Page 3 of Scar Bonds: The Scars That Bind Us

The chef, Maisie, and her team were amazing, as always. The event had a preplanned menu, so there were no issues with people getting the wrong foods. All of the food prep had been done quickly, and without any fuss. None of the waiters had dropped a plate, or spilled any food when serving, and Senan simply reminded them before every course to be unobtrusive and not to engage in conversation.

The event guests seemed to be having a great time, if the noise coming from the dining room was any indication. There were very few raised voices. That was one advantage of a paranormal event where everyone had excellent hearing, although Senan’s skin still shivered every time he thought he heard a deep voice getting closer to the prep area where he was now taking care of clean up.

“Did you need a hand with those glasses?” Aisha came back into the prep area, her face flushed. “The last of the plates have gone out.”

Senan checked the list of instructions that came with every event. “Apparently the guests will be leaving the dining area once they’ve all finished eating and will be conducting their actual meeting in another room, so you can collect dirty plates then.” He caught the redness of Aisha’s face and waved at the table. “Sit down. Did anyone give you any trouble? You’re looking a little stressed. Don’t worry about these glasses, I can finish them myself, but thank you.”

“Thanks, and it’s okay, no one gave me any trouble.” Aisha plopped down in a seat with a whoosh. “It’s a bit strange having no one pay any attention to you at all when you’re leaning past them putting plates on the table, but now I’m thinking about it, that really wasn’t a bad thing. At least no one was pinching my butt or asking for my number. No” - she sighed – “it’s just that I’m not getting a lot of sleep. I’ve got exams coming up soon, and so I’ve been studying every spare minute I can keep my eyes open.”

Senan was grateful for Aisha’s chatter as she kept up a steady stream of words about her studies, her deadbeat boyfriend that she absolutely was going to dump as soon as she had a spare five minutes, and some random story about a friend of hers who thought she might be pregnant. Wyatt and Alex came in, taking other spare seats, and by the time Brennan and Fern came in to let him know that the first of the guests were starting to leave, Senan had finished the glasses and most of the plates.

“That’s great to hear. If you want to just go out there and clean off the tables… You know the drill. I’ll take care of the last of the dishes, and we should be done in thirty minutes or so.”

“Sounds good to me,” Brennan said, standing up and stretching. “I have a date tonight. Totally thrilled you took my stint at the sink, by the way, Senan. I didn’t want to turn up and be touching my lady with dishwasher hands.” He waved them in the air as the others laughed.

“That’s why I wear gloves.” Senan smiled as he turned back to the sink mentioned. There were still the dessert course plates to be washed and stacked, not to mention glasses, cutlery… Eighty people eating made for a lot of dishes so the next thirty minutes would be busy.

Senan thought longingly of his small house. Once he walked through his front door, he had the whole weekend to himself.Two whole days where I can smell like me, look like me, and just be me, wings and all. I’ve just got to get through the next hour until I get home.

As far as Senan was concerned that couldn’t come quickly enough. Suppressing his scent was magically draining for him, and he’d already been tired before his second event of the day started. But the scent suppressor was working, and at a paranormal event, that was the most important thing of all.Not long to go now.

Chapter Four

Finlay felt his brain was being tugged in all directions and he couldn’t wait for the evening to be over. The most important thing, according to Morgan, was being hospitable to their guests, and as far as Finlay was concerned, he’d done that.

The food served by discreet staff was wholesome and cooked exactly to any discerning paranormal’s specifications. The catering company had clearly used organic ingredients, heavily meat-based, and the meat that had been served was only lightly seasoned, and, in most cases, barely cooked. Perfect in other words. So there was nothing to upset any of the guests.

Finlay knew most of the attendees already, so it wasn’t as though conversation was an issue. Not that there was much of that going on either – shifters preferred to eat and then talk.

