Page 93 of What a Wolf Demands

She took it, her eyes wide and anxious.

“Come on, sweetheart,” he said. “I want you to meet Max and Lizette.”

“Okay.”

He forced calm into his voice. “You’ll like Lizette. She’s not at all impressed by Alpha males. Or Beta males, for that matter.”

A little smile teased at Lily’s lips.

There. That was better.

They left the car and walked up the steps hand in hand. As they reached the top, the doors swung open, revealing a perplexed-looking Remy.

He pulled a sucker from his mouth, then leaned to the side, his eyes on the forest behind Dom and Lily. “Did the Hunters escort you in?”

Dom tugged Lily closer to his side. “What Hunters?”

Remy straightened, then gave him a look. “What Hunters,” he said, his tone sarcastic. “Very funny, Dominic.” He turned his attention to Lily, and his green eyes crinkled at the corners as he favored her with his most charming smile. Ignoring Dom, he grasped her free hand and bowed over it, letting his lips touch her knuckles. “Enchanté,” he murmured. “You’re Lily, of course, and just as gorgeous as I imagined.”

A growl built in Dom’s throat. In his mind, his wolf bared its teeth.

Lily craned her head back—which was something most people had to do when talking to Remy. At six and a half feet, he was one of the biggest wolves Dom had ever met. He was even bigger in wolf form, whatever he lacked in Gifts more than compensated for by sheer size and muscle.

He was also about to get his face smashed if he didn’t let go of Lily’s hand.

However, she didn’t dissolve into a fit of giggles or blush and stammer like most females who met the legendary Remy Arsenault. She just shook his hand and offered a polite smile. “It’s nice to meet you, too. I’ve, uh, heard a lot about you.”

He grinned. “Everyone says that.”

Dom opened his mouth to ask why Remy hadn’t responded to his mental calls when a deep, French-accented voice sounded over Remy’s shoulder.

“Is that Dom? Why is he standing on the porch? Bring him inside.”

Remy winked at Lily, then stuck his sucker in his mouth and stepped back.

Dom gave her hand a squeeze and led her into the foyer. Max approached, the light from a massive chandelier making his black hair gleam. Like most wolves, he was tall and muscular. Although not as large as Remy or even Dom, there was no question he was the Alpha. Raw power emanated from him, its aura so intense it seemed to make the air thicker. He was capable of pulling it all in—sort of huddling it around his body like a cloak. That he wasn’t doing so now meant he wanted others to know what they were up against.

Considering the presence of the loup-garou in the Lodge, that decision made sense.

He reached them, his pale eyes touching on Remy before moving to Dom and finally Lily.

She stood still and silent, her usual fire banked by the nerves that seemed to hang about her like a weight.

Dom’s hands twitched. He wanted to scoop her up and run right back out the door. To hell with his role in the pack. He just wanted to be alone with her.

Max’s eyes softened. Like Remy, he offered her a courtly bow, although he skipped kissing her knuckles. “Bienvenue à New York,” he said, his voice as gentle as Dom had ever heard it.

“Merci beaucoup,” Lily replied, her French accent natural and easy.

Approval flared in Max’s gaze. “I know you’re nervous, but please know you’re among friends.” He glanced at Dom. “And I hope that with time you’ll come to think of us as your family.”

Her lips parted.

“Maxime?” a feminine voice echoed across the foyer.

As a group, they turned their heads toward the sound. A dark-haired woman hurried toward them, irritation on her face. Her high-heeled boots clicked against the marble floor as she crossed the space, her dark blue gaze on Max. She was tall and lean, her svelte form decked out in distressed skinny jeans and a form-fitting top.

He stood straighter, his face transformed into what could only be called a lovestruck expression.

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