Cole's Redemption (Alpha Pack #5)(30)

Another visitor came over. Seemed the group was finally letting curiosity and their natural warmth overcome their reservations.

“Hello, I’m Kira, Jax’s mate,” the petite blond said, holding out her hand.

Selene took it, and they shook. “I’m Zan’s surprise mate, Selene Westfall.”

“Oh, we’ve heard.” She smiled. “I just wanted to welcome you and let you know that some of us girls like to get together over a glass of wine occasionally, except for Mac, of course—she’s all about juice and milk these days. Anyway, we wondered if you’d like to come to our next gathering.”

Selene looked to Zan, and he nodded in encouragement. He realized she’d be hesitant. She didn’t know anyone here, so she had to wonder if the offer was sincere. Suddenly, he recalled that they should be able to use mind-speak now that they were mated, and he tried it out.

You can trust these women, Selene. They would never do anything to harm or humiliate you. Her face reflected surprise, and if he wasn’t mistaken, pleasure. Whether at the new form of communication or the information itself, he didn’t know.

You think so?

Yes, absolutely. If they’re inviting you into their circle, accept.

All right. I’ll trust your word.

She’d trust his word. He liked that, and so did his wolf.

“Thanks, I’d like to join you,” she said to Kira. Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes, as she didn’t yet want to let down her guard, but she was making an effort.

Zan wondered if part of her had been starved for this sort of companionship with friends. Considering what she’d told him about her birth pack so far, he wouldn’t be surprised if folks just weren’t all that warm and fuzzy.

Kira returned to her table, and Zan saw her discreetly poke her mate in the ribs. He grunted, frowned, but then rose and made his way over to where they sat. Zan knew that accepting Selene would be harder for the men on the team than the women, because she’d tried to harm Nick. Jax’s gesture would go a long way toward swaying the rest of the guys. But it still stung a bit that he’d needed a push from Kira to hold out the olive branch.

“I’m Jaxon Law, Kira’s mate,” he told her.

“Jax is a Timebender and a PreCog,” Belial supplied helpfully. “Isn’t that cool? They can all do neat stuff. Aric can set shit on fire and he’s a Telekinetic, Ryon’s a Channeler who talks to dead people, Hammer is a Tracer, Kalen’s a Sorcerer and Necromancer, Micah’s a Dreamwalker, and then—”

“Belial,” Jax interrupted. He arched a brow, and the basilisk deflated.

“Oh. Sorry.”

With a sigh, Jax returned his attention to Selene. “Anyway, despite the rough start, I hope you’ll find a place here with Zan. He’s my best friend and a great guy, and you could do a lot worse than to be saddled with his ass.”

“Thanks, I think.” Zan scowled at him.

“You’re welcome.” With a nod at Selene, he returned to his table.

As Zan hoped, Jax’s gesture brought the rest of the guys and their mates around to say hello. Kalen, Mac, Ryon, and Daria she’d already met, but she was greeted by Rowan, Aric, Micah, Hammer, Nix, A.J. and Noah. After they’d gone, Belial continued to happily be a fountain of information.

“That’s everyone except Raven DeLuca,” he said, flipping his bangs from his face. “He’s stuck in wolf form and relegated to Block R, maybe forever.”

A light seemed to dawn on her face. “Is he the one who’s howling and snarling down there?”

“One and the same. He was a Navy SEAL in Zan’s unit. Right, Zan?”

“Yeah. After we were turned in Afghanistan, he shifted in the hospital and never returned to human form, the poor bastard. He’s pretty much out of his mind. It’s so bad, the doctors might not be able to let him go to the new building that’s almost finished for the residents who need special care. They’re trying to work it out.”

“That’s horrible!” she gasped. “Do they know why he’s stuck?”

Belial shook his head. “No. And it’s not like they haven’t tried to heal him. Even Zan’s had a shot at it, and nothing doing. That wolf is totally messed up in the head.”

Selene sat back in her chair and grew quiet for a few moments. Finally, she said, “Okay. Raven was turned during the fight with the rogue werewolves.”

“Yes,” Zan affirmed.

“And then he went to the hospital, where he was recovering, at least at first?”

“Correct.” She grew silent again. “What?”

“I know I’m just the newbie on the block, but would it be possible for me to see Raven?”

All of Zan’s protective instincts surged to the fore, and his reaction was swift. “Absolutely not.”

That earned him a dangerous look. “Want to try that again, in a different tone?”

Shit. “What I mean is, Raven is extremely unstable and very dangerous. As in, nobody can get close enough to him to even touch him. Sedatives don’t work on him, either. So he’s trapped in his misery, and six years of hell have made him mean. So I’d prefer that you stay far away from him.”

“But what if I can help?”

He blinked at her. “What light could you shed on his condition that nobody else has ever been able to?”