt up,the tablecloth tangling around his legs. He thrust the glassforwards. Xander’s face reddened, his body convulsed—he was losingit to his wolf.
The pack looked on, crowding the scene,jeering like schoolkidson the playground. Cries of, “Fight! Fight!” and, “Take him out,Xander!” echoed around the ballroom.
Grayson baulked at their immaturity. Hishackles rose. The instinct to protect his pack kicked in. If hisbeta couldn’t control his wolf over a goddamn piece of meat, how would he ever be readyto take over as alpha?
The veins in Xander’s neck pulsed, his eyesbecame that of his wolf. He dropped the glass and flipped onto allfours. His back arched and his tux ripped at the seams.
Crushing, crunching, bones breaking, the sound like snapping thelegs off a chicken carcass, only amplified a thousand times, andpunctuated with snarls and agonised howls that might cause thosewith a delicate disposition to faint.
Man metamorphosed into werewolf.
In less than three seconds, Flynn did the same, his clothesfalling in shreds around his paws.
Xander lurched at Flynn, his elongatedcanines dripping with saliva. Their giant, furry bodies rolled onthe floor, snapping and snarling. Another table got knockedover.
“For God’s sake, break it up, Xander!”Grayson yelled.
They knocked a hog roast, splattering hot faton their fur amid yelps of pain.
Grayson had seen enough. Fury explodedwithin. He ripped his bow tie from his neck and sprinted towardsthe fight. Without abackwards glance at Jamie, he morphed into his wolf, ruining histuxedo in seconds.
Chapter Twelve
Jamie’s breath caught in her throat, but notout of fear.
When Xander and Flynn had turned intotheir wolves, she’d watched with a weird sense of fascination,despite how dangerous the situation. They were massive, the size ofgrizzly bears, and as powerful, but seeing Grayson morph into hisalpha wolf for the firsttime left her awestruck.
Grayson towered above them, his framecolossal, his fangs glinting in the light from the chandeliers, andhis glossy black fur covering powerful muscles that rippled as hemoved.
She gawped. She’d never seen anything oranyone look moremagnificent in all her life. She couldn’t wait to marryhim.
“You do know he will expect you to becomelike us, don’t you?” a woman’s voice drawled beside her.
Jamie tore her gaze away from her gorgeouswolf man. Imogen. She might have known the long-legged leech would seize the opportunityto say something to her now Grayson had left her side. She playedalong. “What are you talking about, Imogen?”
She arched an eyebrow. “Hasn’t hementioned it? Oh dear. Grayson told me all about his plansfor you.”
Jamie had a sudden urge to swipe the smugexpression from her face, but seeing as
