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She let out her breath She assumed Darien would be pissed that Ryan was here Jake also, because he’dAnd because this was her co-out

Darien and his brothers stalked into the foyer tostern and with firathering Where do you plan to take Carol?" Darien asked

Her heart thuht was that this was soon her first real date with a boy and her dad had read hi in vans, onhomes when parents aren’t there That was the only time her father had acted really alpha She’d always suspected her mother had counseled him first as to what to say

Carol enty-six now, for heaven’s sake, and beyond needing fatherly lectures before a date!

Ryan smiled a little "The movies"

Darien’s response was terse "We don’t have a movie theater here"

Ryan had to have known that Cad Yet she loved his sense of hued Darien Darien’s brothers supported him in just about every situation that arose None of his people disagreed with Darien She enjoyed seeing sorab takeout and return to ave Carol an elusive smile and winked

Pure macho man and a lady-killer all rolled up in that one faint sht of pure heated pleasure After the way they’d kissed with an audience, being alone in his room didn’t sound like a safe bet at all She was certain Darien wouldn’t think so, either

Every inch of her skin flushed arht have worried that the shift was co transformation went much deeper, Lelandi had explained to her, as if it settled into the marrow of the bones and melted them And she supposed it did since the bones reshaped into a wolf’s skeletal for noas ered by pure eestion of taking aTV there Darien tried to conceal the expression, but Carol had lived with hi a smile He admired alpha males, and she could tell that while it stuck in his craw that Ryan was an outsider intruding on his pack business, the gray was a challenge And Darien enjoyed the game when so way from time to tiood huest?"

"The tavern Have a couple of drinks They’re serving roast beef sandwiches tonight You can enjoy the music Best place in town for a date"

Also croith tons of pack reeable, Carol?" Ryan asked, with one raised brow

"Sure, after the gathering," she gruh she appreciated that Ryan had asked if she was okay with the setup and hadn’t justher hoave Jake and Tom a look

Whichwith everyone else’s there

Darien motioned to the sunrooathering altogether, dealt with Ryan, and settled this matter in private without delay But as usual, Darien would have his way

Lelandi came out of the kitchen and wrapped her arm around Carol’s waist "I should have told you earlier that the pack gathering is a throwback from ancient times and that even some humans adopted the notion after they learned our people were doing this Although they hadn’t a clue ere It then becaland and other locales to present women to society as acceptable to marry"

"Werewolves started the trend?"

Lelandi ser than owns and otherand wondered how in the world they could have re back then would surely have been a disaster for her For one, she’d have been considered a witch if she’d revealed her paranormal secrets And a olf on top of that? She would have been bonfire kindling for sure