Savage Urges (The Phoenix Pack, #5)(7)

He scowled. “If being in a pack is so sick, why didn’t you join one?”

She knew “sick” loosely meant “great,” since she’d learned to interpret his slang over the past few months. “I was twelve when I first went to the shelter. Back then, Dawn didn’t aim to rehome loners. Instead, she taught us how to integrate ourselves in the human community.”

“You’re the one who changed it and started rehoming them?”

“Yes.”

“But you could join a pack now, right? Why haven’t you?”

“Because it’s highly unlikely that any Alpha will condone one of their pack associating with loners, let alone volunteering at the shelter. And I like my life exactly as it is. But it still isn’t easy to be without a pack. My wolf accepts the situation, but she’ll never be satisfied and content. She’ll always feel like something’s missing, because being a loner goes against our nature.” That was why she worked so hard at rehoming lone shifters.

A football came bouncing their way. Makenna caught it and threw it back to the group of human teenagers a short distance away. The park was quite busy, which would hopefully reassure Zac.

After a moment of silence, Zac said, “I didn’t think I’d have to meet Ryan so soon.”

“And you felt like I was trying to get rid of you in a hurry. No, sweetie. He’s really intent on seeing you. I thought it would be best to get the first visit over with quickly. It might placate him a little.”

Zac frowned thoughtfully. “Oh.” He exhaled heavily. “What if I don’t like him? What if he wants me but I don’t want him?”

“Then you don’t go with him. But you can’t make a decision like that until you get to know him. All I’m asking is that you give him a shot.”

Zac looked away. “Whatever.”

She wondered why that one-word response from a teenager had the potential to make her want to scream. “So . . . do you think stairs are supposed to go up or down?”

He smiled. “Why do you always ask weird questions?”

“You’re assuming I do it for a reason.”

Chuckling, he shrugged. “Up.”

“Okay . . . What about that issue that The Killers raised? Are we human, or are we dancer? What do you think?”

His shoulders shook. “That lyric makes no sense.”

“I know, I don’t get it!” Hearing a vehicle pulling up in the small parking lot on their left, she glanced over. She knew that Chevy. “Here comes Ryan.” Zac froze. “Don’t worry, nothing bad will happen to you. You’re in a public place, surrounded by people, and you have me.”

Swallowing hard, Zac nodded. “Which one is he?” he asked as a total of five wolves exited the car. “And who are the others?”

“See the broad guy with the snarl and the military haircut? That’s Ryan. I’m guessing the others are his pack mates.”

“You’re not surprised that he hasn’t come alone, are you?”

“Loners aren’t trusted, so I figured his Alphas wouldn’t want him to come without some backup.” They approached slowly, their postures nonthreatening—as if they were conscious of not spooking Zac. Everything female in her stood up and paid attention when Ryan’s smoky black eyes settled on her. It was pure instinct to irritate him. “Hey, White Fang. Who’ve you brought with you?” Her inner wolf was pleased to see him, but not so much his companions. She wasn’t always comfortable around strangers.

A mountain of pure muscle cocked a brow at Ryan. “White Fang?”

Ryan just grunted at him, which Makenna translated as “f*ck you.”

A small blonde smiled at Makenna; there was a hint of cautiousness in her eyes. “You must be Makenna.” Her gaze shifted to Zac, and her smile became more genuine. “And you must be Zac. It’s good to meet you both. I’m Taryn, Alpha female of the Phoenix Pack.” It wasn’t said with superiority, just as a statement of fact.

Makenna had heard plenty about Taryn. Mostly that she was plain insane. Makenna could respect that.

“This is my mate, Trey. And these are our Betas, Jaime and Dante.”

The strongly built Alpha male inclined his head at Zac before narrowing his arctic-blue eyes suspiciously at Makenna. Jaime, a tall brunette with mischievous eyes, gave Zac a little wave and offered Makenna a guarded smile. Her mate nodded at the kid before studying Makenna intently. Ryan . . . well, he was staring at her again with a crease between his brows.

He looked so indomitable and remote. Again, it should have been off-putting. But his supreme masculinity caused a carnal hunger to slowly begin trickling through her. That hunger intensified as his masculine scent swirled around her like a blanket; it seemed to somehow stand out from the others.

Ryan turned his attention to Zac. His frown didn’t ease. “I’m Ryan.”

Shifting closer to Makenna so their thighs touched, Zac regarded him as warily as he did the others. “You don’t look like my dad.”

“You do.” Something in Ryan’s chest tightened as he watched the teenager’s gaze dance around them, as if assuring himself of all possible escape routes. “We won’t force you to come with us,” he promised the teen. Although, up until that point, he had thought about it. He wanted Zac somewhere safe.