Page 71 of Feral

She laughed at Lowell’s stupid jokes, and inquired about Liam’s studies. She complimented Gran’s cooking and even drew out a bit of conversation from Angus, though it made me nervous when she did. He was acting more withdrawn than usual, but it was his own fault.

Ruben and Lizzie were mostly quiet throughout the meal, and I had no idea why Angus would want either of them here. It was bad enough he’d cheated on Imogen with Lizzie, only to throw her over again, but Ruben looked like he wanted to throttle Angus every time he laid eyes on him. And Angus took great pains to not look at Lizzie. He’d sat at the opposite end of the table from her, and hadn’t said one word to her the whole meal. As for Ruben, when he wasn’t glaring at Angus, his leg bounced under the table and his gaze skittered all over the place.

And then there’s the way he looked at Daphne. If I hadn’t been holding her, I would’ve dragged him outside and pummeled his arse.

If Ruben had the artifact, it was obvious that what Daphne had said about it taking over someone, had probably happened to Ruben. It made me simultaneously glad he was here, so she could find the damn thing, and nervous. He had already caused serious problems, and the handfasting had to go off without a hitch if we were to make a path forward for both clans.

Why had my brothers allowed Ruben and Lizzie here this full moon of all times? Why didn’t Angus…

But I knew why.

Lizzie had been his mate in everything but name. Even though Angus had agreed to the arranged marriage, and that it was the only way to make peace, it didn’t change how he felt about her. And the artifact had taken advantage of that, for both of them. The way she looked at him, with longing and sorrow that made my chest ache. It was like looking into my future. Except after the clan witch removed my mark from Daphne, I knew it would be far worse.

My grip tightened on Daphne’s hip at that thought. She was mine now, mine and here with me, and I would take every second I could with her before it was over.

She smiled up at me, sensing the tension in my body. Of course she did. Whether she knew it or not, the instincts of the mating bite went both ways. And while Mundanes took a bit longer to for their senses to catch up, it was possible that Daphne was already developing a feel for my moods and needs.

Especially since she’s my true mate.

The more I thought it, and accepted it, the harder this was going to be, but I couldn’t seem to help myself.

On the one hand, I was relieved my family had bought the cover story. If they hadn’t, then Angus would have put his foot down and I would’ve had to send Daphne away. But on the other, having her so close, holding her in such a familiar way was chipping away at my resolve. I saw the way Gran looked at us, with barely concealed joy shining in her eyes. She’d wanted us males settled and happy for years. And while Angus might be getting settled, he wouldn’t be happy. It had pained her to know that he was giving that up, especially since she’d grown quite attached to Lizzie and Ruben. They’d spent more time with our family than their own over the years, so it wasn’t exactly surprising that they were here now. They always spent moon time with us.

Though I would’ve insisted that things be different this time.

“That was delicious,” Daphne said, wiping her mouth with a napkin.

“Are ya sure ya ate enough?” Gran asked. “Yer portions were so small.”

Daphne’s eyes widened and her body stiffened against mine. She was afraid of offending Gran, but I also knew that Daphne wasn’t shy in any way when it came to food. Gran had made her famous meat pies with roasted potatoes, greens and rum cake for dessert. It was a feast indeed, but she was used to feeding Weres, and we had enormous appetites.

“She’s Mundane, Gran,” I reminded her.

“Oh well, yes, that’s true,” Gran patted Daphne’s cheek. “When you’re swollen with his cub you’ll have to remember to eat more. Were cubs take a lot out of Mundane mothers.”

Daphne’s mouth worked and her face did that adorable flush that was becoming a daily occurrence.

“I will remember that,” she said, with a nervous chuckle.

The thought of her belly filled with my cub, a Were that would have her eyes maybe and her strength of mind…it made my body stir and I pulled her closer against me out of instinct.

“Way to go, Gran,” Lowell said around a bite of his third slice of cake, “as if Fraser needs any more reason to think of ruttin’.”

“Lowell!” Gran chided. “That’s not proper table talk. Yer on dish duty. Come on, you too Ruben. Take yer sulkiness and do something productive with it. Oh, and Fraser, I have a healin’ tonic at the ready for ya. Don’t like the thought of ya havin’ a wound from anything spelled.”

Liam’s mouth tightened, almost imperceptibly, but I pretended not to notice. When he’d first been injured, Gran poured every kind of concoction down his throat. None of it helped. I knew she was just worried, but it still felt awkward hearing her say that in front of Liam.

When Gran plopped down a steaming cup that smelled like boiled grass, Daphne hopped down from my lap and I clenched my hands to keep from grabbing her again. She seemed to know that it wasn’t easy to let go because she turned sparkling eyes up at me, a smirk on her face.

“I’ll be right back,” she said and started to help clear the dishes.

“Oh no, not this time,” Gran said to her. “You and Fraser should go into the village, take some time for yerselves before the busyness of the handfastin’. But first, Fraser, drink your medicine!”

I began to down the healing brew when Lizzie bolted from the room and Angus turned away, his jaw clenched tight.

Gran sighed and patted Angus’ arm, and I was grateful she didn’t see me grimace at the sour taste of her brew.

“I know this is hard, and I’m sorry. But it’s reality now, no turnin’ back. She’ll accept that.”

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