Page 148 of Unforgivable

Ezra

Owen claps me on the shoulder, offering me another beer. I decline, for once. I want to be sober for Lyri's first time in a bar, first night out with the pack again since the pie incident. No offense to my brothers, but in a minute, I'm going to rescue her from their wretched dancing.

"She's very pretty," Owen remarks. "You're lucky, Ez. You seem... happier."

"I am," I murmur. Rhet danced with her first, guiding her onto the floor almost as soon as we got here. It was, like everything Rhet does, a calculated plan. Our female was so nervous that he bypassed saying 'hello' to almost everyone to get her over there. It took a few dances, but Lyri finally relaxed enough to enjoy herself. Unfortunately for her, Rhet dances like he does everything else, with stiff precision that had Lyri laughing right in his face as she danced around him in circles.

Now Thjis has her, and it's so much worse than Rhet. Lyri's "Bear" doesn't dance so much as he holds her off of the floor in his arms and shuffles his feet back and forth. She doesn't seem to mind, but c'mon.

They come back to the table, both smiling. "We'll dance in a bit, love. First, you should eat. In about a half-hour, the good music will come on."

Her eyes light up. I feel a light smack to the back of my head. "Are you saying this isn't good music, youngling?" Luna Gloria sits in the chair Rhet is pulling out for her.

I smile at the old battleax. "Not for dancing."

"We'll see, you smug little shit," she mumbles under her breath just loud enough for us to all hear her. "Where are those pups of yours?" she asks Lyri in a much louder voice.

Lyri greets her warmly before telling her the pups are back at the ranch with her parents and Elder Bea. She doesn't mention Carmichael, but then he's not someone you just bring up into the conversation, is he?

"So, my son paid me a visit," Luna Gloria rolls her eyes. "He has hope, younglings, but I saw the truth ages ago. Told him that, too. I never liked Jax's Luna. Now, I know that Jax is blood, but he is weak-willed when it comes to her, and she's weak," Luna Gloria spits out. "Then there's their "daughter," little miss Pierson, pah!"

I see Franco approach with one of his female friends, Yelani, then decide better of it when he hears Luna Gloria insulting the alpha couple.

"Always liked the delicate little flower too much, Jessi. Neither makes for a good Luna, but oh, the protection given to that bitch..."

Lyri's eyes are wide, looking at Luna Gloria with a slightly shocked expression. I don't think that she thought Luna Gloria would choose the Watering Hole to make her disdain with her grandson's mate and Cloe public. I don't think Lyri expected Luna Gloria to make an appearance at all.

Maybe I should have told my female that I invited the old battleax...

"Now, what will happen when her truemate trots along, hmm? Who is his family? His pack? Does no one think of these things but me?" Luna Gloria continues to rant.

"We know who he is, Luna," Lyri replies to the latest comment, stopping Luna Gloria in her tracks.

"What now?" The former Luna's eyes gleam. "And, who, may he be?"

"Devel Grim. He's-"

Luna Gloria starts laughing, holding her chest with one hand. I see Thjis shift, looking worried. Tears begin to stream down her cheeks, her face turning red. Goddess, is she having a heart attack? All we need is Alpha Jax's mother dying at a get-together that we planned.

Lyri rubs the former Luna's back as she coughs and wheezes until finally, she stops making those awful noises.

"Oh, oh pardon me," she says. All eyes in the Watering Hole are on us, now. "I wasn't expecting that, youngling. Not at all. Look, I've made your males worry. How sweet."

She waves a hand imperiously at me, "go dance with your female, youngling. I want to talk to your brothers a bit about their recent... visitor."

I want to dance with Lyri, but shit, I want to know what Luna Gloria is about to tell my brothers. Fuck, I hate not knowing.

"C'mon, Sunshine," a smiling Lyri holds out her hand, and my decision is made.

"I'll show you how to dance properly," I tell her, "but, with Luna Gloria here, they'll be playing this old crap for a while."

"Don't you know how to ballroom dance?" Lyri teases me.

I smirk, "do you?"

"Yes. I took an elective in school. It was offered just for three weeks," she says softly. A hint of sorrow comes into her eyes.

I pull her closer as we take our place on the dancefloor. "Why, love?"

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