"You must be Lexie," Jax extends his hand, all captain charm. "I'm Jax Lawson. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
"Likewise." She shakes his hand, and I see the exact moment Jax catches her scent. His eyes widen fractionally, his nostrils flare, and his grip on her hand tightens just slightly before he catches himself.
He knows. Of course he knows.
Dmitri is next, his massive frame making Lexie look even smaller as he towers over her. "Dmitri Vinogradov," he sayssimply, his accent thicker than usual. Another tell that he's affected.
"The Wolf, right?" she says, surprising us all. She blushes and adds, "My brother-in-law mentioned you're his favorite player."
A rare smile cracks Dmitri's stoic expression, even through the shock I know he has to be feeling right now. "Your brother-in-law has good taste."
She laughs, and holy shit, it's the most magical sound I've ever heard. Like I needed one more reason to understand why Darren is so dead set on bringing this woman into our pack.
Even if I'm pretty sure he has no idea just what she is to us yet. He senses it on some instinctive level that goes deeper than the chemicals running through his blood right now.
And then it's Zayn's turn. I hold my breath, half-expecting him to say something inappropriate or revealing. But for once in his life, Zayn Copeland is utterly speechless. He stares at Lexie like he's seen a ghost, then at Darren, then back to Lexie.
"Zayn," he finally manages, shaking her hand. He holds onto it a beat too long, but that's the only sign he's as affected as the rest of us, despite the image he wants to put off of being Mr. Cool, Calm and Douchey. "Nice to meet you."
The lack of his usual snarky commentary speaks volumes, too.
Darren, oblivious to the undercurrents swirling around him thanks to the suppressants masking his senses, looks relieved that everyone's shown up and is behaving. If only he knew.
"Shall we sit?" Jax gestures to the table, taking control of the situation as always. "I believe our reservation includes a tasting menu the chef has prepared specially."
We arrange ourselves around the table, Darren next to Lexie, with Jax on her other side. I end up directly across from her, with Zayn and Dmitri flanking me. It feels strategic somehow, like Jax is positioning us for minimum damage.
The waiter returns to take our drink orders and explain the menu. I barely hear a word he says, too distracted by the way Lexie tucks her hair behind her ear, the way Darren leans slightly toward her when she speaks, the way Zayn keeps opening his mouth like he wants to say something before thinking better of it.
I've never wanted to gag someone so bad in my fucking life.
The first course arrives, some kind of seafood appetizer that I'm sure is delicious but tastes like cardboard in my mouth. Conversation stutters along, with Jax doing most of the heavy lifting. He asks Lexie about her business, her background, her interests. She answers thoughtfully, growing more animated as she relaxes slightly.
But there's an undeniable current of awkwardness in the air. Dmitri is more silent than usual, watching everything with those intense blue eyes. Zayn picks at his food, contributing only when directly addressed. And I'm trying so hard to act normal that I'm pretty sure I'm coming across as slightly unhinged.
Darren notices. Of course he does. He keeps shooting me confused looks across the table, his brow furrowing deeper with each awkward silence.
"So," Lexie says during one such pause, "how long have you all been a pack?"
"Seven years officially," Jax answers. "Though Aidan came along recently."
"And you're all... alphas?" She glances at Darren, clearly trying to understand the dynamic.
"Except for Darren," Zayn finally speaks up, his voice tight. "As he probably told you."
Darren's jaw clenches. "Yeah, I told her. About my recent change in status."
The clipped tone in his voice makes it clear he doesn't need Zayn elaborating for him.
"It must be a big adjustment," Lexie says carefully. "For all of you."
"You have no idea," Zayn mutters into his wine glass.
The awkwardness ratchets up another notch. I kick Zayn under the table, but he just glares at me.
"It's been a learning experience," Jax says diplomatically. "But we're figuring it out. As a pack."
Lexie nods, but I can see the uncertainty in her eyes. This isn't going well. We're all being weird, and she can tell, even if she doesn't understand why. I need to say something. Something normal, something to ease the pressure.
