“Made really good pumpkin pie.” Adair sighed. “Out of this whole pack, two shifters have surprised me in completely different ways.”
My fingers drummed on the table. “Who wouldn’t surprise you?”
Adair toyed with her cup. “Diesel already asked me.”
I grimaced. “Yeah, well, it appears Diesel did more than just ask you questions, so humor me. Tell me your list again.”
I spent the next hour with Adair, drinking herinterestingtea blend and listening to her run through her observations of her pack. I left her with more questions than answers, but I was glad I had stopped and listened.
It didn’t stop me from reaching out to my enforcer when I left her house, testing to see if he was near. There was no answer from Diesel, and I knew he was too far away.
Axel.
Alpha?His response was immediate.
Before I get any more surprises, how many women did Diesel bed before he left?
Surprises?Axel asked, and I could hear the undercurrent of amusement.
Adair.
I could feelhissurprise and something else. I knew what thatsomethingwas, and I made a mental note to have a strong conversation with Diesel when he returned.
I think there were maybe five, six,including her.
He’d only been in the actual Hollow for a little over a week. I shook my head, but was I surprised? Not really. I’d noticed it ever since I met him. Women were drawn to him, and I had no idea why. He was big, muscular, had long hair, and his tattoos… Okay, I knew exactly what was attracting women to him.
Fucker needs to keep it zipped up,I muttered to Axel.Where are you?
Training.
Of course he was, where else would they be? I made my way to the training ground and noticed there were no Hollow wolves in the formation.
The Stonefang wolves moved like they’d been born to the dirt. Fluid, fast, precise. Not polished like Hollow fighters—these weren’t warriors who trained for show. These were survivors. I’d been training with them for years. I knew their grit.
But as I walked down the lines, inspecting their form with the eye of a general, I noticed something I didn’t expect. AsIwatched them, I noticed more than half were watchingme.
It wasn’t like it was before. No, their eyes met mine with something that looked a lot like suspicion.
I stepped in front and looked around. They came to a stop, feet apart, hands behind their backs. Ready.
“Five of you, front and center,” I said, pulling my shirt off. “Now.”
I loosened my neck as five came forward, three males, two females. Their eyes flicked to each other, communicating how best to attack me as they circled.
Stepping in front of a younger male, I blocked a strike, twisted his arm behind his back, and dropped him flat in thedirt. He grunted, wind knocked out of him. I didn’t wait for applause or praise—we didn’t train for that.
They circled again. I motioned for the next one to come forward.
Jarik stepped into the center. Tall. Broad. Too confident. One of the wolves who’d made his opinion of the Hollow and Rowen known without ever saying her name.
He came at me fast. Testing.
I met him strike for strike. Let him think he was gaining ground. Then I flipped him over my shoulder and slammed him into the ground with a satisfying thud.
He lay there for a beat. Then, breathless, he looked up at me and grunted as he rolled to his feet.
“Say it,” I said softly, wiping my hands on my pants.
