pain in the ass brother I never had.”
“Gee, thanks.” He shook his head and continued to scowl.
“Really, man. What’s your malfunction?”
Xander scowled at her. “Can you just drop it?”
“Fine, you will tell me. As your princess, I order you to tell me why there’s a huge stick up your ass.”
Xander gritted his teeth. There was a hierarchy and whether he liked it or not, his DNA made him submit. “I hate you.” He took a deep breath. “I can’t think of anything or anyone as my family. My mother is suffering. She’s a prisoner—a slave. Can you imagine?”
“No.”
“That’s right. No you can’t. No one can. All I think about is whatever horrible thing they’re doing to her now. She risked her life to get me out of there.”
Grace pondered his words. She’d defended Xander to Roman, saying he was consumed. Why did she press him now?
“How can we make this better?”
“How? Are you kidding me? I want to go back with our pack and get her.” He pounded his fist on the steering wheel.
“So the pack, that you don’t treat like your pack, are supposed to risk their hides to rescue your mom when all you do is skulk around treating everyone like shit? Yeah, that makes perfect sense.” She shook her head. “I’ve been a Lycan for three seconds and I know better than to ask that of the pack at this time. And I’m way more valuable than you are, Xander. I may not like it. You may not like it. But they want to protect me. You…not so much.” She folded her arms across her chest.
He pulled off the side of the road and slammed the car into park. She froze in her current position, arms crossed, determination on her face.
“Okay, Einstein. Tell me how.”
She turned her head slightly and cocked her brow. “How to what?”
“How to get everyone to like me?”
“First of all, you little asshole, try saying thank you.”
Xander held his breath for a second. “Excuse me?”
“Hey, Grace. Those guys were being dicks. You were the only one who could act out without Colin having a kitten, so thanks for throwing yourself at his mercy to get even with the douche bags that were giving me a rough time.” She finished by patting Xander on the back. “Just like that. Be humble. Be fucking nice. Stop moping. Talk to your pack about something other than pack business. Ask people how they are. You know, be human.”
He chuckled. “I’m not a human. I’m a Lycan.”
“Semantics,” she said with a dismissing wave.
He turned and faced forward.
She sat perfectly still, waiting for a reply.
He put the car in drive and pulled back on the road.
“He’s thinking. Let the boy think.” Her wolf urged.
I know. But I want him to feel me staring at him.
“Princess…he needs kindness. He needs the love of the pack.”
She considered her wolf’s advice. “Who was that pretty girl talking to you at the table? Is she from our pack?”
“Uh, yeah. Her name is Emily.”
“Well you do look fetching in the tux.” She smiled at him when he looked at her.
“You hitting on me now?” he asked with a laugh.
She couldn’t help but giggle. “No, but she sure was. What’s wrong, don’t you like her?”
“I like her just fine. I just wasn’t in the mood for a party.”
She looked in the rearview to see Colin’s car speeding up behind them.
“Looks like the Alpha and Beta are making sure we don’t kill each other.”
He looked in the mirror and laughed. “Roman’s mate is in this car. I’d bet my bushy tail he’s driving.”
“Good Lord! It’s not like we’d really kill each other!” If she wasn’t already annoyed with Roman, this little move had done it.
“You, uh, sorta already threatened to kill me.”
She snapped her head toward him. “No I didn’t.”
He smiled. “Lycan 101. When you stood over me snarling in the woods—that’s a common kill stance. I thought you were going to rip my throat out.”
Heat radiating through her cheeks, she attempted to
“Gee, thanks.” He shook his head and continued to scowl.
“Really, man. What’s your malfunction?”
Xander scowled at her. “Can you just drop it?”
“Fine, you will tell me. As your princess, I order you to tell me why there’s a huge stick up your ass.”
Xander gritted his teeth. There was a hierarchy and whether he liked it or not, his DNA made him submit. “I hate you.” He took a deep breath. “I can’t think of anything or anyone as my family. My mother is suffering. She’s a prisoner—a slave. Can you imagine?”
“No.”
“That’s right. No you can’t. No one can. All I think about is whatever horrible thing they’re doing to her now. She risked her life to get me out of there.”
Grace pondered his words. She’d defended Xander to Roman, saying he was consumed. Why did she press him now?
“How can we make this better?”
“How? Are you kidding me? I want to go back with our pack and get her.” He pounded his fist on the steering wheel.
“So the pack, that you don’t treat like your pack, are supposed to risk their hides to rescue your mom when all you do is skulk around treating everyone like shit? Yeah, that makes perfect sense.” She shook her head. “I’ve been a Lycan for three seconds and I know better than to ask that of the pack at this time. And I’m way more valuable than you are, Xander. I may not like it. You may not like it. But they want to protect me. You…not so much.” She folded her arms across her chest.
He pulled off the side of the road and slammed the car into park. She froze in her current position, arms crossed, determination on her face.
“Okay, Einstein. Tell me how.”
She turned her head slightly and cocked her brow. “How to what?”
“How to get everyone to like me?”
“First of all, you little asshole, try saying thank you.”
Xander held his breath for a second. “Excuse me?”
“Hey, Grace. Those guys were being dicks. You were the only one who could act out without Colin having a kitten, so thanks for throwing yourself at his mercy to get even with the douche bags that were giving me a rough time.” She finished by patting Xander on the back. “Just like that. Be humble. Be fucking nice. Stop moping. Talk to your pack about something other than pack business. Ask people how they are. You know, be human.”
He chuckled. “I’m not a human. I’m a Lycan.”
“Semantics,” she said with a dismissing wave.
He turned and faced forward.
She sat perfectly still, waiting for a reply.
He put the car in drive and pulled back on the road.
“He’s thinking. Let the boy think.” Her wolf urged.
I know. But I want him to feel me staring at him.
“Princess…he needs kindness. He needs the love of the pack.”
She considered her wolf’s advice. “Who was that pretty girl talking to you at the table? Is she from our pack?”
“Uh, yeah. Her name is Emily.”
“Well you do look fetching in the tux.” She smiled at him when he looked at her.
“You hitting on me now?” he asked with a laugh.
She couldn’t help but giggle. “No, but she sure was. What’s wrong, don’t you like her?”
“I like her just fine. I just wasn’t in the mood for a party.”
She looked in the rearview to see Colin’s car speeding up behind them.
“Looks like the Alpha and Beta are making sure we don’t kill each other.”
He looked in the mirror and laughed. “Roman’s mate is in this car. I’d bet my bushy tail he’s driving.”
“Good Lord! It’s not like we’d really kill each other!” If she wasn’t already annoyed with Roman, this little move had done it.
“You, uh, sorta already threatened to kill me.”
She snapped her head toward him. “No I didn’t.”
He smiled. “Lycan 101. When you stood over me snarling in the woods—that’s a common kill stance. I thought you were going to rip my throat out.”
Heat radiating through her cheeks, she attempted to
Similar Books
