"Oh, this is my husband. Damian Black."
I nod, but Kelsi and I exchange a quick glance. There is no doubt: that man is the Alpha King of Silver City. His aura is the very definition of imposing; I didn't feel like I was affected, and yet, if I get any closer, I feel like I'm going to be crushed by the darkness. Strangely, the only solution is to stay close to Nora and Selena. I don't really get how that whole aura thing works for werewolves, but for me, it’s as if theirs are nullifying their husbands.
I only feel like it is safe for me to come close when Nora walks up to her husband, a smile gracing her face. I quickly glance toward Kelsi, but she looks unaffected. If anything, she is slightly blushing, probably just a bit intimidated. So this is definitely a witch and werewolf thing...
Nora smiles at her baby in her husband’s arms. Oh, right, she was still pregnant just months ago.
"Damian, you should put her to sleep. She looks tired."
"She can sleep here," he replies with a surprisingly soft and warm voice.
"In her crib," insists Nora.
The Alpha frowns, and for a second, I catch a glimpse of how scary that man could be if made angry. Yet, he sighs, and plants a light kiss on his wife's forehead before heading inside the house.
"Sorry about that," says Nora, taking a seat at the table. "He is literally obsessed with our daughter..."
"You guys need to stop making babies," suddenly says a voice behind me.
Liam walks past me and grabs some food from the table. His older brother, the blonde one that is sitting there, gives him a glare, but he ignores it, and walks farther away. Nora shakes her head.
"Ignore him, Mara, he's been pouting all day because I forced him to be here. Come on, take a seat! Do you want anything to eat?"
She starts listing everything they have and filling my plate, but I'm a bit concerned about the other people around the table that no one introduced to me. There is a woman with long brown hair, extremely pretty but looking a bit stiff and quiet. There is also a Black woman, focused on eating a full plate of meat, and right next to her, a man with a shaved head that has to be her sibling. He is talking to another woman, probably his wife, but I struggle to keep up with everyone. It's a big table, and no one really seems to be bothered by me or Kelsi taking a seat here. Even Nathaniel Black isn't bothered, and he is talking to a red-haired guy next to him.
As if it wasn't enough, there are a lot of wolves scattered in the garden. At a glance, about a dozen, but they are moving a lot, some playing with the children like Boyan, or going in and out as they please. I recognize Ben among them since I saw his wolf form before, and he is playing with the younger wolves too. I suppose their house is some sort of headquarters too... Selena catches me looking around and smiles.
"Relax, Mara."
It's hard to relax in front of so many strangers! I'm feeling a bit nervous, but Nora doesn't seem to have noticed, and finally puts a full plate down in front of me. She lets her son climb onto her knees and play with her long black curls. I had noticed in the pictures, but she is a really beautiful woman... although she is the exact opposite of Selena. If it wasn't for her aura, I wouldn't have guessed she is the Luna. I can imagine she is not the fighter of the duo. While Selena is tall, with a very fit body and an outspoken attitude, her cousin is more petite, with a gentle and caring expression. Truthfully, I wouldn't be able to tell that they are cousins. Selena has tanned skin, blonde hair, with amber or light brown eyes, I can't tell, while Nora is completely white with blue eyes and black hair. I can only see a very slight resemblance when they are together, mostly in their facial features, like their nose or the shape of their eyes...
"How do you feel?" asks Nora.
"I'm... fine."
"I tried to heal you, but just as I feared, my... ability doesn't work on witches. I think it's because your burns are related to your magic."
"It's okay," I say. "Thank you for trying to save me..."
"Oh, you should thank Liam more! He jumped into that building to save you!"
I am stunned. He did what? I turn to him, but he's obviously ignoring us, eating his food and standing away from the table, his back against the tree. Now that I think about it, I don't remember how I got out of that building... I keep staring at him, but he is definitely pretending he doesn't hear our conversation.
"I'm sorry, I don't... remember what happened."
"Well, you didn't listen, for one," says Selena with a frown. "However, you did save lives, so I'm not going to scold you for this one."
"Thanks... How did you get there so quickly?"
"Werewolves tend to relay the information very fast," she explains with a wink. "Although, no one was as fast as Liam to get there..."
She says that while staring at him with insistence, but once again, the younger Black brother ignores us. So he was there first? Again... just like at the university. I can't believe that guy just happens to be hanging around every neighborhood where I am in trouble. That's a bit too much of a coincidence. ...Is he watching me too?
I keep glancing his way, but no matter what, Liam Black won't look at me. He is eating away from the table, his back against a tree, watching the children play around. His figure is starting to feel familiar to me, but not those feelings when I see him. It's rather strange.
Moreover, why is he always hanging around me? It makes no sense, he is supposedly trying to stay away but when I need help, he is always there. I don't understand this guy, and those are more questions to add to my long, long list.
"You should eat," gently says Nora.
