Chapter 25

When I went back inside, a wonderful scent hit my nose and instantly lured me to the kitchen. This was the first time I had been near the kitchen at a meal time, and it was incredible how many hungry mouths there were. There were several tables set up, like a restaurant would have. Families were gathered at the tables with their children. There was a mix of arguments and laughter echoing in the dining room. It felt like a true home.

There was a table set up buffet style with a variety of food laid out for people. It made sense instead of everyone ordering to go. The more I watched the people flurry around the area, the more amazed I was. I had no idea there were this many werewolves in this pack. Growing up, my wolf pack was decently sized, but this was easily twice the size. I had no idea such a large wolf pack was so close to the town I grew up in.

My stomach growled, and I started heading to the buffet to make myself some food. I hadn’t realized I was hungry, but the scent of bacon filled my nose, making my stomach grumble. I grabbed a couple of pieces of bacon and a chocolate chip muffin in a napkin and then left the dining room. There weren’t any open tables, and I felt a little weird sitting by myself.

As I left the dining room, I heard Daniel and Jori talking in the hallway.

“With all due respect, sir, I don’t think this is smart,” Daniel said.

“You worry too much. No one is going to get her while she’s here with me,” Jori said.

“You have never dealt with a sorcerer before. None of us have. We don’t know what to expect,” Daniel argued.

As I approached, I saw that Daniel was clearly tense, especially compared to Jori’s relaxed nature.

“Hey, what’s going on?” I said, stopping next to them.

“I think we should cancel your party. I’m still convinced there will be an attack on you today, and I think a party will be a good excuse for someone to get past security,” Daniel explained. He crossed his arms.

“And I was just telling Daniel that I think it’s overboard. There haven’t been any signs of a threat in the area according to our patrols. There’s a good chance your attacker doesn’t even know you’re here. Even if they do, this pack is one of the safest packs for hundreds of miles. No one is going to get past my security.” Jori was completely confident in his statement.

“I think overconfidence is going to cause issues,” Daniel said flatly. He was not happy with Jori at the moment. His face was in a deep scowl I hadn’t seen before.

“Maybe Daniel is right,” I said. “I don’t have to have a party. I promise I’ll be fine.”

“Adira, darling, we are going to have a party for you. I will be by your side all day, so there’s nothing to worry about.” Jori grabbed my hand and pulled me closer to him.

He smelled of fresh pine needles, and his closeness calmed me down.

Daniel clicked his tongue and let out a frustrated sigh. “Don’t come crawling to me when this backfires.” Daniel turned his attention to me. “Adira, have you noticed any sudden urges of power or anything different? Happy birthday by the way.”

“Thanks,” I smiled. Daniel was the first one to actually wish me a happy birthday. “I haven’t noticed anything unusual as of yet. I will let you know if I do.”

Daniel nodded, and then he gave me a pointed look. “Stay on your toes today, and be careful. You’re a good one, Adira, and I would like to consider you a friend.”

Daniel walked away after that, and I felt myself smiling. I liked the idea of being friends with Daniel. He was a little bookish, but I thought it was a charming feature. He seemed like he would be reliable and stable.

“Don’t worry too much about that,” Jori said, bringing my attention back to him.

I looked at Jori, who still had an arm around my waist. “What if he’s right though? What if my attacker still comes after me here? Other people could be put in danger for my sake.” I didn’t like the way Jori wasn’t taking things seriously.

“It’s your birthday, and I don’t want you to worry about something like that,” Jori said. “Besides, no one has ever successfully attacked this pack house. I’m not about to let it start now. I have extra patrols going around.”

I felt a little better that Jori had increased security, but something still wasn’t sitting right with me. It was like there was a rock in my stomach, and Daniel’s caution rang in my ears. I didn’t have any facts to back up the odd feeling overcoming me, so I just nodded. “Okay. If you think it’ll be okay, I’ll try to trust you.”

Jori pulled me in and kissed the top of my head. “Good. I want you to trust me, and I want to prove my worth to you.”

I felt myself blushing from Jori’s contact. Being near him made me feel heated, but I tried to shake it off and took a step back from him. I was getting into dangerous territory with Mark and Jori, and if I wasn’t careful, I would force myself into a decision sooner than I wanted to.

“So what is there to do around here?” I asked. I imagined the party wouldn’t be until later in the day. I thought about doing more research by reading that journal, but I didn’t want to do that, especially not on my birthday. While I didn’t like celebrating, I usually tried to do something relaxing on my birthday.

“You could go on a date with me,” Jori suggested.

