Cole's Redemption (Alpha Pack #5)(29)

But this would work. It had to. As long as his hearing was truly back, he wanted desperately to remain with Alpha Pack, to be a productive member of their team, and for that, his mate had to be part of his world. If she couldn’t or wouldn’t stay, what the hell would he do? He’d have to follow her. But he wouldn’t think about that now.

After he parked, he walked around to her side, helped her down. She looked at him as though no male had ever done that before, and to hear her talk of her clan, he wasn’t surprised. He offered his hand and was pleased when she accepted it, clasping her fingers around his.

“Hungry?”

“Starved. But I’m nervous, too, so I’m not sure how the food is going to settle.”

“It’ll all be fine. Don’t worry.”

She didn’t seem convinced. It wasn’t until they got to the dining room that he understood her nerves. No one was rude or outright hostile, but . . . they were normally so open and friendly, whereas today they were reserved and watchful. He and Selene took a seat at one of the family-style dining tables, and nobody sat with them. At first.

They were filling their plates with spaghetti when a shadow fell over the table. Zan almost groaned when he looked up to see Belial standing there expectantly, as though waiting for an invite to sit down.

“Belial,” he said in greeting. Not the friendliest, but this one had quite the history with the Pack. He was seductive, manipulative. And if rumor could be believed, he came with a pretty sad story.

“Zan! Can I sit with you guys?”

He looked so hopeful. Zan sighed. “Sure.”

The newcomer sat and grabbed a plate. Selene, who’d been observing with interest, said, “Aren’t you going to introduce me?”

“Belial, this is my new mate, Selene Westfall. Selene, Belial.”

“Nice to meet—wait a second. Westfall? As in our commander, Nick?”

“I’m his daughter,” she said, somewhat shortly. “What about you? You’re not a wolf.”

“Nope. I’m a basilisk shifter.” He waggled his dark brows. “Scared now?”

“Should I be?” She seemed unperturbed that one of the rarest, deadliest types of shifters was sitting with them, calmly eating pasta.

Belial considered this. “Probably, around others like me, considering the deadly venom thing. But in my case, I’m rehabbed. Got my rabies shots and everything. Just got sprung from Block R a couple of weeks ago.”

“Congrats.”

He beamed at her. “Thank you. So, what do you do?”

“Do?” She stared at him, at a loss.

“You know, in your clan.”

“Oh! I’m an enforcer, or I was. That was before I left my uncle, our Alpha, without really telling him where I was going and for how long.”

“News flash—Alphas don’t like when their top people disappear. Especially if they’re family.”

“Tell me. I’ve got to call him before long.” She made a face that told without saying how she felt about that task.

“What are your plans?” the basilisk asked between bites of spaghetti.

“Stay for a while, try to fit in.”

The young shifter blinked. “Fit in among misfits? That’s a good one!”

Selene chuckled. “You have a point.”

“Well, hello,” a familiar, friendly voice said to Selene.

Looking up, she smiled. “You must be Blue—I mean, Prince Sariel.”

“I see I’m famous,” he said good-naturedly, easing himself down by Belial. The basilisk scooted over, shooting Blue a nervous look. As well he should—for all that Belial was rare and dangerous, Blue, an eleven-thousand-year-old Fae, was even more so.

“Of course you’re famous. You’re royalty, after all.”

Some of Blue’s humor faded. “Used to be, but no longer.”

“I’m sorry,” she told him, sympathy etched on her face.

“It’s of no importance. At least I don’t have all of those boring council meetings anymore.”

They ate in companionable silence for a bit, or rather, everyone ate except Blue. The prince just pushed his spaghetti around, eating an occasional noodle to be polite. Zan knew, because he’d seen the act time and again.

“You don’t eat much.” Selene studied his plate.

He shrugged. “I don’t tolerate the food on this plane very well. But Melina may have finally figured out why.”

“Hey, that’s good news. Right?” Zan asked when Blue didn’t respond.

“Maybe. She says she thinks the problem is psychological. That it stems from me missing my family in the Seelie realm.”

“Like grief, or depression?” Zan frowned.

“I suppose so. Who knows?”

“If that’s the case, what can she do to help you? Give you medication?”

“Not without knowing how human drugs will affect me. Of course, the best medicine would be to find a way for me to visit my brothers, or for them to come here. Perhaps Kalen and I will be able to figure out how to open a portal like the one I was dumped through in the first place.”

That didn’t seem likely, though, a fact that was reflected on Blue’s sad face. Everyone hated seeing him down, especially Zan. He was a Healer, but he couldn’t fix broken hearts.