It stemmed from wolf shifter lore that stated if an Alpha ate with someone, it meant they didn’t intend on killing that person – at least that day. The meal was a gesture of friendship so to speak, but no serious topics would be discussed until after the meal was done.

It appeared the leading vampire in the room, Lord Falcon, and his coven members remembered that unspoken rule from the previous year’s events and kept their chatter to in between courses.

So, everything was good on the event side of things. Morgan should be happy about that. But it’s what he’d said in the car on the way to the event that was bothering Finlay more than he could let on.

“I’m thinking of stepping down and leaving the pack.” The words fell like a knife between them. Morgan had barely gotten the car out of the driveway before he just blurted them out.

“Gods, you seriously are in a funk, aren’t you? You can’t leave the pack.” Finlay said the first words that came into his head. “You’re the Alpha. Dad chose you as heir and you trained to be in that position for years before he died. It’s all you’ve ever wanted.”

“It is what I wanted.” Morgan sounded almost savage, although Finlay wondered if his brother’s anger was more internally directed than meant for him. “But that was back when I thought I was a decent man. When I believed I could rule the pack with honor, and make our father proud. That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.”

Now Finlay was confused. “What the hell changed then? You do all that and more. I know you think the elders are on your case about mating and all that, but if you remember Dad used to complain about them, too. Just remind them you’re the Alpha and get them to back off. Tell them you’re waiting for your Fated Mate and refuse to listen if they keep harping on about it.”

“I won’t get a Fated Mate.” Now Morgan sounded bitter. “People who do cruel things to innocents don’t get to meet the one fated for them. That’s not how it works.”

Cruel?Finlay didn’t understand it. If anything, Morgan was too nice, which was why he didn’t tell the pack elders to just back off and leave him alone. “Don’t do anything rash,” he said quickly as he saw they were drawing up to the convention center. “You’ve been under a lot of stress, and I haven’t been helping as much as I should have. We’ll talk, yeah? Get this business tonight over and done with, and after I’ve had some sleep, I’ll come over, and we can chat. Or you can come to mine if you think it’ll be more private there. I’m sure we can work something out.”

Morgan had just snorted, and as Lord Falcon and his entourage had been waiting for them in the parking lot it wasn’t as thoughFinlay could say anything else. The moment Morgan stepped out of the car he was the Alpha their father had raised him to be – smiling politely but not too effusively, reminding those attending he was the ruler of the biggest paranormal group for miles around, in a subtle way Finlay had never been able to pull off.

So there was that, and the worry of being left a pack he had no idea how to run, or inclination, should’ve been enough. But there was something else tingling Finlay’s wolf senses, and as Finlay relied on his wolf for his life and had done on more than one occasion, he went through the motions of eating and conversing, trying to filter through the sensations coming through his senses. Something… or someone was getting his wolf in a tizzy.

But who and why? Finlay wasn’t perceiving any threat. The guests were all friends as much as powerful paranormals could be when they all came together, and his wolf wasn’t picking up on any negative vibes from anyone.

The staff wasn’t ringing any alarm bells either. The two women were nervous, but that was understandable. All non-paras with an ounce of preservation would feel that way in a room full of Alpha figures. The male servers were just as nervous, quiet and efficient. Finlay watched one of them a few times – his nameplate said “Wyatt.” But again, it seemed Wyatt was just easily distracted. But he put his plates down without spilling anything and his colleague, someone called Brennan, only had to nudge him a few times.

So if it wasn’t the staff and it wasn’t the guests, then who? The cooking staff belonging to the catering company had all left when he and Morgan arrived. The head chef had introduced the wait staff, and yet…There has to be someone else with them. Someone who hasn’t been introduced. Why?

Finlay watched the staff in between the courses, keeping a half an ear on his brother, making polite chit chat when spoken to but not engaging more than necessary. His behavior wouldn’t be considered unusual. Morgan was always known as the more outgoing brother, and the Alpha as host was playing his part perfectly despite the bombshell he’d dropped in the car.

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