Page 150 of The Good Boys Club

I laughed, realised it hadn’t been a joke. “Oh, okay.”

“I could go for some Sprite Pops right about now,” Mash said, stretching out his back and rubbing his bare tummy.

Of course he could. Mash didn’t seem remotely concerned that in a few minutes time, all these wolves might universally reject our matehood.

He obviously read the worry in my features. “It’ll be fine. The other packs will be cool about it, I promise. They love the Cassidys and our annual Harvest Fest parties. They’re not going to jeopardise their invites next year by being fuckholes about it.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. I found it somewhat difficult to accept that a bunch of set-in-their-ways wolves would put party invitations before their supposed morals. But I also desperately wanted to believe him. I turned to Kimmy.

“It’s unlikely,” she said. “Mash will be alpha next month. They’ll want to get in his good books. He’s going to . . . have a lot of influence.”

“Plus,” Mash added, ignoring his mum’s comment. “If they are A-holes about it, we’ll go and piss all over their territory.” He pouted his lip in thought, and then nodded, evidently pleased with his idea.

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Dee-Dee said with a shrug. “I could be up for some territorial pissing.”

“Agreed,” Clem said.

Together as five, we walked to the marquee. Chatter and the tinkling of spoons against china bowls greeted us outside the entrance.

“Should I have my ears and tail out?” I asked.

“No, baby,” Mash said, cupping my jaw and bringing his mouth down to mine. “Keep your beanie on. No more pretending, okay?”

I had to close my eyes and take a deep, slow breath to stop my emotions from overwhelming me. “Okay.”

“Here.” He took my glasses off my face, and wiggled the arms down to near enough their original position. They were wonky as fuck, sitting askew on my nose. I unfocused my eyes to get used to the warping of my vision. “I’ll buy you new ones. We’ll go to the opticians in Lykos tomorrow, and if they don’t sell non-werewolf glasses, when we go back to Remy to pack up our apartments I’ll buy you a whole suitcase full of them.”

“I love you,” I mouthed to him.

“I love you more,” he replied.

“Ready?” Kimmy asked.

“Ready.”

The chatter dampened at our arrival, then rose again. People hadn’t noticed my lack of ears or tail, as they called out greetings to the other newcomers.

“Kim darling, there you are.”

“The prodigal son returns!”

“Clem, we getting any real food or . . .”

“Mum!”

Clem waved to her kids, but otherwise, all five of us walked up to the top table without acknowledging anyone. It was the same table Clem and I had sat at last time. She picked up an empty champagne flute and a butter knife and tapped the flat edge against the glass. The ringing was instantly lost in the din of chatter. Only a few people turned in our direction.

“LISTEN UP, WOLVES!”Dylan growled at the top of her lungs.

Silence fell like a weighted fire blanket snuffing out flames. All heads now pointed at us.

Fuck, that was a lot of eyes looking at me. My heart felt as though it might try to make a break for it, and my palms were suddenly producing enough sweat to fill a swimming pool.

“The Cassidy successor has an announcement,” she added. She stepped aside and looked at Mash.

Murmurs filled the space, quiet and . . . well, it was difficult to tell for sure, but there was a definite excitement to their buzzing.

“Hey,” Mash boomed. He smiled, and I swear half the marquee’s occupants swooned. “So, a couple of things to announce. Firstly, I will be accepting the call of the alpha at the next full moon.”

---