I narrowed my eyes at him. Jori really didn’t understand the wait until my life was no longer in danger thing. “I told you that I will, but not until later.”

Jori put up his hands in defense. “Okay, fine. We won’t call it a date. Let’s just hang out.”

I furrowed my eyebrows. It felt like Jori was using a loop hole, but I supposed it wouldn’t hurt to hang out and get to know him better. “I guess we can do that.”

“Great! Go put something on that you don’t mind getting a little dirty and meet me at the front door in fifteen minutes.” Jori was beaming.

“I don’t think we should leave the pack house,” I said nervously.

Jori laughed. “Don’t worry, we won’t be leaving the pack grounds. Plus, I’ll be with you the entire time.”

I smiled nervously, but something inside me told me to trust Jori. It would be worth it. I let out a sigh. “Okay, if you say so.”

I ran up the stairs and went to my clothes. Jori said to wear something I didn’t mind getting dirty, but I didn’t have many options. I only packed for a two-day trip. I grabbed my dirty clothes from the day before and sniffed them. They passed the smell check, so I went ahead and threw them on. If I ended up sticking around for longer, I would have to ask Rie to take me shopping again.

I headed back down the stairs, and Jori was already waiting for me by the front door. He was wearing a pair of dark jeans and a white t-shirt with a jacket. I paused at the sight of him. Despite his clothes being simple, I could see how toned he was, and it made something inside of me purr.

“Ready?” Jori asked.

“Yep! I was excited at the prospect of getting to know Jori a little better. Moon wanted me to give him a proper chance, and this was the best way I could think to do that.

Jori grabbed my hand and led me outside. He took a sharp turn to the left and took me to the side of the house. There was a lot of foliage there, and it was a little difficult to navigate through.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“Patience, my darling. It’s a surprise. Sorry we have to go this way. Normally I would have taken you through the backyard, but if Jori saw me, I’m pretty sure he’d have my head for letting you see the party area.” Jori laughed a little at this.

“Do you miss them?” I asked. I wasn’t clear about the exact timeline for when Mark and the others broke away from the pack, but Rie and Jori seemed to fit easily back into the flow of everything.

Jori didn’t respond right away. “Watch out.” He grabbed a branch and held it back for me to be able to walk through with ease. He still hadn’t responded to my question after a moment, and I started wondering if he hadn’t heard me. I didn’t want to repeat my question just in case he had heard me.

After a few minutes of walking in silence, Jori stopped. He turned to me with a big smile, and I could hear the rushing of water nearby.

“Welcome to my secret hideout!” Jori pulled back some vines, revealing a grove. There was a small waterfall that poured into a crystal clear pond. Purple flowers surrounded the water, even though we were well into fall now. All around us, the trees grew pretty thickly, giving the area privacy. It almost looked like paradise.

I walked past Jori with my eyes wide. “Wow, this is absolutely incredible. Can you swim in the water?”

“You can, but I wouldn’t recommend it right now. It’s a little cold.” Jori followed closely behind me.

“I would love to have a secret hideout like this. It’s so peaceful, and it would be a great place to just get away.” I sat on a large rock and watched as the waterfall poured down. The sound of the rushing water was soothing, and for just a moment, I felt like I could escape my problems.

Jor sat down on the rock next to me. “I’ll tell you what, if you pick me, I’ll share this place with you.”

I looked at Jori with a small frown. “Jori.”

Jori raised his hands in defense. “I know. I know. I’m not trying to convince you. I’m just trying to make sure you know everything you would be getting with me.”

I pulled my lips into a tight smile and turned my attention to the waterfall. This was a serene place, and I would love to be able to visit here whenever I wanted. That wasn’t a good enough reason to pick Jori though.

“I do miss them,” Jori said in a whisper.

I looked at him, unsure if I heard him correctly. Between the waterfall and the quietness of Jori’s voice, I wasn’t sure if I had heard him correctly.

“Rie, Scythe. They were my friends too. That was one of the hardest parts about everything that happened. I lost all of my friends, even my best friend.” Jori seemed genuinely sad, and this was the first time I had seen him show emotion that wasn’t cockiness or flirting. It felt real.

“Maybe you could talk to Mark and work things out. You don’t have to reconnect the packs, but maybe you could repair the friendship.” I felt sad thinking Mark and Jori used to be best friends. It wasn’t easy losing the people you cared about.

Jori shook his head. He was avoiding eye contact with me. “I don’t think that’s possible, not with you being both Mark’s mate and mine. If you choose me, I can’t imagine Mark ever wanting to be my friend. And if you were to choose Mark, I would want to kill him.”